2 Black Amazon execs leave after role swap
Two Black executives at Amazon are leaving the company, the e-commerce business confirmed Tuesday, hours after Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy named a new head for the company’s retail business.
Alicia Boler Davis, a senior vice president who oversees the company’s warehouses, and David Bozeman, the vice president of the Amazon’s Transportation Services, have decided “to explore new opportunities outside Amazon,” John Felton, an Amazon executive who’s taking over the company’s operations organization, said in an email to employees. Boler Davis’ departure means there are no more Black executives on Amazon’s senior leadership team, which has been criticized for a lack of diversity.
“They scaled our operations, launched new capabilities and programs, and demonstrated relentless passion to make our operations better each and every day,” Felton said in the email.
Amazon did not give further details on the reasons behind the two executives leaving the company and neither could be immediately reached for comment. News of their departure came following an announcement from Jassy earlier in the day that Doug Herrington will become the new CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores, the company’s former “consumer” division that is dealing with a glut of warehouse space after an expansion during the pandemic. Jassy had also announced earlier Amazon’s operations organization would be united under Felton, who will manage the company’s warehouses and delivery networks and report to Herrington.
Herrington is stepping into the role after leading the company’s North American Consumer business for seven years. He replaces Dave Clark, who announced his surprise resignation from the company earlier this month after 23 years. Days later, Clark said he would join the logistics startup Flexport as its new CEO in September.
In a note to employees that was later posted on the company’s website, Jassy said Herrington “is a builder of great teams and brings substantial retail, grocery, demand generation, product development and Amazon experience to bear.”