Jeff Wilke has announced he will retire from Amazon early next year. AP Photo / Joseph Pisani
Jeff Wilke has announced he will retire from Amazon early next year. AP Photo / Joseph Pisani
The head of Amazon's consumer business, a longtime trusted lieutenant of Jeff Bezos who was touted as a potential successor, has announced he will retire early next year.
Jeff Wilke, 53, has been with Amazon since 1999, and was responsible for creating and building out much of the company's heraldedlogistics infrastructure, which now employs around 800,000 workers across the world.
In a memo to his team on Friday, Wilke said he would leave the company in the first quarter of 2021, and did not have another job lined up.
"So why leave? It's just time," he told staff, adding: "Time for me to take time to explore personal interests that have taken a back seat for over two decades."
The move will come as a surprise to those who regarded Wilke as one of a select group of executives capable of taking over Amazon should Bezos step down as chief executive.
Andy Jassy, chief executive of Amazon's cloud computing division AWS, will be left as Bezos's longest-serving executive.
Wilke will be replaced as head of consumer by Dave Clark, who has been at Amazon for over 20 years. Since 2013 he has been Amazon's senior vice-president of worldwide operations, overseeing the company's global supply chain, delivery, and customer service.
Clark's remit has also included Amazon's growing physical store presence and its Prime membership programme.
Most recently, he navigated Amazon's multibillion-dollar effort to install protective equipment and processes at its warehouses during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I can't think of someone more suited to step into Jeff's role than Dave Clark," wrote Bezos in a separate note about Wilke's departure, which was sent to all Amazon employees on Friday morning.
"Those of you who have worked with Dave know his incredible passion for serving customers and supporting our employees — I am excited for him to lead our teams and continue innovating for customers."
Jeff Bezos. Photo / Getty Images
Bezos said Wilke's legacy at the company will "live on long after he departs".
"In tough moments and good ones, he's been just plain fun to work with," Bezos wrote. "Never underestimate the importance of that. It makes a difference."
Alongside news of Wilke's retirement it was announced that three new executives would be joining Amazon's "S-Team" of senior leadership.
Among them is Alicia Boler Davis, vice-president of global customer fulfilment, who will become the first black person to join the tight-knit group of Bezos's closest advisers.
