Amazon’s Ajay Kavan appointed to board of In Kind Direct
Ajay Kavan, vice president of consumables at Amazon.co.uk, has joined the board of In Kind Direct, a charity that redistributes new products donated by retailers and manufacturers to charities across the UK.
Kavan, who has 20 years retail experience in building multi-channel businesses in the UK and in Asia, will act as a trustee and a non-executive director of the charity.
Before joining Amazon in 2011, Kavan was marketing and strategy director at Homebase for six years and prior to this held a variety of senior retail management positions including director of multi-channel retailing at B&Q and business development & e-commerce director at Littlewoods.
Founded in 1996, In Kind Direct has redistributed over £140 million worth of products from more than 880 companies to around 6,000 UK charities ranging from women’s refuges, to hospices and homelessness projects.
Never Miss a Retail Update!The appointment comes as Amazon steps up its support for In Kind Direct’s work.
“Amazon has worked with In Kind Direct for several years and is pleased to be able to announce that it will significantly increase its support for In Kind Direct in 2013. In particular, the surplus stock donated to them comprises a broad range of unused products in perfect condition and it is great to see this put to good use,” said Kavan.
Robin Boles, chief executive of In Kind Direct, added: “Ajay brings a wealth of experience at a time when we are expanding the impact of our work significantly over the next two years in the UK and overseas. As a charity that also operates online we are so pleased to have his support and expertise on our board.”
