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takyon writes:

Jeff Bezos' new 'shadow' adviser at Amazon is a female executive of Chinese descent

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has a new "shadow" adviser, a role that's highly coveted inside the company because it involves following around the billionaire founder for a year or two and learning all aspects of the business.

The position is now held by Wei Gao, a female executive of Chinese descent, whose LinkedIn profile says she's had the role of "VP, Technical Advisor to CEO" since July. Gao, only the second female to shadow Bezos, replaced Jeffrey Helbling, who was named technical adviser in early 2017. CNBC learned of the change from two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because they're not authorized to speak for the company.

Gao, who was most recently a vice president of forecasting, has filled various roles during her 13 years at Amazon, including senior positions in the Kindle and inventory planning teams.

The shadow job, which entails sticking by Bezos' side and accompanying him to all of his meetings, often portends good things for those who are picked. Maria Renz, who left the position in 2017, is now vice president of delivery experience. Other high-profile shadows from the past include Andy Jassy, now CEO of Amazon Web Services, Greg Hart, vice president of of[sic] Prime Video, and Dilip Kumar, vice president of Amazon Go.

The richest man in the world (on paper) casts a big shadow.

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