Leadership Transition at Eternal as Zomato Co-Founder Deepinder Goyal Steps Down from the Group CEO Role; Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa to Take Charge

Key Points:

The parent company of the food delivery and quick-commerce platform, Eternal Limited, is going through a leadership transition. Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal has stepped down from his position as the Group CEO, and the role will be taken over by Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa. The announcement was made through a publicly shared letter on social media platform X by Deepinder, addressed to the shareholders.

Goyal wrote in the letter that Dhindsa will now take over responsibility for the day-to-day execution and operational decision-making of the company. Goyal said, “As Group CEO, he will own day-to-day execution, operating priorities, and business decisions.” Goyal will continue to be associated with Eternal in his new role as Vice Chairman of the board. He further clarified his decision by saying that his focus will now be directed towards long-term strategy, leadership development, culture, ethics, and governance.

See Also: Zomato Owner Deepinder Goyal’s “Temple” Wearable, Experimental Brain Blood-Flow Monitor Draws Scientific Debate

He further explained the reason behind the development, saying he will be exploring new ideas which can be described as higher-risk experimentation. He said, “Of late, I have found myself drawn to a set of new ideas that involve higher-risk exploration and experimentation. These are the kinds of ideas that are better pursued outside a public company like Eternal.” He then added that it would be difficult for him to manage such experimentation along with the regulatory and legal expectations placed on a public company CEO in India, which demand a singular focus.

He further confirmed that he will be working closely with Eternal’s Chief Financial Officer, Akshant Goyal, and Dhindsa to ensure a smooth transition. Goyal also wrote, “I believe Eternal is not going to lose focus or momentum through this change. Rather, it is reinforcing its institutional strength.”

Goyal also announced the reversion of his unvested employee stock options (ESOPs) to Eternal’s ESOP pool as part of the transition. He explained this as a move to ensure meaningful wealth-creation opportunities for future leaders without the need for additional shareholder dilution, which would strengthen long-term retention.

See Also: Zomato Founder Deepinder Goyal Teases ‘Temple’, a Wearable Device to Monitor Brain Blood Flow

The announcement was made shortly after reports of a sequential rise in third-quarter profits of Eternal came to light, largely driven by strong growth in its quick-commerce arm, Blinkit, which is witnessing a rise in demand for rapid delivery services.

Who is Albinder Dhindsa?

The new Group CEO, Albinder Dhindsa, is the founder and CEO of Blinkit, leading the company’s vision, product development, and strategic direction. He has been credited with building Blinkit into one of Eternal’s most valuable businesses. He holds a degree in civil engineering from IIT Delhi and an MBA degree from Columbia Business School.

He earlier worked as a transportation analyst at URS Corporation, followed by a role as a senior associate at Cambridge Systematics. Dhindsa then joined Zomato as the Head of International Expansion in 2011. He worked at the company for two years before leaving to start his own venture, Grofers, which was later rebranded as Blinkit. The company was subsequently acquired by Zomato in 2022 amid financial challenges.

The leadership change is scheduled to take effect from February 1, 2026, for one of India’s largest food delivery and quick-commerce companies.

(SY)

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