Zomato Founder Deepinder Goyal Steps Down as CEO, Blinkit Head Albinder Dhindsa to Lead Parent Company Eternal

Deepinder Goyal, co-founder and chief executive of Indian food delivery giant Zomato Ltd. (NSE: ZOMATO), has stepped down from his leadership role effective immediately. Albinder Dhindsa, currently CEO of Zomato-owned quick-commerce platform Blinkit, will succeed Goyal as CEO of both Zomato and its parent entity Eternal. The transition marks a pivotal leadership change at India's largest food delivery service, which commands approximately 55% market share in the $5.3 billion sector.

Goyal founded Zomato in 2008 and grew it from a restaurant discovery platform into India's dominant food delivery operator, overseeing its 2021 IPO that raised $1.3 billion at a $13.3 billion valuation. Under his leadership, Zomato achieved profitability for the first time in Q2 2025, reporting ₹3.8 billion ($46 million) net income on revenue of ₹42.7 billion ($512 million). The company's strategic $568 million acquisition of Blinkit in 2022 positioned it to compete in the rapidly expanding 10-minute grocery delivery market, projected to reach $5 billion annually by 2027.

Successor Albinder Dhindsa brings extensive operational expertise from scaling Blinkit to 15 million monthly active users across 45 Indian cities. Blinkit has emerged as Zomato's fastest-growing segment, with gross order value increasing 103% year-over-year to ₹24.3 billion ($291 million) last quarter. Dhindsa previously co-founded transportation logistics startup Trakky before its acquisition and spent five years leading international expansion at Ola.

The leadership transition comes as Zomato faces mounting pressure in both core segments. Food delivery growth slowed to 18% annually amid intensified competition from Swiggy, which recently secured $1.25 billion in new funding. Meanwhile, Blinkit operates in a crowded quick-commerce space where Zepto achieved unicorn status last year and Reliance's JioMart expands aggressively. Analyst projections suggest Zomato must maintain Blinkit's current 28% market share while improving its 7.2% contribution margin to justify the subsidiary's $3.8 billion valuation.

Market reaction to the announcement saw Zomato shares decline 3.2% in early trading, reflecting investor uncertainty despite the orderly succession plan. Goyal will remain with Eternal as non-executive director and strategic advisor, focusing on long-term initiatives including international expansion and AI-driven personalization. The leadership change signals Eternal's strategic pivot toward integrating its food delivery and instant-commerce operations, with Dhindsa's logistics expertise positioned to streamline last-mile delivery networks and reduce the combined entity's 14.7% operating costs.

Industry analysts note Dhindsa's immediate challenges include defending market share against deep-pocketed competitors while demonstrating path to profitability for Blinkit, which reported ₹9.2 billion ($110 million) in losses during its last fiscal year. With India's online food delivery sector expected to grow at 28% CAGR through 2030 according to RedSeer Consulting, Zomato's leadership transition represents a calculated bet on operational execution over founder-led vision.