New Delhi, January 21, 2026 – In a significant leadership transition, Deepinder Goyal has stepped down from his role as the Chief Executive Officer of Eternal Ltd., the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit. The company announced that Albinder Dhindsa, the current CEO of Blinkit, will succeed Goyal as the Group CEO, effective February 1, 2026. Goyal will transition to the role of Vice Chairman and Director on the Board, pending shareholder approval.
Goyal, who founded Zomato (originally Foodiebay) in 2008, explained his decision in a letter to shareholders, stating that he wishes to pursue "significantly higher-risk exploration and experimentation" that are better suited outside the structure of a public company like Eternal. He emphasized that the demands on a public company CEO require singular focus, and this move will allow Eternal to maintain its disciplined approach while giving him the space to explore new ideas that may not align with the company's strategic or risk profile.
"Of late, I have found myself drawn towards high-risk ideas that are very different from Eternal's core businesses,” Goyal stated. He added that if those ideas aligned with Eternal's strategy, they would have been pursued within the company.
Albinder Dhindsa's appointment as Group CEO reflects the increasing importance of the quick commerce sector within Eternal. Goyal expressed strong confidence in Dhindsa's capabilities, highlighting his success in leading Blinkit from acquisition to achieving breakeven. He noted Dhindsa's "DNA of a battle-hardened founder" and commended his execution skills. Goyal stated that the center of gravity for operating decisions will now shift to Dhindsa.
Dhindsa, an IIT Delhi and Columbia University graduate, co-founded Blinkit (formerly Grofers) in 2013. Prior to that, he served as the Head of International Expansion at Zomato.
Eternal emphasized that this leadership transition will not alter its decentralized operating model, where each business is managed by its own CEO. Goyal affirmed that he will remain actively involved in long-term strategy, culture building, governance, and major capital allocation decisions. He will also work closely with Dhindsa and the leadership team.
As part of the transition, Goyal's unvested employee stock options (ESOPs) will revert to Eternal's ESOP pool. The company said this move aims to support future leaders' wealth creation without diluting shareholder value.
In its recent updates, Eternal highlighted positive quarterly performance indicators, including a 55% year-on-year growth in B2C gross order value and a 121% increase in net order value. Zomato reported a record Adjusted EBITDA margin of 5.4%, with improving margins at Hyperpure. Blinkit recently reported its first quarterly Adjusted EBITDA positivity since its acquisition.
