In a move that no one anticipated, Zomato’s co-founder Deepinder Goyal stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer of Eternal Ltd. (formerly Zomato) on Wednesday, January 21, and handed over the role to Albinder Dhindsa, who is credited with building Blinkit and served as its CEO.
Dhindsa, whose friendship with Goyal reportedly goes way back, will take over the reins of one of India’s largest quick-commerce and food delivery empire while the latter is set to become the vice chairman of the company.
Also read: Deepinder Goyal resigns as Eternal CEO, Blinkit's Albinder Dhindsa takes over
Who is Albinder Dhindsa?
Albinder Dhindsa is a graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, where he studied civil engineering from 2000-2004 and later went to pursue his MBA from the Columbia Business School from 2010-2012.
In between, he worked as a transportation analyst at URS Corporation and senior associate at Cambridge Systematics. During his MBA, he also worked as an associate at UBS Investment Bank.
Dhindsa then worked as the Head of International Expansion at Zomato from 2011, where he was responsible for the company's “global expansion mandate” and worked there for over two years before leaving to found Grofers, which was later renamed to Blinkit.
{{/usCountry}}Dhindsa then worked as the Head of International Expansion at Zomato from 2011, where he was responsible for the company's “global expansion mandate” and worked there for over two years before leaving to found Grofers, which was later renamed to Blinkit.
{{/usCountry}}“He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blinkit and sets the vision and leads product development, along with overseeing strategy,” says the quick-commerce firm’s website.
Apart from work, Dhindsa is “always seen juggling a few books, enjoys playing basketball, listening to French music and eating meals prepared by his mother,” the website added.
In 2022, Zomato acquired Blinkit, which was struggling at the time. However, today, Blinkit has taken over as Eternal’s most valuable asset.
Why did Deepinder Goyal quit?
In a post announcing his decision, which will take effect from February 1, 2026, Deepinder Goyal said that he is moving on to pursue higher-risk ideas outside Eternal, allowing the company to stay focused on disciplined, core growth.
“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 said.
“If these ideas belonged inside Eternal’s strategic scope, I would have pursued them within the company. They do not. Eternal deserves to remain focused, and disciplined, while exploring new areas of growth that are relevant to its current line of business.”
“The centre of gravity for operating decisions moves to Albi. As Group CEO, he will own day-to-day execution, operating priorities, and business decisions,” he added.