Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, announced in a stock exchange filing that founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has resigned. Blinkit founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa has been appointed as his successor, effective February 1.
In a letter to shareholder Goyal stated that, "Of late, I have found myself drawn to a set of new ideas that involve significantly higher-risk exploration and experimentation. These are the kinds of ideas that are better pursued outside a public company like Eternal."
In 2008, Goyal, alongside Pankaj Chaddah, established Zomato, originally named Foodiebay, as a service offering restaurant menus and reviews. Over time, it transformed into the major food delivery company it is now. Over the last year, Goyal has embarked on various deeptech, longevity, and personal research projects independently of Eternal.
Talking about Albinder Dhindsa Goyal said that operating decisions will now be transferred to Dhindsa. "As Group CEO, he will own day-to-day execution, operating priorities, and business decisions," he added, noting that he managed Blinkit's journey from acquisition to breakeven and is "more than capable of leading Eternal" as group CEO.
During a recent podcast interview, Goyal mentioned that he had proposed resigning from his leadership position at Zomato around the period when cofounder Pankaj Chaddah departed. "For two-three years, I was ready to step down, thinking that I can't be CEO now, this is a very large organisation."