Deepinder Goyal steps down as Eternal CEO; Albinder Dhindsa to take charge

Deepinder Goyal, founder of Eternal, the parent company of Blinkit and Zomato, has stepped down as the chief executive of the company, according to a stock exchange filing. After the resignation of Goyal, Eternal has appointed Blinkit founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa as his successor, with the change taking effect on February 1.

Goyal as the role of vice-chairman

Goyal will take on the role of vice-chairman and continue to serve on Eternal’s board. He added that day-to-day operating decisions will now be handled by Dhindsa. "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," Goyal said in a letter to shareholders.

"As group CEO, he will own day-to-day execution, operating priorities, and business decisions," he said. Goyal further said that the journey of Blinkit from acquisition to breakeven was managed by Dhindsa, who is "more than capable of leading Eternal" as group CEO.

Citing sources, the Economic Times indicated that, for now, Dhindsa will continue to head Blinkit. As part of the leadership transition, Goyal's unvested stock options will return to the employee stock option (Esop) pool.

Goyal co-founded Zomato in 2008 with Pankaj Chaddah. Originally launched as Foodiebay, a restaurant menu and reviews platform, it later grew into one of India’s largest food delivery companies. Over the past year, Goyal has also pursued several deeptech, longevity and research ventures outside Eternal.