Eternal Confirms CEO Change: Deepinder Goyal Passes Leadership to Dhindsa

The leadership shift that was announced last month has been finalised with the official confirmation of co-founder Deepinder Goyal's resignation as managing director, chief executive officer, and director by Eternal Ltd (formerly Zomato Ltd). On February 6, the company complied with SEBI's listing criteria and notified the development in a stock exchange filing. The document, which included Goyal's signed resignation letter dated January 21, also states that the resignation was effective as of the end of business on February 1, 2026.

According to earlier reports, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa has been appointed as Goyal's replacement as Group CEO. Goyal fully resigned from his executive positions and numerous board committees in his resignation letter. With this. Goyal indicated that he was moving away from the day-to-day leadership responsibilities associated with the CEO and MD roles. Dhindsa will now be in charge as Group CEO, which means he will be in charge of Eternal's global operations, setting priorities, and making important business choices.

Goyal’s New Role

It is anticipated that Goyal will continue to be engaged with the company in a non-executive capacity even after stepping down from senior management. His letter to shareholders stated that he intended to remain on the board in the role of vice chairman, contingent upon the consent of the shareholders. Hence, moving away from operational monitoring and toward long-term strategy, culture, leadership development, and governance.

As part of the transfer, the business also revealed that all of Goyal's employee stock options that have not yet vested will be returned to the ESOP pool. Without further diluting shareholders' interests, this action will bolster future leadership incentives.

Why Goyal Decided to Step-Down?

To justify his choice, Goyal said that he is more interested in pursuing riskier ideas outside of the setting of a publicly traded company. Additionally, he brought out the fact that running a public company in India necessitates undivided attention due to the stringent regulations and demanding performance. The shift in leadership at Eternal is part of the company's strategy to expand beyond its roots in meal delivery.

In order to better represent its expanded structure that includes meal delivery, fast commerce, and B2B supply, the group changed its name from Zomato to Eternal. Under Dhindsa's leadership, Blinkit went from acquisition to breakeven, which Goyal regarded as the company's greatest development prospect. Goyal returns to a strategic, non-executive role, and Dhindsa takes charge of Eternal's next phase with the formalisation of the governance-led handover in the February 6 disclosure.