MAM
Deepinder Goyal steps aside as Eternal CEO, Albinder Dhindsa takes charge
MUMBAI: The founder is not leaving the table, just changing seats. Deepinder Goyal has announced he will step down as Group CEO of Eternal from February 1, handing over the reins to Albinder Dhindsa, widely known as Albi, who will take over as the company’s new Group CEO.
In a letter to shareholders filed with regulators, Goyal said he will remain on Eternal’s board as Vice Chairman, subject to shareholder approval. The move, he explained, is driven by a desire to explore high-risk, experimental ideas that sit outside the strategic and risk framework of a listed company.
“Of late, I have found myself drawn to a set of new ideas that involve significantly higher-risk exploration and experimentation,” Goyal wrote, adding that Eternal “deserves to remain focused and disciplined” on growth areas aligned to its core businesses.
The leadership change comes alongside strong financial performance. Eternal reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 102 crore for Q3 FY26, a 73 per cent year-on-year jump from Rs 59 crore in the same quarter last year. Revenue from operations rose to Rs 16,315 crore, underlining the scale the business has reached.
Goyal, who co-founded Zomato in 2008, has been synonymous with the company’s journey from a restaurant discovery website to a diversified consumer internet group spanning food delivery, quick commerce and B2B supplies, later reorganised under the Eternal umbrella.
While stepping back from day-to-day control, Goyal stressed that his long-term involvement continues. He said he will stay closely engaged with strategy, culture, leadership development, and governance, areas where he has increasingly focused in recent years.
Operational control will now firmly rest with Dhindsa. As Group CEO, he will oversee execution, operating priorities and business decisions. Goyal pointed to Dhindsa’s track record at Blinkit, where he led the journey from acquisition to breakeven, building teams, supply chains and operating rhythm.
“The centre of gravity for operating decisions moves to Albi,” Goyal wrote, describing him as a “battle-hardened founder” with execution skills that make him well placed to lead Eternal’s next phase.
In short, the company’s founding voice remains in the room but the daily driving shifts to a leader groomed in the heat of execution, as Eternal looks to balance focus with ambition.
Brands
UltraTech Cement appoints Jayant Dua as managing director
Dua will succeed K. C. Jhanwar after his term ends in December 2026
MUMBAI: UltraTech Cement, the flagship cement arm of the Aditya Birla Group, has elevated Jayant Dua as managing director, effective 1 April, 2026.
The company’s board also approved his appointment as additional director, managing director and key managerial personnel, effective 1 January, 2027, following the completion of the current managing director K C Jhanwar’s term on 31 December, 2026, according to a regulatory filing.
Dua will serve as managing director for a four-year term from 1 January, 2027 to 31 December, 2030.
A veteran executive with more than 37 years of professional experience, Dua joined the Aditya Birla Group’s cement business in 1996 and spent nearly a decade in various functional and leadership roles.
Over the past two decades, he has held several profit-and-loss and chief executive responsibilities across multiple group businesses, including insulators, insurance, Century Cement and the chlor-alkali segment. In 2023, he was elevated to lead the group’s renewables and textiles businesses.
Within the group, Dua has received several internal honours, including the chairman’s individual award for exceptional contribution in 2002, the outstanding leader award in 2009 and the leader of leaders recognition in 2022.
He holds an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, an MBA from International Management Institute and has completed the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School.
