MAM
Who is Albinder Dhindsa, the new CEO of Eternal?
Gurugram: Albinder Dhindsa has never chased the spotlight. Yet from February 1, he will run Eternal, the company formerly known as Zomato, as Deepinder Goyal steps aside from the chief executive role. The choice is telling. Eternal is betting its future not on vision alone, but on execution.
Dhindsa is best known as the founder and chief executive of Blinkit, the quick-commerce business that has become Eternal’s fastest-growing engine. Under his watch, groceries went from a weekly errand to a 10-minute impulse buy, reshaping how urban India shops and forcing rivals into a costly race for speed.
His path to the corner office has been methodical. Dhindsa graduated with a BTech from IIT Delhi between 2000 and 2004, before earning an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York from 2010 to 2012. The combination of engineering discipline and global business training would later define his leadership style, analytical, data-heavy and relentless on efficiency.
Before entrepreneurship, Dhindsa built his toolkit in consulting and finance. He worked as a transportation analyst at URS Corporation from 2005 to 2007 and later as a senior associate at Cambridge Systematics until 2010. A brief stint at UBS Investment Bank in New York gave him exposure to global capital markets, experience that would prove useful in India’s cash-hungry startup ecosystem.
In 2011, he joined Zomato as head of international operations, helping the company expand beyond India. But it was his 2014 startup, Grofers, later rebranded as Blinkit, that defined his reputation. The business survived funding winters, operational misfires and a brutal pivot before emerging as a leader in quick commerce.
Over nearly 12 years, Dhindsa turned Blinkit into a machine built on dense networks, fast inventory turns and ruthless cost control. It also became central to Eternal’s expansion beyond food delivery, anchoring the group’s push into everyday commerce.
Now Dhindsa will oversee Eternal’s day-to-day operations across food delivery, quick commerce and newer verticals, while Goyal remains on the board to focus on long-term strategy.
The elevation signals a clear message from Eternal’s board. The age of experimentation is over. The age of operators has begun.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
