eNews
Google taps Raveesh Dev to chase small business growth across the Americas
NEW DELHI: Climbing the ladder at Google takes stamina. Raveesh Dev has just demonstrated plenty of it. After nearly ten years shuttling between roles at the tech giant, Dev has been named head of en-Americas, SMB growth, a position that puts him in charge of scaling Google’s small and medium-sized business operations across the Americas from the company’s Gurugram office.
The promotion, announced in October 2025, caps a rapid ascent through Google’s commerce division. Dev spent the past two years as head of commerce for India, leading go-to-market strategy for advertisers in travel, retail, beauty and healthcare. Before that, he briefly helmed multichannel and consumer packaged goods operations. His track record includes steering a business generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual recurring revenue and winning Google’s 2024 APAC sales leader award.
Dev’s 15-year career spans media and technology. Before joining Google in 2016, he cut his teeth in advertising sales at Times Television Network, where he rose to associate account director, and earlier at Red FM and Reliance Broadcast Network. His pitch is straightforward: scale businesses, mentor teams, drive operational excellence. It’s corporate speak, but his promotions suggest he delivers.
The Americas SMB role is no easy brief. Small businesses are notoriously fickle customers, quick to churn when platforms don’t deliver immediate results. Google’s challenge is keeping them hooked on advertising products whilst fending off rivals like Meta and Amazon. Dev’s experience in India’s chaotic, price-sensitive market may prove useful, though the Americas present their own headaches.
Dev’s LinkedIn post struck the obligatory note of gratitude—thanking mentors, celebrating teams, expressing excitement. What matters more is whether he can translate India’s lessons into growth across vastly different markets. Google clearly thinks he can. Time will tell if they’re right.
eNews
Swiggy sees record orders during India vs New Zealand T20 final
Chicken biryani tops match-day menu as fans order 7,500 times per minute at peak.
MUMBAI: India’s T20 final didn’t just break stumps, it broke Swiggy’s delivery records, proving cricket fans celebrate victories with plates, not just flags. Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, reported a sharp spike in food orders during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. On 8 March 2026, overall orders rose 23.2 per cent year-on-year compared with the same date in 2025, driven by fans turning living rooms into mini stadiums complete with match-day feasts.
Key highlights from the evening:
- Orders during peak match hours (7–10 pm) were 2.1 times higher than pre-match levels.
- The highest order rate hit 7,500 orders per minute at 19:45.
- Chicken biryani reigned supreme as the most-ordered dish, followed by masala dosa, chicken fried rice, garlic breadsticks and paneer butter masala.
While metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad led volumes, the cricketing fever spread nationwide. Among emerging cities, Thiruvananthapuram, Surat and Rajkot recorded the strongest order growth. Smaller markets including Shillong, Agartala and Port Blair also showed significant appetite, underlining the expanding footprint of quick-commerce food delivery across India.
The surge reflects a growing trend of pairing major sporting events with doorstep delivery, turning big matches into shared, convenient celebrations. In a night where every boundary mattered, Swiggy proved the real MVP might just be the delivery partner who kept the snacks and the vibes flowing without missing a single wicket.
