Deepinder Goyal steps down as Eternal group CEO, Albinder Dhindsa takes charge

Deepinder Goyal has resigned as Group Chief Executive Officer of Eternal, the company announced, marking a major leadership transition at the publicly listed firm.

According to a regulatory filing, Albinder Dhindsa will take over as the new Group CEO, while Goyal will move to the role of Vice Chairman on the board, subject to shareholder approval.

Explaining his decision, Goyal said he wanted to focus on high-risk exploration and experimentation that may not align with the expectations and discipline required of a public company. In a letter to shareholders, he said such ideas are better pursued outside Eternal’s current strategic framework.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An important update on leadership changes at Eternal. <a href="https://t.co/CALn2QQFWE">pic.twitter.com/CALn2QQFWE</a></p>&mdash; Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepigoyal/status/2013923469176770934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Of late, I have found myself drawn to a set of new ideas that involve significantly higher-risk exploration and experimentation,” Goyal said, adding that if those ideas fit within Eternal’s scope, he would have pursued them internally. “But Eternal deserves to remain focused and disciplined.”

Goyal noted that leading a public company in India comes with legal and operational responsibilities that demand singular attention. While he said he has the bandwidth to handle both his current role and exploratory work, the expectations from a Group CEO of a listed entity make that balance difficult.

He said the leadership change would allow the company to stay sharply focused while giving him the space to explore ideas that fall outside Eternal’s risk profile.

Albinder Dhindsa, who previously led Blinkit through its acquisition and path to breakeven, will now be responsible for day-to-day execution and operational priorities. Goyal credited Dhindsa for building Blinkit’s team, culture and supply chain, and described him as a leader with strong execution capabilities.

“He has the DNA of a battle-hardened founder, and his ability to execute far exceeds mine,” Goyal said, adding that Blinkit remains Eternal’s largest growth opportunity and will continue to be Dhindsa’s top priority.

Despite stepping away from the executive role, Goyal said he would remain actively involved in long-term strategy, culture, leadership development, and ethics and governance. He also said his financial future remains tied to the company, with incentives aligned to long-term shareholder value.

As part of the transition, Goyal’s unvested Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) will revert to Eternal’s ESOP pool to support retention of future leaders without additional shareholder dilution.

Reflecting on the company’s 18-year journey, Goyal said Eternal had grown from a menu-scanning business into a large organisation providing livelihoods to hundreds of thousands. He stressed that the leadership change does not reflect a reduced commitment to the company.

“This is a change in title, not in commitment towards outcomes. Eternal remains my life’s work,” Goyal said, adding that his long-term goal is for the company to become India’s most valuable firm and serve a billion customers.