When Deepinder Goyal steps down as Group CEO of Eternal on February 1, 2026, the leadership baton will pass to Albinder Dhindsa, the entrepreneur who built Blinkit into India’s most recognisable quick-commerce brand.

Dhindsa, 42, is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Blinkit, the grocery delivery startup that redefined convenience by promising essentials in under 10 minutes. Born in Patiala, Punjab, he trained as an engineer at IIT Delhi before going on to earn an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York.

Before turning entrepreneur, Dhindsa worked as a transportation analyst at URS Corporation and later at Cambridge Systematics, where he spent more than three years studying logistics networks and mobility systems. He also had a brief stint at UBS Investment Bank during his MBA, giving him a ringside view of corporate finance and capital markets. On returning to India, he joined Zomato as head of international operations, playing a role in its global expansion and learning the complexities of scaling a consumer internet platform across markets.

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From Grofers to Blinkit

In 2013, Dhindsa co-founded Grofers with Saurabh Kumar, initially positioning it as a hyperlocal delivery service connecting neighbourhood stores to consumers through an app. The model soon ran into the realities of India’s fragmented supply chain, leading to heavy losses and inconsistent service levels. Dhindsa responded with a high-risk pivot: building a full-stack operation with company-owned warehouses, tighter inventory control, and end-to-end logistics.

That decision laid the foundation for Blinkit, the brand Grofers was reimagined as in 2021. The company embraced quick commerce, promising deliveries in 10 to 20 minutes using a dense network of dark stores and micro-warehouses. In 2022, Zomato acquired Blinkit for ₹4,447 crore, or about $568 million at the time, in an all-stock deal, marking its formal entry into the fast-growing quick-commerce segment.

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Since then, Blinkit has become Zomato’s fastest-growing vertical, recently posting its first positive adjusted EBITDA of ₹4 crore in Q3FY26. The turnaround has been closely associated with Dhindsa’s operational discipline and willingness to make hard calls.

A tested relationship with Goyal

Dhindsa’s elevation comes with an unusual backstory. Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal has publicly said he asked Dhindsa to step down twice in the period following the Blinkit acquisition, citing difficulties in adapting to the post-merger environment. “Right after we acquired Blinkit, I asked him to leave. I told him, ‘You will not be able to cut it,’” Goyal said on a podcast with Raj Shamani. The fact that Dhindsa stayed, recalibrated, and delivered results is now seen internally as evidence of his resilience. From that, Goyal has said today, “Blinkit's journey from acquisition to breakeven happened under his leadership. He built the team, the culture, the supply chain, the operating rhythm. He has the DNA of a battle-hardened founder and his ability to execute far exceeds mine. He is more than capable of leading Eternal as Group CEO.”

As Group CEO, Dhindsa will oversee a broader portfolio beyond quick commerce, at a time when Eternal is navigating intensifying competition, tighter capital markets, and rising regulatory scrutiny.