Zomato appoints new CEO for its food delivery business

176

Zomato’s parent firm, Eternal Ltd., has announced a pivotal leadership change that could shape its future. Aditya Mangla has stepped in as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zomato’s food delivery division. The board gave the green light to Mangla’s appointment on July 6, 2025—a move that landed right as Zomato’s core business started losing steam. It’s not just a routine succession; it marks the end of Rakesh Ranjan’s two-year run and the start of a high-stakes leadership pivot.

Zomato’s new CEO Mangla, isn’t a newcomer parachuted in to clean up the mess—he’s an insider who knows Zomato’s soul. Since 2021, he’s held multiple mission-critical roles: Head of Product, Chief of Staff to founder Deepinder Goyal, and overseer of supply and customer experience. Before Zomato, he built his chops at tech powerhouses like HCL Technologies, Bloomberg LP, and Woo. He blends product insight with sharp business sense.

This move isn’t just administrative—it reflects a deeper strategy. Eternal’s rotational leadership system seeks fresh thinking to break stagnant patterns. With Goyal having temporarily stepped in to navigate the food business through stagnation and escalating quick commerce threats, Mangla’s appointment feels like a baton handoff with a clear intent: reboot, rethink, revive.

Despite posting Rs 2,054 crore in revenue for Q4 FY25—a year-on-year increase of 18%—Zomato’s food delivery vertical took a marginal dip in gross order value. Consumer demand has cooled, and rider shortages, partly due to Blinkit’s expansion, haven’t helped. Now all eyes are on Mangla—can he reignite Zomato’s growth engine and outmanoeuvre rising rivals?

1. Zomato’s New CEO: An Inside-Out Leader for a Challenging Phase

1.1 Internal Growth Story

Zomato’s new CEO Aditya Mangla’s rise isn’t some overnight promotion—it’s years of in-the-trenches leadership paying off. Since joining in March 2021, he’s tackled everything from product design to delivery experience. As Head of Product, he helped sharpen Zomato’s competitive edge and made its platform more user-centric. He’s not just a thinker—he’s a builder.

Mangla’s journey before Zomato reads like a startup founder’s dream resume. He’s held influential roles at HCL, Bloomberg, and Woo, absorbing both tech and business intricacies. With a Master’s from Carnegie Mellon and a PGP from ISB—where he bagged the Torchbearer Award—Mangla brings academic rigour and street-smart agility.

1.2 Leadership Transition Context

Rakesh Ranjan’s two-year run as CEO ended as planned, but this isn’t just a changing of the guard. Deepinder Goyal’s internal memo made it personal and philosophical. He spoke of leadership that “sees the invisible” and listens “not to reply, but to understand.” Mangla’s selection embodies that ethos.

2. Zomato’s Business Model and Startup Journey

2.1 A Snapshot of the Business

Zomato wasn’t always a food delivery behemoth. Born in 2008 as a restaurant discovery site, it transformed over time into a food powerhouse. Today, it serves millions through listings, reviews, delivery, and Blinkit’s lightning-fast grocery model.

Its revenue recipe? A mix of restaurant commissions, customer delivery charges, Zomato Gold subscriptions, and ad placements. That flywheel continues to spin, but it’s squeaking under pressure.

2.2 Scaling Through Strategic Moves

Zomato has raised over $2.5 billion from backers like Tiger Global, Sequoia, Temasek, and Info Edge. Its 2021 IPO was a watershed moment, making it one of India’s first tech unicorns to go public. Eternal Ltd., its umbrella parent, now manages Zomato, Blinkit, and beyond.

The Blinkit acquisition in 2022 wasn’t just a bolt-on. It signalled Zomato’s bet on India’s booming quick commerce wave. But rapid scaling came with a cost, and its food delivery unit took a hit. Still, the long game might pay off.

3. Industry Trends and Competitive Landscape

3.1 Slowing Growth and Shifting Consumer Behaviour

India’s food delivery arena is no longer on fire—it’s simmering. YoY GOV growth for Zomato slipped from 28% in Q4 FY24 to 16% in Q4 FY25. The reasons? Urban spending is tightening. Customers are second-guessing delivery fees. Saturation is creeping in.

And then there’s quick commerce. When packaged meals arrive in 10 minutes, who waits 40 minutes for biryani? Convenience has evolved, and platforms need to catch up.

3.2 Competitors: Swiggy, Zepto, and Amazon

Zomato’s main rival, Swiggy, is locked in the same war. The battleground? Speed, discounts, and retention. Meanwhile, Zepto, Dunzo, and Amazon Fresh are blurring the lines between grocery and food delivery.

Zomato isn’t fighting just for customers—it’s fighting for relevance. With Mangla’s product-first mindset, the company will likely double down on personalisation, loyalty, and smooth UX to stay in the race.

4. Strategic Implications of the New Appointment

4.1 Goyal’s Hands-On Leadership

Goyal’s temporary takeover wasn’t symbolic—it was surgical. He got his hands dirty to understand why growth stalled. That ground-up exposure now becomes a guiding force as Mangla steps in.

Mangla has insider knowledge, but he’s stepping into a storm. He must fix delivery ops, motivate fleets, trim costs, and still wow customers. It’s a balancing act—and the clock is ticking.

4.2 Organisational Philosophy: Rotational Leadership

Zomato’s main rival, Swiggy, isn’t just in competition—it’s in combat. The turf war is brutal, with speed, discounts, and customer stickiness at stake. But that’s not all. Zepto, Dunzo, and Amazon Fresh are busy redrawing the boundaries between grocery baskets and dinner plates.

This is no longer a food fight—it’s a relevant war. Zomato’s challenge? Staying indispensable. With Mangla’s product-obsessed lens, expect a hard pivot toward hyper-personalised journeys, relentless loyalty perks, and frictionless user experiences that feel less transactional and more intuitive.

5. What Problems Does Zomato Solve?

1. Helps users discover great restaurants near them.
2. Gets food delivered at home, quickly and reliably.
3. Gives restaurants a digital storefront and customer pipeline.
4. Generates jobs for delivery personnel and restaurant workers.

Zomato doesn’t just serve food—it serves convenience, visibility, and income at scale. In chaotic urban India, that’s no small feat.

6. What Lies Ahead for Zomato and Mangla?

6.1 Outlook for FY26

Mangla has no grace period. His priority list writes itself:

• Push customer offers without bleeding margins.
• Fix backend logistics and partner ecosystem.
• Use AI for order prediction and route optimisation.
• Rebuild brand charm through delight-focused UX.

Every metric—GOV, NPS, CAC—will be scrutinised.

6.2 Investor and Market Sentiment

The market’s reaction? Muted. Eternal’s stock dipped slightly. Investors are intrigued but not sold. Mangla must prove himself—fast. Numbers in the next two quarters will set the tone.

Learning for Startups and Entrepreneurs

Mangla’s appointment as zomato’s new CEO isn’t just corporate news—it’s a startup case study:

1. Bet on Your People: Internal talent brings trust, memory, and urgency.
2. Adapt or Sink: When the game changes, don’t freeze—evolve.
3. Soft Skills Are Hard Power: Listening and humility are now leadership currency.
4. Keep the Core Alive: Quick commerce is flashy, but food delivery is still the soul.
5. Customer > Everything: Delight wins. Always.

About Foundlanes

At foundlanes.com, we don’t just report headlines—we decode the ecosystem. From IPOs to pivots, unicorns to upstarts, we spotlight what matters in India’s entrepreneurial arc. As Zomato reshuffles leadership to tackle a new era, we’ll keep tracking how bold moves shape the future of business. Read to stay ahead.