In his new role, Swaroop will spearhead Instamart’s business strategy, commercial growth, and expansion initiatives, playing a key role in shaping the next phase of the company’s growth journey. His appointment underscores Instamart’s commitment to building a seasoned leadership team capable of navigating the rapidly changing dynamics of India’s quick commerce ecosystem.

Swaroop brings with him more than two decades of diverse leadership experience across some of the world’s most respected organisations. Most recently, he led OYO’s International Hotels & Homes business as Chief Executive Officer, where he was instrumental in driving global expansion and business transformation. Prior to OYO, he held senior leadership positions at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and began his professional journey at McKinsey & Company, building deep expertise across strategy, operations, and business growth.

With a proven track record of scaling businesses and leading transformative growth across industries, Gautam Swaroop’s appointment is expected to further strengthen Instamart’s ambitions as it continues to redefine convenience and accelerate its footprint in India’s highly competitive quick commerce landscape.

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He brings extensive leadership experience in finance across the retail and food and beverage sectors. Before joining Starbucks India, he was Brand CFO at Reliance Brands Limited and Head of Finance at Tim Hortons India, where he played a significant role in steering financial strategy and business performance. He has also held leadership positions at Essar Group, further strengthening his expertise in financial management and business transformation.

Over the course of his career, Gattani has built a strong track record in financial strategy, business partnering, operational excellence, and transformation. His experience in driving business performance and implementing finance-led growth initiatives positions him well to support Starbucks India’s next phase of expansion and operational excellence.

The leadership elevation comes as Starbucks India continues to strengthen its presence in one of its fastest-growing markets. With Gattani leading the finance function, the company is expected to further enhance financial discipline, improve governance frameworks, and support sustainable growth while advancing its long-term business strategy in the country.

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With more than 15 years of experience in the FMCG and FMCD industries, Patankar has built a strong track record in brand building and strategic marketing. She has previously worked with leading companies such as Tata Consumer Products, Tata Chemicals, and Godrej Infotech Limited, where she played a key role in driving business growth, strengthening brands, and enhancing consumer engagement.

An engineering graduate from Pune University and an MBA gold medallist from the Institute of Management Technology, Patankar has played a key role in scaling legacy brands and building new businesses. She is also a published case study author with a strong interest in research, leadership, and team building.

The appointment comes at a time when Mother’s Recipe is expanding and investing in stronger consumer experiences. With Patankar at the helm of the premium marketing business, the company is set to continue reinforcing its brand portfolio with a continuously evolving marketing strategy with varied consumer preferences around the evolving market dynamics.

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Prior to this appointment, he served as Vice President – Group Category at bigbasket, where he played a pivotal role in driving category transformation, strengthening private label portfolios, enhancing merchandising capabilities, and scaling several high-growth business verticals.

Before joining bigbasket, Vishal held multiple leadership positions at ITC Limited, including Head of Buying & Merchandising, Group Category Manager, and National Category Manager – General Merchandise. His earlier experience also includes roles as Cluster Manager at Kmart and Hypermarket Manager at Choithrams.

His appointment comes at a crucial time as bigbasket continues to strengthen its retail proposition, private brands portfolio, and merchandising strategy amid rapid growth and evolving consumer demand. In his new role, Vishal will be responsible for leading the company’s buying and merchandising functions, with a focus on driving assortment excellence, category innovation, and profitable growth.

At the helm of bigbasket’s buying and merchandising functions, Vishal will play a pivotal role in defining the company’s retail strategy, driving best-in-class assortment curation, fostering category innovation, and delivering transformative growth across multiple business segments.

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Kankaria brings extensive leadership experience spanning consumer goods, telecommunications, business transformation, and profit-and-loss management. His appointment underscores Coca-Cola’s focus on strengthening operational capabilities and driving sustainable growth across its markets.

Before joining Coca-Cola, Kankaria served as CEO, Mumbai Circle at Bharti Airtel, where he oversaw one of the telecom operator’s most significant markets. Prior to Airtel, he spent more than 14 years with Unilever, holding a range of leadership positions across sales, marketing, category management, business integration, and general management.

During his tenure at Unilever, Kankaria held key roles including Business Unit Head – Nutrition, Foods and Refreshments for Unilever Bangladesh; General Manager – Nutrition Integration and M&A; Regional Marketing Manager, South Asia; Regional Brand Manager, South Asia; Key Account Manager, Modern Trade; Area Sales and Customer Manager; and Business Leadership Trainee. He played a pivotal role in managing and growing leading brands such as Horlicks, Boost, Knorr, Kissan, Blue Band, Hellmann’s and several other nutrition and food brands across South Asia.

Over the course of his career, Kankaria has built expertise in general management, operations, marketing, mergers and acquisitions, business integration, innovation, and strategic leadership. His experience in managing large-scale businesses and leading complex transformation initiatives positions him well to support Coca-Cola’s continued operational and commercial growth.

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In his new role as Chief Projects and Customer Experience Officer, Sujoy will focus on enhancing customer satisfaction, spearheading transformational initiatives, and ensuring seamless execution of strategic projects across the company. His appointment comes at a time when customer experience continues to be a key differentiator in the rapidly evolving e-commerce and quick commerce landscape. A seasoned leader with more than a decade of experience at bigbasket, Sujoy has been instrumental in shaping the company’s growth journey through various leadership roles. His deep understanding of operations, customer behavior, project execution, and business strategy has enabled him to deliver impactful results across multiple regions and business verticals.

Prior to his elevation, Sujoy served as National Head – Projects and Business Head South, where he was responsible for overseeing key markets and managing a diverse portfolio of businesses. His leadership extended across several high-growth segments, including quick commerce, slotted delivery, subscription services, B2B operations, and smart vending solutions.

Throughout his tenure, Sujoy has successfully led large-scale projects aimed at improving operational efficiency, optimizing customer journeys, and driving sustainable business growth. His ability to balance strategic vision with execution excellence has earned him recognition as a trusted leader within the organization. Speaking through his continued commitment to innovation and excellence, Sujoy’s leadership is expected to play a pivotal role in strengthening bigbasket’s market position and delivering superior value to customers nationwide.

Known for his customer-first approach and strong execution capabilities, Sujoy has successfully managed large-scale projects, driven operational excellence, and delivered business growth across diverse markets. His expertise spans project leadership, business strategy, customer-centric operations, and organizational transformation.

As CPCxO, Sujoy Jana will lead key strategic projects and customer experience initiatives, helping bigbasket further strengthen its position as a leader in India’s digital commerce and grocery retail ecosystem.

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Through his journey, he has had some unique experiences as a professional. His extensive experience as an investor across a wide range of sectors and businesses brings a strong financial and strategic perspective to his leadership approach. Having evaluated growth opportunities, business models, and market dynamics across diverse industries, Pranav possesses a nuanced understanding of value creation, capital allocation, and sustainable scaling. This breadth of experience uniquely positions him to drive commercial performance, identify new avenues for growth, and contribute meaningfully to the success of his new role.

Pranav leads the company’s business growth and expansion initiatives across retail, partnerships, and commercial operations. With a strong background in scaling consumer businesses and driving strategic growth, he is focused on accelerating Blue Tokai’s presence across markets while furthering its mission of making speciality coffee accessible to a wider audience. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters partner with over 80 of India’s finest coffee estates. Their coffee is known for being 100% Arabica, traceable, and roasted fresh. The brand operates over 150 physical cafés and roasteries across India, as well as locations in Dubai and Japan.

At Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, Pranav Dahiya is all set to play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s next phase of growth. As the speciality coffee segment continues to gain momentum in India, he will focus on expanding the brand’s footprint across existing and new markets, strengthening its omnichannel presence, and enhancing consumer engagement through innovative retail and digital experiences. He is closely working with the leadership team to unlock new growth avenues, deepen strategic partnerships, and further strengthen Blue Tokai’s position as a category leader.

Pranav’s blend of operational expertise, growth-oriented mindset, and strategic vision is expected to support Blue Tokai’s ambition of bringing high-quality Indian specialty coffee to a broader audience, while driving long-term, sustainable growth both in India and internationally.

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The leadership transition marks a significant milestone in BigBasket’s evolution as the company sharpens its focus on quick commerce and enters its next phase of growth in an increasingly competitive market. The move comes at a time when the sector is witnessing intense competition from players including Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, Flipkart Minutes, Amazon Now, and JioMart.

Nanda joins BigBasket after spending more than 11 years at Amazon, where he most recently served as Director, Selling Partner Services. During his tenure, he played a key role in building and scaling large marketplace businesses, developing product and technology capabilities, and driving growth across digital commerce ecosystems.

Commenting on the appointment, Hari Menon said that Nanda’s deep understanding of consumers, proven ability to scale businesses, and extensive experience across e-commerce and consumer sectors position him strongly to lead BigBasket’s next chapter.

For nearly 15 years, Menon has been instrumental in building BigBasket from a startup into one of India’s most trusted consumer platforms. Under his leadership, the company pioneered online grocery retail in India and later expanded into quick commerce, helping shape the country’s digital grocery ecosystem.

Nanda said he looks forward to building on BigBasket’s customer-first culture and leveraging the strength of the Tata Group to accelerate growth opportunities. He also highlighted the company’s strong private-label portfolio and trusted consumer franchise as key strengths for the future.

The appointment follows a series of leadership enhancements at BigBasket, including the recent elevation of Seshu Kumar Tirumala as Chief Operating Officer and the appointment of Arpit Jaiswal as Chief Growth Officer, underscoring the company’s focus on strengthening its leadership bench as it scales its quick commerce and grocery businesses.

As part of its growth strategy, BigBasket continues to invest in faster delivery capabilities, operational efficiency, and technology-led innovation. The company is positioning itself to capture a larger share of India’s rapidly expanding quick commerce market while leveraging the trust and scale built through its grocery business.

About BigBasket

BigBasket is one of India’s largest online grocery and quick commerce platforms, offering a wide range of products across groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables, household essentials, personal care, and more. Backed by Tata Digital, the company serves millions of customers across multiple cities in India.

The post BigBasket Appoints Amit Nanda as CEO; Hari Menon Transitions to Board Role appeared first on Business of Food.

Compass Group India has appointed Rahul Shinde as Managing Director, bringing one of the foodservice industry’s most experienced growth and operations leaders into one of India’s largest institutional food and facility management businesses.

The appointment comes as workplace dining emerges as an increasingly strategic component of employee experience across corporate campuses, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), manufacturing facilities, healthcare institutions and educational campuses. Employers are investing more heavily in food programmes that support employee wellness, productivity and engagement, creating new opportunities for organised foodservice operators.

Compass Group India is already among the country’s largest players in the sector. The company operates across more than 45 cities, serves over 1.1 million meals every day, manages more than 235 million sq. ft. of facilities, employs over 42,000 people and runs eight central kitchens. The scale of these operations places it at the intersection of some of India’s fastest-growing workplace and institutional ecosystems.

For Compass Group, the challenge is no longer limited to delivering meals efficiently. Clients increasingly expect restaurant-quality food, greater menu variety, healthier options, digital ordering capabilities, sustainability-led operations and data-driven service delivery. As workplace expectations evolve, institutional dining is beginning to borrow ideas from the restaurant industry, creating demand for a new generation of foodservice leadership.

Shinde brings a career spanning strategy consulting, retail transformation and quick-service restaurant operations across India, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America.

Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Whole-Time Director of Devyani International Limited, India’s largest franchisee of Yum! Brands. During his tenure, the company accelerated expansion across brands such as KFC and Pizza Hut, strengthened digital capabilities, modernised operations and further scaled one of India’s largest organised restaurant portfolios.

Prior to Devyani International, Shinde was General Manager for KFC Greater Asia, overseeing nearly 2,000 restaurants across markets including Japan, Indonesia and South Korea, while also working closely with KFC China, the brand’s largest operator globally.

His earlier leadership assignments included Managing Director, KFC Indian Subcontinent, and Chief Operations Excellence Officer for KFC Great Britain. He also held corporate strategy and transformation roles at Yum! Brands, McKinsey & Company and US retailer JCPenney, building expertise in growth strategy, supply-chain optimisation, analytics and operational excellence.

One of the defining themes throughout his career has been the use of technology to improve customer experience, operational efficiency and business performance. Across multiple markets, he has led initiatives focused on digital engagement, advanced analytics, organisational transformation and next-generation operating models.

His experience spans both franchisor and franchisee environments, providing a rare combination of brand stewardship, operational execution and stakeholder management. Combined with a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where his research focused on inventory management and large-scale supply chains, Shinde brings a strong analytical and systems-driven approach to business leadership.

For Compass Group India, his appointment aligns with a broader opportunity unfolding across the institutional foodservices landscape. India’s GCC sector continues to expand rapidly, large manufacturing investments are creating new employment hubs, and healthcare and education infrastructure are scaling across the country. Each of these sectors represents a growing demand pool for organised foodservice and support services.

The workplace cafeteria itself is undergoing a transformation. Digital ordering, cashless transactions, personalised nutrition, wellness-led menus, food traceability and sustainability initiatives are becoming increasingly important to clients and consumers alike. Foodservice operators are being asked to deliver experiences that rival modern restaurants while maintaining the efficiency and consistency required at institutional scale.

Against this backdrop, Compass Group India’s decision to bring in a leader with deep expertise in scaling consumer-facing food businesses signals its intent to strengthen its position in a market that is becoming larger, more sophisticated and increasingly experience-driven.

For Rahul Shinde, the move marks a return to building and scaling businesses in India. For Compass Group India, it represents an investment in leadership capable of navigating the convergence of food, technology, operations and workplace experience that is reshaping the future of institutional dining.

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Throughout her tenure, Shruti partnered with organizations across industries to drive strategic growth initiatives, enhance commercial performance, and deliver data-driven solutions to complex business challenges. Her expertise lies in translating deep consumer and market insights into actionable strategies that accelerate growth, improve operational effectiveness, and create long-term business value.

At McKinsey, she spearheaded global benchmarking and growth-focused initiatives for consumer-facing organizations, driving impact across key functions including sales, marketing, revenue growth management, innovation, and e-commerce. She also partnered closely with cross-functional teams across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, helping clients develop and execute profitable growth strategies tailored to diverse markets and business environments.

Known for her analytical rigor and ability to distill large volumes of information into clear, impactful narratives, Shruti excels at bridging the gap between data and strategy. Her proficiency in conducting in-depth research, identifying emerging trends, and delivering compelling presentations enables leadership teams to make confident, evidence-based decisions.

Throughout her career, Shruti has worked across diverse business functions, leveraging quantitative and qualitative analysis to solve complex challenges, improve operational efficiency, and support long-term organizational objectives. Her collaborative approach, combined with a keen understanding of business priorities, allows her to effectively engage stakeholders and drive cross-functional initiatives.

Passionate about innovation and continuous learning, Shruti is committed to fostering a culture of excellence and bringing fresh, diverse perspectives to every challenge. In her new role at McDonald’s, Shruti will spearhead strategy and insights initiatives, drawing on her expertise in consumer analytics, growth strategy, and business transformation to help advance the brand’s long-term growth ambitions.

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