The Unlikely Beginning of a 13-Year Journey
In 2011, a young chartered accountant walked into the Zomato office not knowing who she would meet, what she would do, or where the journey would lead . That spontaneous afternoon became one of the most pivotal moments at Zomato. The woman was Akriti Chopra, and what followed was over a decade of building what would become India's most valuable food delivery company.
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal later described that day in deeply personal terms: "What began as a spontaneous afternoon in 2011, soon became one of the most pivotal moments at Zomato—the day I met Akriti Chopra" . He would later call her "the most crucial piece of this big, audacious Zomato puzzle—a piece that seemed to fit perfectly, as if it had always belonged" .
The Making of a Quiet Powerhouse
Born in 1988, Chopra completed her schooling at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, before earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University . She then qualified as a chartered accountant, training with PwC in tax and regulatory practices for three years .
When she joined Zomato in 2011, it was as a Senior Manager of Finance and Operations . The company was still in its early growth stage, a far cry from the public giant it would become. Over the next 13 years, Chopra would quietly climb through every major leadership role the company had to offer.
She became Vice President of Finance and Operations in 2012, Chief Financial Officer in 2019, and then Co-Founder and Chief People Officer in 2021, just ahead of Zomato's initial public offering . The trajectory was not just about titles. It was about building the scaffolding upon which Zomato would grow.
Building the Hidden Infrastructure of Zomato
Chopra's contributions were not in the flashy product launches or consumer-facing campaigns. They were the invisible structures that made growth possible. She set up Zomato's in-house legal, governance, risk, and compliance teams—the kind of infrastructure that startups often neglect until it is too late . Under her leadership, the financial team became what Goyal called "impeccable" .
She was instrumental in facilitating several private funding rounds while Zomato was still a private company . She also helped establish the company's presence in international markets, leading its global expansion phase—though the company later pulled back from overseas operations .
When Zomato went public in 2021, Chopra's Employee Stock Options were valued at approximately Rs 149 crore, making her one of the employees with the largest shareholding in the company .
Goyal captured her role with unusual warmth: "Akriti has always had the knack for turning chaos into order and has always made the impossible seem effortless. She's been so much more than a leader or a colleague—she has been the glue holding us all together" . He described her as providing the "adult supervision" through some of Zomato's most complex financial transitions, "with so much poise and patience" .
The Personal Connection: A Zomato-Blue Family
Chopra's life intersected with Zomato in ways that went beyond the office. She is married to Albinder Dhindsa, the founder of Blinkit, the quick-commerce company that Zomato acquired in 2022 for approximately Rs 4,447 crore .
That acquisition raised questions about potential conflicts of interest. Several shareholders questioned whether Chopra had been privy to the acquisition discussions, given her role as a Zomato co-founder and her marriage to Blinkit's founder. Goyal addressed these concerns publicly, stating that Chopra was "not privy to discussions or decisions with respect to the transaction at any stage" .
The acquisition proved transformative. Blinkit became Zomato's fastest-growing business, and in January 2026, Dhindsa was named Group CEO of Eternal Ltd., the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, replacing Goyal in the role . The leadership reshuffle brought renewed public attention to Chopra, though by then she had already left the company.
The Quiet Exit
On September 27, 2024, Chopra resigned from Zomato after 13 years . The regulatory filing cited her desire to pursue other interests . In her exit email to Goyal, she wrote: "Deepi, As discussed, formally sending in my resignation effective today, September 27, 2024. It's been an incredibly enriching journey over the past 13 years. Thank you for everything. I'm always a call away" .
Goyal's farewell blog post on Zomato's website revealed the real reasons behind her departure. It was not a fall-out or a better offer. She had been on a sabbatical for part of 2023 and had decided she wanted to "hang her boots at Eternal" to focus on "long-deferred personal aspirations and pursuits" . These included "her health, her relationships, and the life experiences she's had on her bucket list since she was five years old—things that the demands of startup life don't always leave room for" .
Goyal assured readers that the exit had been managed thoughtfully. "She assured me that she will be here for as long as needed, helping the team to stand on their own without needing her day to day support. I am proud to say that over the last few months, we have achieved the exit goal that we set out for her, with her" .
The Legacy: What Chopra Built at Zomato
Chopra became the fifth Zomato co-founder to leave the company, following Gunjan Patidar (2023), Mohit Gupta (2022), Gaurav Gupta (2021), and Pankaj Chaddah (2018) . But her departure was distinct. She had been with the company longer than all of them except Chaddah, who joined in 2008 and left in 2018.
Her journey from a senior manager to co-founder is a story of quiet excellence in an industry that often rewards noise. She did not just rise through the ranks. She built the ranks—the finance teams, the legal frameworks, the compliance structures that allowed Zomato to survive and scale.
When Goyal wrote that "Zomato wouldn't be what it is today without her wisdom, her unyielding optimism, and her belief in all of us, and in me—even when we had no idea what we were doing," he was not just saying goodbye to a colleague . He was acknowledging a builder. Someone who had been there since before there was a blueprint for what they were building, and who had drawn that blueprint herself.
For a generation of professionals watching from the outside, Chopra's story offers a reminder: the people who build companies are not always the ones in the headlines. Sometimes they are the ones who show up early, stay late, and make sure the chaos stays orderly. And when they leave, the difference is felt not in a press release, but in the quiet absence of someone who held everything together.
As Goyal wrote, "Through all the various roles she's done at Zomato—being our Chief Financial Officer, or Chief People Officer, and of-course the catch-all role as our co-founder—she has maintained that signature 'Tuki Charm'—a perfect balance of fierce determination, utmost humility, and a love for Zomato that's almost impossible to replicate" .
