SUMMARY
- Swiggy to bring Flipkart’s former SVP Amitesh Jha as the head of its fast-commerce business, Instamart.
- Swiggy Instamart’s CEO, Phani Kishan Addepalli, will transition into a broader role to focus on growth initiatives.
- Swiggy has bolstered Instamart by appointing four new vice presidents in various capacities in July.
Foodtech giant Swiggy is reportedly in the final stage of talks to bring Flipkart’s former senior vice president Amitesh Jha as the head of its fast-commerce business, Instamart.
According to the Arc’s report, once Jha assumes his new role at Instamart, Swiggy Instamart’s CEO, Phani Kishan Addepalli, will transition into a broader role within the company that focuses on growth initiatives in the foodtech sector.
At this point in Instamart’s development, Swiggy is seeking someone with experience in managing product categories, a role that is relatively rare in the startup world. Jha is one of the few individuals with such extensive experience, as mentioned in the report.
Jha, as per his LinkedIn profile, most recently served as the senior vice president of category and marketplace at Flipkart for over three years. He has been with Flipkart for nearly 14 years, having held various leadership positions. Before that, he worked at three other companies across different industries for over six years.
He will succeed Addepalli, who has been the CEO of Instamart for over a year, following the departure of the former chief executive, Karthik Gurumurthy, who decided to take a break.
Addepalli, as detailed in his LinkedIn profile, has been with Swiggy for nearly a decade. He was promoted to cofounder in 2021 and previously led the subscription grocery delivery service Insanely Good, which merged with Instamart earlier this year.
This appointment comes after Sairam Krishnamurthy was brought on as the senior vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of the quick commerce division earlier this month.
At the same time, Swiggy has bolstered Instamart by appointing four new vice presidents in various capacities in July.
Swiggy’s strategy to enhance the leadership of its quick commerce division is a strategic move, as Instamart has seen several departures since early 2023.
Earlier this year, Karan Arora, the vice president and head of supply chain management at the foodtech major-owned Instamart, left the company. Similarly, Sidharth Satpathy, the vice president at the food delivery giant-owned Instamart, resigned from his position.
Other key figures, including Mallika Srinivasan (independent director), Karthik Gurumurthy (senior vice president and head of Swiggy Instamart), Dale Vaz (CTO), Anuj Rathi (SVP, central revenue and growth), Ashish Lingamneni (VP, marketing), and Dineout cofounder Vivek Kapoor, have also departed from their roles since late last year.
