BigBasket CEO Set to Step Back as Tata Plots Leadership Shuffle & Quick-Commerce Push

The founders of grocery retailer BigBasket have held talks with the Tata Group to move out of day-to-day management and shift into mentoring roles, the Economic Times reported. This comes as CEO Hari Menon, who has led the company since its 2011 founding nears the end of a five-year term under Tata ownership.

As per the report, Tata Sons and BigBasket’s board are working on a succession plan that would hand operational control to a new CEO with strong execution capabilities. The change is part of a broader effort by Tata Digital to sharpen BigBasket’s positioning in the fast-moving quick-commerce market dominated by Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto.

Investor Pressure & Market Shifts

The report says the leadership rethink is driven by investor demand for clearer growth plans and faster execution. Tata has engaged advisers to raise fresh capital for BigBasket and sister assets such as online pharmacy 1mg, and prospective backers have pressed for a more aggressive posture in rapid delivery and monetisation.

Co-founders who remain with the business, including Vipul Parekh (finance & marketing) and V.S. Ramesh (logistics & supply chain), are reported to be negotiating roles that would preserve their strategic input while stepping away from daily running of the company. One founder, Abhinay Choudhari, had already exited following the Tata acquisition.

Revenue Softening, Losses Widen

BigBasket’s financials reflect the industry squeeze: for FY25, the B2C unit Innovative Retail Concepts saw revenue dip about 3% to ₹7,673 crore, while losses widened to ₹1,851 crore from ₹1,267 crore a year earlier.

Its B2B arm, Supermarket Grocery Supplies, recorded a 7% revenue decline to ₹2,227 crore. Management and Tata see a leadership refresh as a lever to reverse these trends.

Once focused on slotted deliveries, BigBasket has accelerated its quick-commerce offerings through the BB Now 10-minute service and a rework of its app to become a broader, multi-category marketplace. Insiders describe the app revamp as “painful but necessary” to meet evolving consumer expectations and compete with firms that prioritised instant delivery earlier.

Tata Digital’s Leadership

The succession occurs amid broader changes at Tata Digital, which last month appointed Sajith Sivanandan as CEO with a mandate to improve execution across the group’s digital roster. As per the report, the new BigBasket chief will be expected to demonstrate operational rigour, supply-chain savvy and quick-commerce experience.

Key milestones include the selection and announcement of a new CEO, the outcome of ongoing fund-raising efforts led by advisers reportedly mandated by Tata, and whether the app relaunch and BB Now scale fast enough to steady revenue and margins. Investors will also watch whether Tata moves to consolidate or bolt on adjacent services to speed monetisation.

BigBasket’s founders moving into mentor roles and an imminent CEO succession reflect Tata’s push to accelerate the company’s pivot to quick commerce. The success of the leadership change will be judged on faster execution, improved unit economics and the company’s ability to reclaim growth in a fiercely competitive market.