Former Zomato Executive Rakesh Ranjan Named CEO of Allen Online

Allen Career Institute’s digital arm, Allen Online, has appointed Rakesh Ranjan, the former head of Zomato’s food-delivery business, as its new chief executive, The Economic Times reported. The hire comes after Abha Maheshwari, a former Meta executive who took charge of Allen Online in 2023, announced her departure last month.

Allen’s parent said the appointment is aimed at strengthening the edtech firm’s technology and scaling capabilities.

Allen Career Institute CEO Nitin Kukreja praised Ranjan’s operational track record and said the company will pair “37 years of pedagogical excellence with next-generation, AI-powered technology” under his leadership.

From Foodtech to Edtech

Ranjan joins Allen Online after a stint running Zomato’s core food-delivery operations for two years and formally exiting the Gurgaon-based company earlier this month.

At Zomato he was credited with steering the delivery business toward profitability, launching and expanding new initiatives such as the B2B supply-chain vertical Hyperpure and leading high-growth operational teams. Before Zomato, Ranjan worked at Boston Consulting Group advising conglomerates on digital and operational transformation.

Commenting on his new role, Ranjan said he aims to combine Allen’s longstanding pedagogy with personalised, reliable digital learning to widen access for students across backgrounds and geographies.

Allen’s Digital Push

Allen Online was launched in April 2022 as the Kota-based coaching institute moved to expand its footprint beyond classroom centres, entering a market dominated by large edtech players such as Byju’s and Unacademy.

The digital push followed a major capital infusion: Allen raised $600 million from Bodhi Tree Systems, the investment vehicle backed by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, in 2022, one of the largest funding rounds seen in India’s education services sector.

Allen’s offline network remains extensive: the 1988-founded institute now operates more than 300 coaching centres across 65 cities, offering classroom courses, distance learning, online tests and study material for competitive exams including NEET, AIIMS and the JEE series. Allen Online, based in Bengaluru, positions itself as the group’s digital-first business, deploying AI-enabled assessments, content and student support.

The platform says it handles over 1 million queries monthly with near-complete accuracy and has registered notable student outcomes in recent years.

Financial Snapshot

In fiscal 2024, Allen reported revenue of Rs 3,244.7 crore, a 42% year-on-year rise, driven largely by robust offline enrolments and an expanding digital presence. Profits, however, declined, falling about 44% to Rs 136 crore in the same period.

The new leadership hire signals Allen’s intent to accelerate its digital strategy and operationalise AI investments to convert market opportunity into scale and margin improvements.

Bringing a seasoned operations leader from a consumer-tech background reflects a broader industry trend: legacy education providers are recruiting executives with product-engineering and marketplace experience to compete with deep-pocketed edtech rivals and to monetise AI-first learning products at scale.

Ranjan succeeds Maheshwari at a point when Allen aims to translate its sizeable offline footprint and recent funding into a competitive digital offering nationwide.