Who is Amitesh Jha? What we know about the new Swiggy Instamart CEO

Food aggregator and e-commerce start-up Swiggy Instamart has appointed Amitesh Jha to be its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Instamart, the company said in a release on August 29.

Sriharsha Majety, CEO of Swiggy Group, welcomed Jha to the company. “I am delighted to welcome Amitesh Jha as the new CEO of Swiggy Instamart. Amitesh joins us from Flipkart, where he has built an impressive track record over the past 14 years," Majety said.

"His extensive experience includes leading core categories such as smartphones, general merchandise, fashion, and large appliances, as well as managing their logistics arm,” Majety's statement added.

Jha on his part, in the statement said that he "deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this pathbreaking journey and be part of such a storied organisation”.

So, what do we know about Jha?

About Amitesh Jha

• A seasoned e-commerce expert, Jha has over two decades of experience in the sector.
• He worked at e-commerce player Flipkart for the past 14 years.
• According to a release from Swiggy, from his time at Flipkart, Jha has extensive experience leading core categories such as smartphones, general merchandise, fashion, and large appliances and managing their logistics arm.
• Jha's journey with Flipkart also contributed to making the company and the e-commerce industry mainstream in the country, it added.
• In the company release, Jha expressed his thought that the consumer internet industry in India is on the verge of a transformative disruption.
• He is a chemical engineering graduate from IIT Delhi and holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, according to the Swiggy statement.

Swiggy Heads for Mega IPO

Jha's appointment comes amid Swiggy's fast-approaching mega initial public offering (IPO).

The SoftBank-backed food delivery platform is aiming for a close to $15 billion valuation for its upcoming IPO to raise $1-1.2 billion. According to a Reuters report, the deal would make it one of the biggest IPOs in India this year.

Phani Kishan, co-founder and current CEO of Swiggy Instamart, is "moving towards a broader organisation-wide role overseeing Swiggy’s Central Growth unit, and working with the Group CEO", the release added.

“With Swiggy Instamart, we have a unique opportunity to redefine the way consumers shop in India, and I am excited about the prospects that lie ahead with Amitesh at the helm,” Majety said in the statement.