BigBasket CEO Hari Menon to step down, Tata starts succession hunt

Tata Group is preparing for a leadership overhaul at BigBasket as the Bengaluru-based grocery e-tailer enters a crucial growth phase in India’s highly competitive quick commerce market. According to a report by The Economic Times (ET) published on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Hari Menon has initiated succession planning discussions with the board, with his five-year term approaching its conclusion.

Menon, who co-founded BigBasket in 2011 along with Vipul Parekh, VS Sudhakar, Abhinay Choudhari, and VS Ramesh, has played a central role in steering the company from its scheduled delivery origins to a household brand in online grocery retail. With Tata Digital acquiring a 64.3% stake in the firm’s B2B arm, Supermarket Grocery Supplies, in 2021, Menon’s current tenure was shaped by the conglomerate’s ambition to integrate BigBasket into its broader digital ecosystem.

Sources cited by ET said Menon has been working closely with the Tata Sons board over recent months to identify a successor, with the objective of bringing in a leader equipped with sharper execution capabilities. The move signals a deliberate attempt to enhance BigBasket’s competitive stance against rivals like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto, which have rapidly gained ground in the quick delivery space.

While Menon has been leading the firm as CEO, other co-founders have focused on specific verticals. Parekh oversees finance and marketing, and Ramesh heads logistics and supply chain. Choudhari exited following Tata’s entry, while Sudhakar remains associated with the firm. ET noted that the founders are expected to take a step back from daily operations, with Tata Sons pushing for a professional CEO to lead BigBasket’s next chapter.

When approached by ET, Tata Group declined to comment, while queries directed to Menon remained unanswered.

Despite being an early mover in India’s online grocery sector, BigBasket has faced intensifying competition. Its relatively slow adoption of 10-minute delivery formats left room for competitors to pull ahead. To catch up, the firm has launched BB Now, its quick commerce vertical, and Tata Digital is reworking the BigBasket app into a multi-category platform spanning groceries, gadgets, and more.

Citing Tata Sons’ annual report, ET highlighted that revenue at BigBasket’s consumer-facing arm, Innovative Retail Concepts, declined 3% to ₹7,673 crore in FY25, while its B2B arm, Supermarket Grocery Supplies, recorded a 7% dip to ₹2,227 crore. Losses widened sharply, with Innovative Retail Concepts posting ₹1,851 crore in losses compared with ₹1,267 crore the previous year.

These financial pressures, coupled with a push to raise new funding, have accelerated Tata’s focus on leadership change. ET earlier reported that Tata engaged Citi and Moelis to source external capital for BigBasket and its health-tech subsidiary, 1mg.

The leadership churn at BigBasket coincides with changes at its parent, Tata Digital. The group recently appointed Sajith Sivanandan, a former Jio Mobile Digital Services executive, as CEO of Tata Digital, effective September. Sivanandan is Tata Digital’s third chief executive since the launch of Tata Neu in 2019 and is tasked with accelerating growth across Tata’s digital portfolio. His appointment follows the exit of Naveen Tahilyani earlier this year.

The parallel transitions at both Tata Digital and BigBasket highlight the conglomerate’s intent to consolidate its digital bets under strong leadership ahead of fresh growth and funding cycles.