Rebel Foods Appoints Ankush Grover as Global CEO Amidst Leadership Reshuffle, IPO Plans

In a major leadership shake-up, India’s largest cloud kitchen startup, Rebel Foods, has named its cofounder Ankush Grover as the new Global CEO. The move is seen as a step towards streamlining its operations and accelerating growth as it readies for a stock market debut.

With this appointment, Grover will now lead Rebel Foods’ core departments — spanning technology, finance, marketing, and HR — all of which will report directly to him. His promotion comes as Jaydeep Barman, also a cofounder, shifts to a new role as the company’s chairman and group CEO. Barman will continue to steer overall strategy and mentor the senior leadership while managing Rebel’s wider portfolio of ventures.

Sharing the news on LinkedIn, Barman praised Grover’s deep operational knowledge, leadership qualities, and financial discipline as reasons for this transition.

Grover, an alumnus of NIT Jamshedpur and IIT Bombay, has been with Rebel Foods since 2012 and took charge as India CEO last year.

The leadership change is timely, as Rebel Foods prepares for a potential listing on Indian exchanges within the next year or so. Reports from late 2024 suggested the IPO could take place between early and mid-2026, although the company hasn’t confirmed specific timelines since then.

Founded in 2011 by Barman and Kallol Banerjee, Rebel Foods has grown into a multi-brand powerhouse running well-known quick service restaurant chains like Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, The Good Bowl, SLAY Coffee, and Wendy’s India. It currently operates over 350 kitchens in 70 cities across India, fulfilling more than 250,000 orders every day.

Rebel Foods has secured upwards of $773 million from marquee investors including Temasek, Coatue Management, Lightbox, and Peak XV Partners. In April 2025, it reportedly received another $25 million in funding from Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, with plans to scale up its network of physical outlets and food courts.

Earlier this year, Rebel Foods entered the fast-growing quick commerce space with the launch of QuickiES, its 15-minute delivery app. The platform currently services orders from over 45 brands under the Rebel umbrella, including Faasos and Wendy’s.

Despite ongoing expansion, Rebel Foods has made strides in controlling its losses — cutting its net loss to INR 378.2 crore in FY24 from INR 656.5 crore the year before, while growing its operating revenue by 19% to INR 1,420.2 crore.

The management reshuffle reflects Rebel Foods’ focus on strengthening execution and leadership depth as it looks to tap public markets and extend its dominance in India’s food delivery and cloud kitchen ecosystem.