Swiggy elevates veteran Swapnil Bajpai to CEO of Dineout, Scenes
What's the story
Swiggy has promoted its veteran executive, Swapnil Bajpai, to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Dineout and Scenes. The move comes as part of Swiggy's strategy to expand its dining-out and experiences verticals amid growing competition in the industry. Bajpai has been with Swiggy for several years, holding various roles across business, sales, supply and monetisation functions.
Career trajectory
Bajpai's extensive work at Swiggy
Before his promotion, Bajpai was the Senior Vice President and business head for Swiggy Dineout, Assure and Lynk. In these roles, he spearheaded growth and operational initiatives across the restaurant-facing ecosystem. His experience in handling advertising and monetization for both food delivery and dineout services makes him a perfect fit for this new role.
Move
Swiggy's strategic move into dining-out and experiences
Swiggy joined the dining-out category with its 2022 acquisition of Dineout, a strategic move to expand beyond logistics-heavy food delivery into higher-margin segments like table reservations, bill payments, and in-restaurant offers. The company has since integrated Dineout more closely into its broader ecosystem across payments, advertising and merchant services. The addition of Scenes, focused on events, nightlife and curated experiences, further shows Swiggy's intent to scale up consumer spending from meals to occasions.
Experience alignment
Shifting economic model for 'going out' vertical
Bajpai's experience at Swiggy matches the company's shift toward a different economic model for its "going-out" vertical. This model has lower logistics costs and higher monetization potential via commissions, prepaid deals, advertising and ticketing. Before joining Swiggy, Bajpai was a regional sales manager at Reckitt and spent a significant part of his career at Procter & Gamble managing trade programs, regional sales operations, and go-to-market strategies.
Strategic transition
Transitioning from founder-led to integrated vertical
Bajpai's appointment marks a transition for the Dineout-Scenes business from a founder-led acquisition to an integrated Swiggy-run vertical. The new focus will be on scaling merchant adoption, improving monetization, and deepening user engagement across dining and experiences. This move comes as part of a broader industry trend with competitors like Zomato also investing in dining-out offerings to enhance user engagement beyond delivery services.