Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, May 2026 – Epigamia has announced a major leadership transition as it enters its next phase of growth, appointing Ritesh Gauba as Chief Executive Officer and elevating Ankur Goel to the role of Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer.
The leadership changes come at a pivotal moment for the Verlinvest-backed brand, following a record year of growth and profitability. Ankur Goel, who had been leading the company alongside co-founder Uday Thakker and Growth Head Ajinkya Poundrik since December 2024, played a key role in driving Epigamia’s strongest performance to date. His elevation reflects the company’s confidence in his leadership and his contribution to strengthening the brand’s growth trajectory.
At the same time, the appointment of Ritesh Gauba as CEO reinforces Epigamia’s ambition to scale further and deepen its position in India’s fast-growing healthy food segment. Gauba brings extensive experience in the FMCG sector, having previously served as General Manager, India at Pladis and held leadership roles at Mars and Britannia.
Speaking on the announcements, Arjun Anand, MD & Head of Asia, Verlinvest said: “Epigamia has delivered an excellent FY26 of solid growth, driven by strong execution by Ankur, Uday, Ajinkya & the company’s leadership team. The brand’s strong performance is a result of focusing on the core and leveraging Epigamia’s brand equity. Securing over 50% growth in 2025-26 is a direct result of this strategic approach and hard work, and sets the brand on strong footing for 2026-27. We are certain that the appointment of Ritesh Gauba as CEO and the elevation of Ankur to Co-Founder & COO will help them continue this momentum in the years to come, and build Epigamia into a cornerstone of India’s new age F&B segment.”
Swaraj Mirchandani, Director on the board & representative of the Mirchandani Family said “We are very proud & happy with the team’s resilience and strength in delivering a wonderful FY26. Ankur’s elevation to co-founder & COO and the appointment of Ritesh as CEO is a sign of recognition of a great year and the commitment of shareholders to grow the brand & business over the many years to come”.
The newly appointed CEO, Ritesh brings extensive experience in the FMCG sector, scaling premium consumer brands, and omnichannel sales & distribution. He has previously held the role of General Manager, India at Pladis (McVities & Godiva), and before that has worked with Mars & Britannia in leadership capacities.
Commenting on his appointment, Ritesh said: “Epigamia is one of India’s most loved new-age food brands, and I am excited to join at such a meaningful juncture. The company’s strong fundamentals, the founding family’s commitment, and Verlinvest’s long-term partnership create a powerful platform for category-defining growth. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team to take the brand to its next horizon.”
About Epigamia
Epigamia is a modern dairy and health snack brand under Drums Food International, known for transforming traditional Indian dairy products into contemporary, flavour-forward innovations. With a portfolio spanning Greek Yogurt, Protein Milkshakes, Smoothies, Lactose-Free Curd, Almond Milk, and more, Epigamia operates across 25,000+ stores in India and continues to push the boundaries on innovation.
About Verlinvest
Verlinvest is an international, family-backed evergreen investment firm focused on building the next generation of consumer brands. Established in 1995, with offices in Brussels, London, New York, Singapore, and Mumbai, Verlinvest invests across FMCG, health, consumer technology and lifestyle sectors through three strategies: Platform, Growth and Venture (via V3 Ventures). With €2bn+ in assets under management, Verlinvest has been active in India since 2010, backing over 25 consumer brands including Blue Tokai, Epigamia, Lahori Zeera, Veeba, Purplle, Ferty9 and Wakefit.
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