Mumbai: Epigamia has announced key leadership changes as it gears up for 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 move comes on the back of a record year for the Verlinvest-backed F&B brand, which has been strengthening its presence in India’s fast-growing healthy food and protein snacking segment.
Goel, who had been leading the company as acting head since December 2024 alongside co-founder Uday Thakker and Growth Head Ajinkya Poundrik, steered Epigamia through its most successful year to date in FY2025–26 in terms of growth and profitability. His elevation reflects the company’s confidence in his leadership and contributions to driving the brand’s momentum.
The appointment of Gauba as CEO is aimed at accelerating growth and scaling the business further. With over two decades of experience in the FMCG sector, Gauba has previously served as General Manager, India at Pladis (home to brands such as McVitie’s and Godiva), and has held leadership roles at Mars and Britannia Industries.
Backed by Verlinvest, Epigamia has established itself as a category pioneer in India’s healthy food space. The company has expanded its distribution to over 25,000 retail touchpoints across 30+ towns, while strengthening its presence across modern trade, general trade, and e-commerce and quick commerce platforms such as Amazon and Zepto.
Over the past year, the brand has reported over 50% growth in FY2025–26, driven by strong profitability, category leadership, and continued innovation across Greek yogurt, smoothies, and high-protein snacking.
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, added, “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.”
Commenting on his appointment, Gauba 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.”
