Former Network18 Digital CEO Durga Raghunath joins Zomato

Restaurant listing and review startup Zomato has roped in Durga Raghunath, former CEO of Network18 Digital, as senior vice president to lead its customer acquisition and retention efforts across the globe.

Durga will work closely with the founding team on key aspects of some of its new businesses such as online ordering, table reservations and restaurant POS. The company which had lately started taking online food orders for partner restaurants, has now floated a separate mobile app Zomato Order for its new service.

At Network18 Digital, Raghunath was responsible for their content properties, including Moneycontrol, Burrp!, IBNLive, and Mobile18, in addition to being CEO of Firstpost.

Prior to joining Network18, she was with The Wall Street Journal as India Editor (mobile services and new product development); before that, she served as the GM/Managing Editor of Livemint, the digital presence for HT Media's financial daily, Mint. She has also worked with HarperCollins Publishers in New York across Finance and Marketing planning.

"There are very few people who have a 360-degree understanding of how to run a business. I am excited to have Durga with us to keep Zomato on its growth trajectory for years to come," Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO, Zomato said.

"I have always been impressed by the way Zomato delivered true product value by getting the details right. Deepinder's comprehensive vision for the future has made me even more certain of Zomato's excellence. I'm very excited to have this opportunity," Durga commented on her new endeavor.

Founded in 2008 by IIT Delhi alumni and ex-Bain employees Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, the firm has acquired as many as nine firms in the last one year.

It has raised more than $163 million over multiple rounds of funding from investors, including Info Edge, Sequoia Capital and Vy Capital.