Ex-Zomato leader to drive Allen’s digital-first strategy, scaling world-class learning experiences across India
Bengaluru, 24 September, 2025: Allen Career Institute Private Limited (“Allen”), India’s pioneering education company, today announced the appointment of Rakesh Ranjan as Chief Executive Officer, Allen Online, its digital arm. Rakesh will lead Allen’s digital strategy and operations – scaling high-quality learning experiences powered by technology and AI, to advance Allen’s mission of expanding access to world-class education across India.
Bringing over 18 years of experience across technology, consumer internet, and operating roles, Rakesh most recently served as CEO of Zomato Food Delivery, where he led the company to profitability and market leadership. He also built and scaled Hyperpure, Zomato’s B2B supply chain arm, into a large business in under 18 months. Earlier, he worked at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), advising leading Indian conglomerates on transformation.
“India‘s massive education deficit can only be solved with the use of technology. We need to unlock every child’s potential by delivering quality learning outcomes at scale.” said Nitin Kukreja, CEO, Allen Career Institute. “Rakesh has repeatedly scaled new-age technology businesses and solved complex problems. With him leading Allen Online, we will continue to be the gold standard for educational outcomes nationwide leveraging a 37-year old pedagogical excellence along with next-generation, AI powered technology.”
Based in Bengaluru, Allen Online brings Allen’s time-tested pedagogy to life through technology and AI-driven products spanning content, assessments, feedback, and student support. The platform resolves over one million student queries each month with 98.84% accuracy, and its AI bot even achieved an AIR-equivalent rank of 8 in NEET 2025. In 2024 and 2025, Allen Online enabled over 1,200 students, including 220 from live programs, to secure admission to IITs, with top-100 ranks in both 2024 and 2025. In 2024, 647 Allen Online students earned seats in government medical colleges, including 40 at AIIMS.
Commenting on his appointment, Rakesh Ranjan said: “Technology in education has meaning only when it transforms outcomes for students. At Allen, we are building on decades of proven pedagogy and success stories to bring personalized, reliable, and high-quality learning experiences to millions of learners. The goal is not just to widen access, but to ensure that every student, regardless of background or geography, has the opportunity to realize their potential.”
Rakesh qualified as an engineer from NSIT and has an MBA from ISB Hyderabad, both with merit scholarships.
