Adversity drives companies to success, says Rohit Kapoor of Swiggy

Companies become great in adversity. They don’t always become great when tailwinds are all with you, Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Food Marketplace, Swiggy, tells YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma in an interview.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic caused a great deal of pain to businesses across sectors. However, the hospitality industry had its unique set of challenges.

In fact, the hospitality chain OYO saw a 50-60% drop in revenue when the government implemented the nationwide lockdown to control the disease spread, according to Founder Ritesh Aggarwal.

Kapoor had worked with OYO as the global chief marketing officer before he joined Swiggy. “I learnt 10 years of my professional career in 3.5-4 years at OYO,” he says.

Discussing the situation faced by OYO, he adds, “COVID-19 allowed curation to happen because things were so adverse that you could take hundreds of unconventional decisions without the world questioning you. Everyone’s playbooks had turned upside down.”

Kapoor seeks the simplest and most direct solutions when encountering any challenge. “I go back to very commonsensical, first principle things when I’m in trouble. Say this is the situation; I have three options, and beyond that, it is just theory. And, I did build a strong team, and that has been a mantra,” he said.

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With a diverse range of experiences under his belt, Kapoor believes that unusual situations have the power to transform people and companies into a much fitter version of themselves.

Unexpected twists and turns have been a part of Kapoor’s life, who realised his true passion in consumer tech. “Some of my formative years were not in McKinsey & Company. My first job was as a medical representative in Kolkata while doing night college… at the age of 21,” he says.

“I did a fun stint in South Africa, where I went and built luxury hotels and bought wine companies in Cape Town… then healthcare happened out of serendipity, I wasn’t supposed to be in healthcare,” he shares.

Until November 2018, he worked as an executive director with Max Healthcare.

At present, Kapoor is focusing on becoming a better version of himself. “Even today, I want to be with better people, who make me better… they uplift you through osmosis,” he says.