Rakuten veteran Sunil Gopinath joins Albertsons Companies to head up retail technology centre in India

Sunil Gopinath has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer at Albertsons Companies India, the US food and drug retailer’s new global technology and innovation centre located in Bengaluru.

This will focus on developing scalable technology solutions aimed at modernising core systems; integrating data science and AI; and accelerating enterprise wide retail transformation. It will collaborate with teams in the US and Manila with the aim of delivering impactful solutions that elevate the shopping experience for over 40 million customers each week.

“We’re building the technology solutions and digital products needed for Albertsons Cos.’ growth, and Sunil’s appointment as CEO of Albertsons Cos. India will enable us to extend our global team’s capabilities to support this pivotal moment in our technology strategy,” says Anuj Dhanda, EVP and Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Albertsons Cos.

“His deep expertise in scaling innovation hubs and leading transformative digital initiatives makes him the ideal leader to shape our Bengaluru global capability centre into a powerhouse of retail technology. Sunil is not just building a team. He’s cultivating a culture of innovation that will drive our enterprise forward and redefine the grocery experience for millions of customers worldwide.”

Gopinath will lead the development of the Bengaluru centre, which is expected to onboard associates over the next 18 months. Key areas of focus will include customer experience; e-commerce; merchandising; cloud engineering; security; and advanced data and AI driven roles.

“Albertsons Cos. India is a strategic investment focused on developing and transforming how technology enhances the customer experience at Albertsons Cos., through the creation of proprietary, AI and data driven solutions,” says Gopinath. “Bengaluru’s rich talent pool in retail technology and thriving innovation ecosystem make it an ideal location for this journey. I’m honoured to lead our teams in shaping the future of grocery retail.”

Gopinath previously served as CEO at Rakuten India, where he led technology teams and spearheaded large scale digital transformation initiatives.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January.