Indian leaders in global capability centres (GCCs) have solidified their positions at the leadership level, highlighting their increasing influence within international teams. The leadership landscape in India's GCCs has transformed, with a rising number of global leaders steering key initiatives and overseeing processes from India.
According to the Economic Times, Pari Natarajan, CEO of global consultancy Zinnov, noted that global roles within Indian GCCs have surged from 115 in 2015 to a projected 30,000 by 2030. “These roles are pivotal in driving digital transformation across industries, leveraging mature capabilities and data-driven insights. GCC leaders now have a seat at the table, working with greater autonomy and purpose, leveraging their deep customer context to drive digital transformation across industries through mature capabilities.”
Ink Dive: GCCs in India are the New Goldmine for Top Talent and Fresh Graduates
A Nasscom and KPMG report highlighted the use of a “2-in-a-box” framework by GCCs to develop a leadership pipeline, involving counterparts in the parent organisation sharing responsibilities. It emphasised the vital role of global process owners in standardising procedures and ensuring optimal performance across delivery centres.
Praveen Kumar, CEO of Barclays Global Service Centre India, pointed out that Barclays in India has become a hub for global and regional leadership roles, with Indian talent assuming critical positions. “Given the depth and quality of talent based out of our India locations, progressively we have had India-based talent take on highly critical roles. As the quality of the talent base in the country continues to evolve, we are aiming to move towards a truly global, location-agnostic operating model in areas where business proximity and time zone are not a constraint.” The CEO noted that the global Chief Information Officers (CIOs) for payments and private banking are currently stationed in Pune.
With Indian leaders increasingly taking on higher decision-making roles and matching the productivity of headquarters, particularly in complex tasks, they are being rewarded with competitive compensation packages, which help narrow the pay gap. “The compensation levels are influenced by the nature of the work, availability of talent and the cost-of-living index. These packages typically consist of a mix of fixed cash (50%-60%), RSUs (25%-30%) and bonuses, performance incentives and additional benefits,” Natarajan elaborated.
Debasis Panda, Senior Vice President of Operations and Head of TransUnion global capability centres in India, South Africa and Costa Rica, stated, “A significant part of our global business operations is driven by our local leaders from India. Their roles span across software development, platform engineering, information security engineering, business process reengineering, global vendor management, and financial planning and analysis — functions introduced within the first two years of setting up our GCC in India.”
Upasna Nischal, Global Head for Learning & Development and HR Head - India at Fidelity International, underscored the transformation in global management dialogues. The focus has shifted from cost-arbitrage to capitalising on India's proven leadership talent to steer global teams, create innovation hubs, entrust local leaders with driving success, and promote collaborative problem-solving.
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