Highlighting India’s rising role in global capability centre growth, Deloitte plans to hire around 50,000 additional employees in the country and is actively evaluating Mangaluru as a potential expansion destination, according to Romal Shetty, South Asia CEO of the firm.
Speaking at TiEcon Mangaluru 2026 on January 17, Shetty said Tier II cities are becoming central to India’s next phase of GCC expansion. He was in conversation with Rohit Bhat, president of TiEcon Mangaluru and founder of 99Games and Robosoft.
“Deloitte has 140,000 people in the country. One in every four Deloitte employees in the world is in India or is an Indian. We will hire about 50,000 more people. We came very close to Mangaluru. Mangaluru has talent. We will come to Mangaluru, no doubt, it is only a question of time,” Shetty said.
He added that India continues to dominate the global GCC landscape. “India is a powerhouse of GCCs. Fifty percent of all global GCCs are in India. There is still a lot of potential here, especially from a Tier II and Tier III city point of view,” he said, noting that future expansion is likely to flow into emerging cities even if initial entries happen elsewhere.
Shetty proposed the creation of digital economic zones that bring together GCCs, GPU-based data centres, startups, and academic institutions through plug-and-play infrastructure. Stressing speed and ease of doing business, he said, “Opening a GCC can take six months, but it should take only two weeks.”
He also flagged infrastructure challenges, particularly around energy and water needs for data centres. At the same time, he pointed out that Mangaluru has strong fundamentals, including talent availability and real estate readiness.
Drawing comparisons with the United States, Shetty said universities need to work more closely with corporates and government to build a stronger innovation ecosystem. He underlined the need for India-focused innovation, saying, “You have to innovate for Bharat. We should start investing in R&D.”
Shetty concluded by noting that India’s long-term growth would remain incomplete unless “200 or more cities prosper,” reinforcing the importance of decentralised development and opportunities beyond major metros.
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