A major shift is underway in how Global Capability Centres in India are being led, as technology becomes central to global business strategy.
Indian GCCs are moving away from leadership models built around administration and operations. Companies are now appointing leaders with strong engineering and technology backgrounds. This change reflects the growing role of GCCs as global centres for technology delivery and innovation.
Earlier, GCCs were largely focused on cost efficiency, execution, and operational support. That role has expanded significantly. Today, these centres deliver business critical outcomes across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data platforms, and emerging technologies. Leadership expectations now include ownership of global technology outcomes, product roadmaps, and intellectual property creation.
Organisations are increasingly prioritising engineering focused leaders who can drive AI led transformation, own global product and platform mandates, make architecture and technology decisions with direct business impact, and align closely with headquarters on innovation priorities.
The role of a GCC leader has also changed in terms of time allocation. Leaders now spend close to 80% of their time in global functional roles, while only about 20% is spent on traditional site responsibilities such as branding or ecosystem engagement. This marks a clear departure from the earlier administrative leadership model.
Leadership transitions have also become faster. Over the past year, more than 24 senior GCC leadership appointments were made across India. Global boards and headquarters are showing lower tolerance for slow transformation. If leaders are unable to define and deliver AI driven or technology led operating models within 6 to 12 months, companies are quicker to make leadership changes.
Several high profile appointments in 2025 reflect this trend. These include Pradeep Menon at Charles Schwab India, Satya Prakash Ranjan at First Citizens India, Prashanti Bodugum at Evernorth Health Services India, Mouha Sengupta at The Standard, Sunil Gopinath at Albertsons India, Prashobh Chandralayam at Kyndryl, Aneelkumar Savalagi at Takeda, Lalit Kumar at ArcelorMittal Global Business and Technologies, and Raju Chiluvuri at Arch Global Services India.
GCCs are no longer assessed as cost centres. They are increasingly measured as product and platform engines, intellectual property creation hubs, and global engineering roadmap owners. Automation is handling routine execution, pushing leaders to focus on engineering judgment, product ownership, and long term architecture decisions.
India’s mature GCC ecosystem and strong leadership talent pool have reduced perceived leadership risk. This confidence is driving faster leadership upgrades and accelerating transformation across centres. India continues to stand out as a preferred destination for global technology leadership roles.
The rise of engineering first leadership clearly signals how GCCs are now viewed and governed. India’s GCCs are firmly positioned as global technology owners driving innovation, resilience, and competitive advantage.
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