India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are no longer a quiet efficiency play tucked inside multinational portfolios. They have become strategic command centres that define how global businesses design products, deliver customer experiences, and drive digital transformation.According to the NASSCOM–Zinnov India GCC Landscape Report 2024, there are over 1,700 GCCs in India as of FY2024, employing more than 1.9 million professionals and generating approximately USD 64.6 billion in revenue. This scale underscores India’s growing position as a global capability powerhouse. Over the last few years, India has emerged as the preferred global destination for building advanced capability hubs, supported by its deep technology ecosystem, a culture of problem-solving, and the unmatched quality of Indian talent in GCC markets.
This evolution marks a turning point. The conversation is shifting from “Why India?” to “How can we maximize the potential of India’s GCC talent?” For business leaders, this shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge. The question is not whether to establish or expand a GCC in India, but how to build a sustainable, high-performing ecosystem that fully harnesses the potential of Indian professionals.
Talks About People (TAP) works with global enterprises to help them align leadership hiring, culture design, and capability strategy to unlock the full potential of India’s GCC talent.
The Rise of GCCs and the Power of Indian Talent
Over the past few years, the number of GCCs operating in India has surged. From technology and banking to pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, organizations across industries are investing in India to build centres that deliver global-scale innovation, analytics, product design, and digital transformation.
Indian talent in GCC markets offers a rare combination of technical expertise, strategic insight, and adaptability. With a strong foundation in STEM education, exposure to global clients, and experience in agile delivery, Indian professionals have transformed GCCs from operational support functions into global growth accelerators.
What’s more, India’s talent ecosystem has matured. The new generation of professionals is driven not just by execution but by problem-solving and innovation. GCCs now rely on these teams to co-create intellectual property, accelerate digital adoption, and develop products for global markets.
Through its consulting partnerships, TAP has seen how organizations that recognize and invest in leadership capability at their GCCs achieve faster growth, stronger collaboration, and higher retention across teams.
Why Indian Talent Is Driving GCC Growth
There are several reasons Indian talent has become the backbone of GCC success:
- Deep technical capability: Indian professionals have world-class expertise in areas such as cloud, AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, and automation.
- Scalable workforce: The ability to scale operations quickly, supported by India’s vast talent pool, makes the country a preferred destination for global enterprises.
- Leadership readiness: Many GCCs are now grooming Indian leaders to take on global roles, expanding their influence across strategy and innovation.
- Cultural alignment: Indian professionals have high cross-cultural competence, allowing them to collaborate seamlessly with global headquarters and partner ecosystems.
This combination has positioned Indian talent in GCC markets as a critical differentiator for global organizations navigating rapid digital transformation.
What Leaders Must Understand About the New GCC Reality
The GCC setting has evolved from a back-office model to a full-fledged strategic engine. Yet, many leaders continue to approach it with outdated mindsets, viewing it primarily as a cost centre rather than a capability hub.
To unlock the true potential of Indian talent in GCC markets, leaders must:
- Redefine the purpose of the GCC: It should be built as a value creator, not just a delivery arm.
- Align global and local goals: The success of a GCC depends on how well it integrates into the enterprise strategy.
- Empower local leadership: Indian leaders managing GCCs should have decision-making autonomy and access to resources.
- Focus on innovation: GCCs should drive original thinking, intellectual property, and next-gen product design.
TAP partners with organizations to define these leadership imperatives, helping them attract, assess, and integrate executives who can turn GCCs into global centres of excellence.
Building a Sustainable Talent Strategy
At the centre of this evolution lies the question of how to attract, develop, and retain top Indian talent in GCC markets. The answer begins with strategy.
- Invest in capability building: Upskilling should be continuous, especially in emerging technologies and global leadership skills.
- Create career visibility: Professionals must see GCC roles as long-term career opportunities, not stepping stones.
- Promote cross-functional mobility: Allowing employees to move between global and India-based teams strengthens collaboration.
- Build an innovation culture: Recognize and reward experimentation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking.
- Leverage hybrid work flexibility: Many GCCs are reimagining workplace models to attract a wider talent base across Indian cities.
Through structured leadership hiring and development frameworks, TAP helps organizations design GCC talent strategies that build long-term capability while reinforcing global alignment.
Challenges Leaders Should Avoid
Even the most successful GCCs encounter growing pains. Leaders must be aware of the common pitfalls that can limit success:
- Treating the GCC as a transactional offshoot instead of an integrated global function.
- Overlooking leadership development for local teams.
- Neglecting cultural integration between headquarters and the Indian GCC.
- Underinvesting in upskilling and innovation programs.
- Failing to define measurable value beyond cost efficiency.
Avoiding these mistakes requires intent, alignment, and trust between global and local leadership teams.
The Next Chapter of Growth
As the GCC ecosystem expands, the focus is shifting from scale to sophistication. Global enterprises are increasingly turning to India not just for execution excellence but for strategic thinking, R&D, and innovation leadership. This evolution means Indian talent in GCC markets will play a defining role in shaping global competitiveness.
The momentum shows no signs of slowing. The GCC market size in India is projected to reach around USD 100 billion by 2030, with total headcount expected to cross 2.5 million professionals, according to recent industry reports. This growth reflects how deeply embedded these centres are becoming in the global business architecture.
Moreover, as industries pivot to digital-first business models, GCCs are becoming breeding grounds for emerging technologies and leadership pipelines. Many of tomorrow’s global executives are likely to emerge from within India’s GCC network.
Final Thoughts
The story of GCCs is, in many ways, the story of India’s rise as a global talent powerhouse. For leaders, the path forward is to invest in Indian talent, trust their expertise, and empower them to drive innovation at scale. The future of global capability building will depend not on where companies operate, but on how effectively they leverage Indian talent in GCC markets to lead the next wave of growth.
TAP partners with enterprises to make this transformation possible. Through leadership hiring, cultural assessment, and talent strategy design, TAP helps companies turn GCCs into hubs of innovation, performance, and purpose.