Forging Global GCC Partnerships

Interesting Nuggets from the NASSCOM GCC Summit 2025

On April 22-23, 2025, I had the privilege of representing Infogain at the NASSCOM GCC Summit in Hyderabad where close to 1,800 global enterprise leaders participated in 75+ sessions and roundtables. The narrative set for this event across the event was real and futuristic, with a view to help participants push the envelope when it comes to improving corporations' footprints in India's thriving Global Capability Center (GCC) ecosystem - expanding R&D, deriving value through investments in AI, ML and data analytics; and shout out to the world about India’s ‘new shiny toy’.

These two days offered face-to-face interactions with decision-makers from billion-dollar conglomerates to SMEs across industries, all united by a common vision: leveraging India's exceptional talent pool to drive their next phase of growth and innovation through their investment in GCCs.

*With over 1,700 GCCs currently operating in India employing more than 1.9 million professionals, the market has reached an unprecedented scale.

The GCC Revolution: Cost is Old School – Now Capability is the Mantra

What struck me most during my conversations and while the sessions were in play, was the evolved narrative around GCCs; through which the traditional view of India as merely a destination for cost-arbitrage and talent pile-up has transformed dramatically. Today's GCCs are strategic innovation hubs driving digital transformation and providing a competitive advantage with AI as the emerging focal point.

During an engaging panel discussion on day one, a CXO of one of the Fortune 50 companies in the manufacturing space shared how their center in India's Silicon Valley evolved from back-office support to becoming their global AI and automation excellence hub. He voiced how a 50-person team handling routine processes has transformed into a 2,000-strong innovation powerhouse reshaping their global technology roadmap.

Beyond Metros and Into the New Tiers

One recurring theme across my discussions was the growing interest in India's Tier-2 cities. While Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad and Pune remain GCC strongholds, forward-thinking enterprises are increasingly exploring Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. A BFSI leader I spoke with shared their plans to establish a 300-person fintech innovation center in Jaipur, citing the perfect blend of infrastructure readiness, talent accessibility and operational advantages.

There was a constant narrative of not wanting to follow the herd and tap the potential in emerging cities through first-mover advantages and a broader view on talent acquisition and retention. Furthermore, the intriguing discussion on integrating Gen-Z, consistent upskilling, and careers in an AI-driven future were constant talking points during talent-focused discussions.

Collaborative Business Models: Redefining Partnerships

Differentiated GCC partnerships resonated strongly with potential collaborators – that agrees with our proven methodology that combines operational excellence with innovation- accelerators, driven effectively by an AI-first approach. Rather than the traditional "build-operate-transfer" model, our framework emphasizes "collaborate-innovate-scale" - a philosophy that has delivered measurable outcomes for our existing partners.

In one of the 'Outside-In Perspective' C-suite panel discussions, executives from a life sciences company cited how they were impressed by their partners ability to establish a specialized R&D capability center in just 90 days—cutting typical setup time by high double-digit percentage. This is a great example of how a nimble GCC strategy can deliver quick, rich rewards in the long term.

Digital and AI-First GCCs: The Highway of Success

My interactions at the event reinforced the conviction that tomorrow's GCCs will be fundamentally digital-first and powered by AI. Integrating AI and advanced analytics is no longer optional but imperative. Enterprises exploring the GCC route are looking beyond immediate operational advantages to long-term strategic capabilities—specifically, how these centers can drive company-wide digital transformation, create intellectual property, and serve the world from India as a vantage point.

As India's GCC ecosystem matures, organizations like Infogain are uniquely positioned to guide enterprises through this evolution. Our years of built-in expertise, glocal perspective, and framework-focused methodologies make us a partner of choice for businesses seeking not just to establish a presence in India, but to leverage its transformative and multiplicative true potential.

If you were at the NASSCOM GCC event and we missed meeting, I would love to learn about the value this event provided. Also, if you are a global firm contemplating your GCC strategy, I would love to schedule a conversation to understand possible areas of collaboration. 

Reference 

*https://nasscom.in/knowledge-center/publications/india-gcc-landscape-report-5-year-journey

About the Author

Suhale Kapoor

Suhale Kapoor

Suhale is a progressive tech leader at the organization, managing multiple capability development portfolios and business growth initiatives across software development, digital transformation, AI, and analytics in APAC and EMEA.

Suhale has varied experience in establishing the groundwork for advanced offshore development centers, capability centers and innovation hubs for multi-industry Fortune 500 companies, with a focused view of merging emerging technologies with human capital for exponential growth.

His current interest areas focus on GCCs and Data & AI.