Where did all this begin?

The journey for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) across the global business spectrum began in a much quieter way. Let’s put this into context: a centre operating out of a bustling city in India, managing spreadsheets, workflows, data sheets, HR processes, and backend call operations. This early model of Global Capability Centre services focused on business-behind-the-scenes, ensuring compliance and global guidelines. The underlying objective was clear—efficiency with cost-effectiveness.

So, this was the story in the early 2000s. Cut to today, the context reverses. In the current scenario, setting up GCCs in India is no longer about cost; it’s a move towards strategy, capability, and innovation.

The Strategic Shift

In its report 'India GCC Landscape Report - The 5 Year Journey', NASSCOM shares some key highlights. The report shares how over 50% of all GCCs today have moved beyond support functions to become true portfolio and transformation hubs. These changes reflect broader India GCC innovation trends—with around 40% CAGR growth in global roles and a notable increase in women leadership over the past 5 years.

Nearly 90% of GCCs now function as multi-disciplinary hubs, blending technology, operations, and engineering under one roof to create enterprise-level value. This is where GCC setup providers in India are enabling integrated operations at scale.

When it comes to momentum, Engineering, Research, and Development (ER&D) GCCs lead the pack. These centres are growing 1.3 times faster than the average GCC, underscoring India’s emerging status as a destination for AI-first GCC setup in India.

What made this big shift happen?

Referring back to the NASSCOM report, "India remains well-positioned for future growth through prioritization on skills development, cybersecurity, and progressive policy frameworks. The country's emphasis on high-end engineering roles and strategic partnerships also enables it to meet the evolving needs of global companies, fostering sustainable practices and driving innovation."

India's pace towards becoming an innovation hub can be attributed to strategic partnerships with global entities across segments. This has led to adoption of emerging and trending technologies leading to continuous improvement and inclusion of best practices.

What businesses need today is building sustainable, high-impact, and innovation driven approach. With top-tier strategic partnerships and years of expertise, India is today looking at the big picture for the GCC industry.

Talent makes all the difference

NASSCOM in its report has stated, "GCCs in India are increasingly focused on building AI capabilities and driving the AI transformation for their internal enterprise. A talent pool of over 120,000 AI / ML professionals and over 185 dedicated AI/ML COEs is helping build specific use cases and the more mature GCCs are further developing expertise in full-stack development."

Hence proven; a comprehensive talent strategy, combined with market intelligence and latest skills, sets a win-win strategy for GCCs.

GCCs set their foot in global talent hubs; cities that are not just rich in technical skills, but filled with people who are eager to learn, are solution-driven, and ready to take ownership. That combination of depth and drive changes the game.

And that change in thought sparks a new kind of talent strategy that focuses on building capability, training for the next tech move, encouraging leadership, and unlocking potential. The approach to workforce management also changes.

Today, businesses are looking at GCCs to lead initiatives, launch pilots, and drive innovation across functions. They are even co-creating with global teams and influencing decisions at the highest levels. In many cases, talent practices developed within the GCC became models for the wider organization.

What comes NXT, is still in progress

Steve Hall, President, ISG EMEA, and Chief AI Officer and Alex Bakker, Distinguished Analyst in their article 'What's Next for GCCs: Operating Model Challenges and GenAI Opportunities', share an interesting perspective, "While the motivation to adopt a GCC tends to focus on labor-rate savings, organizations view opportunities for AI on a more indirect basis. The idea that a GCC can provide both near-term financial relief and AI to ensure long-term efficiency, innovation and growth makes a particularly compelling strategy."

Robust talent strategy, infrastructure growth, and swift technology adoption with agility sets the game right for GCCs today.

At Enablr, we build more than GCCs, we build the high-impact teams that power them and keep them future-ready. Whether you’re considering AI-first GCC setup in India or partnering with trusted GCC agencies in Hyderabad, we’re here to help you lead this transformation.

What’s your next move on your GCC transformation agenda? Speak to our experts and get started today.