New leadership model takes root in India’s GCCs

Over the past decade, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India have evolved from peripheral support units to strategic units driving global transformation, innovation, and business outcomes. At the heart of this evolution is a major shift in the leadership model that reflects the maturing nature of these establishments.

GCCs, the captive units set up by companies to carry out different IT and technology functions, have seen major growth. The domestic GCC market size is expected to grow to $110 billion in 2030. India currently has over 1,800 GCCs.

Especially in the post-COVID era, GCCs have evolved from back offices and cost arbitrage centers to innovation hubs for their parent organisations. This transformation has also led to a shift in the role GCC leaders play. The leaders are no longer just symbolic or facilitators but are also ‘operational leaders’, industry observers and experts opine.

GCC leaders typically held governor-type roles, where they were responsible for governance and operations at the India site, but typically didn’t hold a formal functional role within the global organisation. In many cases, they had to define their own responsibilities and identify initiatives to lead, without clear direction from headquarters.

“The landscape is shifting. Increasingly, companies are looking for leaders with deep functional or technical expertise,” said Pari Natarajan, CEO of consulting firm Zinnov. 

Many GCC leaders have taken on global roles. As per Zinnov’s data, the number of global roles has grown significantly over the years. These roles have risen from 1,200 in 2019 to more than 6,500 in 2024, increasing at a CAGR of approximately 40%. 

This momentum is expected to continue, with projections estimating over 30,000 global roles by 2030. Examples include Srinivas Prasad, Senior Director and Analog Devices India Site Head; Niladri Ray, VP, Engineering & Country Head for India at Flexera; and Ajeya Motaganahalli, VP of Engineering & Managing Director of Pure Storage India.

This trend is especially visible in mid-market GCCs. In very large, “mega” GCCs with over 10,000 employees, there’s still a need for a dedicated site leader to manage complexity. But in modern, mid-sized GCCs, we expect the traditional Governor role to fade, giving way to more functionally integrated leadership, Natarajan added.

The gravity of roles has also birthed a new trend — that of returning NRI professionals. This ‘reverse brain-drain’ is a result of several other factors, including better compensation, geopolitical situation, and personal reasons. 

Many second-generation Indian professionals in the US and UK are returning as India is rapidly emerging as a strategic hub. Add to that the significant jump in compensation levels for senior roles in India, and the business case for returning becomes even stronger.

“We have seen concrete signs of this shift among our banking and financial services clients. Over just the last three to four months, at least seven senior roles (at SVP or Executive Director level) have been filled by professionals who chose to move back to India. While it’s early to call it a full-fledged trend, the momentum is picking up compared to previous years,” said Roop Kaistha, Regional Managing Director of APAC at talent solutions firm AMS.

As the number of senior leadership and decision makers within a GCC, also known as leadership density, increases, it will alleviate their position as strategic hubs within their global organisation, experts opine. In turn, GCCs with higher leadership density are more likely to be entrusted with critical decision-making roles. 

“When experienced leaders are present on the ground, they attract high-quality talent, mentor emerging leaders, and accelerate decision-making. This creates a vibrant ecosystem where leadership breeds more leadership,” said Rohan Lobo, Partner at Deloitte.

This dynamic improves collaboration and also prepares more India-based professionals to step into global roles seamlessly, he added. 

As global roles increasingly get anchored in India, leadership density is both a catalyst and a consequence of this shift. It leads to better capabilities and builds stronger pipelines of future-ready leaders.