Traditionally, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) primarily served as innovation hubs and service delivery centers for global corporations. But, over the last decade, with digital evolution and tech advancements, GCCs are becoming increasingly central and integral to digital transformation initiatives, handling everything from technology infrastructure, driving data analytics and leading AI-powered initiatives.
For instance, in a recent interview with Times of India, Gunjan Samtani, global COO of engineering at Goldman Sachs and country head of Goldman Sachs Services India highlighted how the role of India GCC has evolved. What used to be an end-of-day support for trading platforms and exchange connectivity has now changed to algo trading platform support, data analytics, and client reporting. His statement reflects the trend of GCCs shifting their focus to thought leadership hubs with more value-driven roles.
So, what is driving this change?
Although digital transformation is one of the major factors, however, there are several other factors which have collectively caused this change in the role of GCCs. That includes 4 distinct trends -
Shift to remote work,
Increase in innovation pilots and projects,
Government support and
Rapid adoption of emerging technologies.
How has this impacted talent acquisition in GCC?
According to EY, by 2030, the GCC industry is expected to comprise over 4.5 million people, compared to the current base of ~1.9 million. Let’s dive deeper into some of the key factors affecting resource requirements and how on-demand talent can help ease the pressure.
a) High demand for emerging technology experts
According to a recent report, from 2020 to 2024, India saw advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), robotic process automation (RPA), edge computing, and quantum computing.
This only reaffirms the rise in demand for emerging technologies, which has left GCCs facing significant talent shortage challenges.
b) Rise in innovation pilot projects
As these GCCs turn into innovation hubs, they are creating new Centre of Excellence (CoE) and also investing in innovative pilot projects. That leads to fluctuating project-based resource requirements and more importantly onboarding resources which are required for short term projects.
c) Shift from generalists to specialists
As GCCs take on more strategic roles and lead digital transformation projects, they need professionals with deep, domain-specific expertise.
For instance, a project in AI for healthcare requires not just AI skills, but also a deep understanding of healthcare regulations, patient data management, and medical workflows.
Also, the nature of such projects are becoming more complex and cross functional.
For example, smart manufacturing may involve combining IoT, data analytics, and AI, all within a manufacturing context. A case in point, a recent GCC client of IndusGuru Network Partners , which is the technology support center of a global construction company, was looking for a GenAI consultant to improve their MES platform and operational efficiencies. You can read more about this case at IndusGuru.
Experienced industry-specific professionals bring an immediate understanding of the industry’s challenges, reducing the learning curve for critical projects.
d) Global talent access and rise of Tier II cities
The rise of remote work and cross-border collaboration offers GCCs the unique opportunity to access global talent pools. This allows GCCs to bring in experts from around the world who possess the specific skills required for their projects, without being constrained by geographic limitations.
At the same time, there is a growing trend of establishing GCCs in tier-II cities in India such as Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Vadodara, indicating a geographical diversification of tech opportunities across the country, according to a new report.
Why is agility the need of the hour?
GCCs are under increasing pressure to scale rapidly, manage global projects, and execute innovation pilots in a highly competitive tech landscape. Traditional hiring models are often too slow to meet these demands.” says Deepak Malkani, co-founder of IndusGuru Network Partners
Alternate engagement models like fractional hiring or onboarding independent experts could prove beneficial especially for short term innovation pilots or PoC, where hiring full-time employees would be impractical. GCCs can tap into a diverse pool of experts with sector and domain specific experience, ensuring projects are not only technically sound but also aligned with industry regulations and customer needs.
Also, when GCCs get large hiring mandates, on-demand hiring offers the advantage of quick access to independent specialised experts without lengthy recruitment processes.
The confluence of global talent access and local expansion into tier-II cities further underscores the importance of agility and on-demand hiring. It helps in bridging talent gaps in emerging locations and allows responding to global mandates with speed and precision.
IndusGuru: Your Partner for Flexible, On-Demand Talent
The key to overcoming these challenges lies in having immediate access to the right expertise—whether for a short-term project, innovation pilot, or large-scale mandate. IndusGuru specializes in connecting GCCs with highly skilled independent experts across technology and other domains and industries.
We have been supporting GCCs by providing a curated network of professionals who possess the specific skills and industry knowledge required to excel in today’s fast-paced environment.
Case Study: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7251471821760331776
Our talent pool includes experts who have helped strategize and set up GCCs, determine location strategies, Transition processes, and augment specialised skills across Finance, Digital Technologies, HR, Marketing and even other Industry specific skill sets, allowing GCCs to quickly mobilize the right resources for their unique project needs.
For further discussion on the same, please reach out to Deepak Malkani on LinkedIn. Want to be a part of CXO India? Reach out to us at info@cxo-india.com!