The ET Edge GCC Summit 2025 marked a decisive moment in India’s Global Capability Centre journey. As AI reshapes enterprise priorities and global business models evolve, the summit brought together GCC leaders, technologists, policymakers, and ecosystem partners to explore how GCCs are transitioning from efficiency-driven centres to strategic engines of innovation, resilience, and value creation.
From Cost Advantage to Value Leadership
Setting the tone for the day, Sailaja Josyula, SVP & Global Head, GCC Service Line, Cognizant, described the current moment as a crossroads for GCCs. The conversation, she noted, has moved well beyond cost arbitrage to value creation at scale. She introduced adaptability quotient (AQ) as the defining leadership trait for the future, arguing that innovation, ecosystem partnerships, and accelerated R&D must now sit at the core of GCC strategy.
Drawing from Cognizant’s experience, she highlighted the rise of rapid prototyping and “vibe coding” as tools that democratise innovation and enable faster change management. Preparing talent to operate in AI-native environments, she emphasised, is no longer optional but foundational to building next-generation GCCs.
Growth, Resilience, and the CEO Mandate
The inaugural panel explored how CEOs are recalibrating GCC strategies in an AI-driven, high-volatility environment. Prashant Choudhary, Partner & Leader Financial Services GCC, Deloitte India, positioned resilience as the defining capability for future-ready GCCs, rooted in agile operating models and continuous upskilling.
Aditi Shukla, Head of India Shared Services and Country Head India, AXA XL, described resilience as a discipline that must be intentionally built, embedded into culture, and reinforced through curiosity and experimentation.
From an ecosystem lens, Amit Talwar, Country Director, AGCO, stressed that GCCs can no longer innovate in isolation. Collaboration with startups, academia, and partners accelerates learning and adaptability.
Ashish Nayyar, GCC Co-Head, OakNorth, underscored mindset as the foundation of sustainable innovation, while Purnima A, Head of MI GCC IN and Site Head, NielsenIQ Gurgaon GCC, reinforced that resilience is a continuous practice shaped by learning and reinvention.
Returning to the discussion, Sailaja Josyula reflected on how overcoming fear and insecurity around change has become a critical leadership responsibility. The panel was moderated by Shubho Sankar Chatterjee, Consulting Editor, ET Edge, who anchored the conversation around long-term value creation.
AI as the New Value Engine
In a solution showcase, Sandeep Dutta, Chief Practice Officer – Asia-Pacific & Middle East, Fractal Analytics Limited, outlined how AI is enabling GCCs to move decisively from capability centres to value centres. Falling technology costs and maturing AI platforms, he noted, are expanding the scope for innovation across processes, products, and decision-making.
Designing Scalable and Responsible AI
The “Architects of AI” panel focused on translating AI adoption into real business impact. Ajeya Motaganahalli, VP Engineering & MD, Pure Storage India, highlighted the importance of identifying the right AI use cases, underpinned by strong data foundations and GPU-led compute.
Kamal Sharma, Digital Transformation Leader and Global Digital Hubs Leader, Carrier, shared how experimentation led his organisation to energy optimisation use cases, delivering measurable efficiency gains.
Sushant Bhushan, Global Leader – Data, Insight & AI and India GCC Leader, Circle K, spoke about keeping AI strategy simple, guided by clear principles that convert gaps into value drivers.
From a governance perspective, Smita Negi, Head of South Asia Country Cluster IT, Bayer, emphasised balancing speed with trust, ethics, and data protection.
The talent implications of AI were addressed by Aqueel Merchant, Global Capability Center Leader and Board Member, Randstad, who stressed reskilling as the bridge between disruption and opportunity.
Looking ahead, Vivek Gaur, Country Head & Managing Director, Colt India, pointed to AI’s growing role in product development, while Kamaljeet Singh Bedi, Vice President IT, Midland Credit Management, outlined a structured framework to align AI initiatives with productivity and time-to-market goals.
The session was moderated by Satyen Makhija, Partner, Deloitte India, who reinforced that asking the right questions is now central to AI-led transformation.
Banking, Infrastructure, and the GCC Ecosystem
In another showcase, Dipesh Raj, General Manager, State Bank of India, outlined SBI’s long-term commitment to enabling GCC growth through a comprehensive 360-degree banking ecosystem, supported by its extensive global footprint.
A conversation on unified ecosystems brought together Vikas Wadhawan, COO, REA Cybercity, India GCC, who spoke about GCCs evolving into empowered innovation hubs, and Dwani Shah, Head of Workplace Strategy, Space Matrix, who highlighted sustainability and green energy as foundational principles in building future-ready centres. The discussion was contextualised by Abhijataya Kumar, Partner, Deloitte India.
Cyber Resilience and Identity in an AI Era
Cyber resilience emerged as a central concern for AI-native GCCs. Prakash Kumar, Head – Corporate IT, ZEISS India GCC, highlighted the need for unified identity governance in multi-cloud environments. Gaurav Pandey, Senior Director – Business Systems, TransUnion GCC India, spoke about the shift toward passwordless systems enabled by biometrics and AI-driven verification.
Adding another dimension, Rishi Seth, Senior Director, Fractal Analytics Limited, discussed behavioural intelligence and adaptive authorisation as key defence layers. The session was moderated by Sanjeev Singh, Partner, Deloitte India.
Regulatory Clarity and Transfer Pricing Readiness
In a discussion on tax and regulatory risk, Greenize Jain, Head of Tax – India, ASEAN & ANZ, DuPont, stressed the importance of clearly defining assets, services, and value markers for Centres of Excellence. Dr. Vikas Prasad, President & Managing Director, Webasto Roofsystems India, reinforced the need for transparent operational markers to reduce ambiguity. The session was moderated by Manisha Gupta, Partner, Deloitte India.
Talent, DEI, and the Human Core of GCCs
The talent-focused panel explored how organisations are managing people risks in an AI-driven world. Ruchi Mago, Head HR & Employee Experience, Orange Business, spoke about evolving roles and upskilling to complement AI. Shikha Joshi, Head HR – India, Norstella, emphasised connection, discipline, and collaboration, while Ritika Sakhuja, Head of Talent Acquisition, Ericsson GCC/GSC India, outlined capability, productivity, and connection as key talent risks.
Additional perspectives from Dr. S. Venkat Kumar, Principal Consultant, KONE Elevators and Escalators India, and Umanath Kumar, Country HR Partner – India & APAC, Pfizer, reinforced workforce readiness and wellbeing as critical to resilience. The session was moderated by Aditya Gadre, Partner, Deloitte India.
Policy Perspective: The Centre of Impact
Delivering the Chief Guest Address, Sumita Dawra, former Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment and Senior Public Policy & Governance Expert, traced the evolution of GCCs from processing centres to knowledge-driven hubs. She highlighted India’s talent depth, the role of policy enablers like the DPDP Act, and the need to expand GCC growth into emerging cities to ensure inclusive impact.
A Defining Reset for GCCs
The ET Edge GCC Summit 2025 concluded with a clear message: GCCs are no longer support functions. They are strategic centres shaping innovation, resilience, and enterprise value. As AI accelerates change, the GCCs that lead will be those that embed adaptability into leadership, governance into scale, and people into every layer of transformation.
Looking Ahead: GCC Bangalore 2026
Building on the momentum of the New Delhi edition, the journey continues in March 2026 with the 11th Edition of the ET Edge GCC Summit in Bengaluru. Anchored in the theme “Fortress of Global Enterprise”, the summit will convene global leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore how India’s technology capital is shaping the next era of GCC evolution. With Bengaluru emerging as a powerhouse for talent, innovation, and enterprise resilience, the upcoming edition promises to deepen strategic conversations and set new benchmarks for the global GCC ecosystem.
(DISCLAIMER: The information in this article does not necessarily reflect the views of The Global Hues. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information in this article.)
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