As the AI revolution accelerates, the demand for Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) has skyrocketed, triggering a severe shortage that shows no signs of easing. 

NVIDIA, the dominant player in high-end GPUs, has seen its Blackwell series sell out through 2025, with lead times stretching into years. 

Analysts predict that by 2030, GPU supply could fall short by as much as 43% of projected demand, with training costs for individual AI models reaching $1 billion by 2027. This challenge is not limited to big tech—it’s a major barrier for startups, researchers, and enterprises seeking to innovate cost-effectively.

Amid this landscape, Bangalore’s tech ecosystem has become a critical hub for innovation. Pure Storage’s R&D and global capability centre (GCC) in India is spearheading enterprise AI initiatives, including the development of the pure key-value accelerator (KVA)—a protocol-agnostic, high-performance key-value caching solution designed to optimise large language model (LLM) inference. 

By persisting and reusing precomputed attention states across sessions, Pure KVA eliminates redundant computation, delivering substantial performance gains without requiring changes to the underlying model or infrastructure.

The core idea behind Pure KVA is instead of discarding the key and value tensors after each inference session, the system captures these intermediate states, compresses them, and stores them on a high-performance Pure Storage NFS or S3 backend.

When the same prompt or context is reused, the stored tensors are quickly reloaded, bypassing unnecessary recomputation and dramatically improving efficiency for AI workloads.

GCC Growth and Investment in India

Talking to AIM, Nirav Sheth, VP – WW sales & customer success engineering at Pure Storage, highlighted the importance of India for the company: “I believe we have about 25% of our R&D function here in the GCC in India. Roughly, the team size is about 500 to 600.”

He added that the GCC is treated as a true hub for product development and innovation, not just a back office, “we’re seeing a tremendous amount of innovation. This Pure KVA, a fantastic optimisation opportunity for any customer looking at AI, is being developed in India.”

Pure KVA, one of Pure Storage’s flagship innovations from India, helps enterprises reduce AI infrastructure costs by optimising GPU usage.

“A very large cost of AI is actually within the GPU, which is further compounded by GPU availability. KVA helps customers reduce the cost of AI by optimising GPU utilisation,” Sheth said, adding that it leads customers to utilise their existing infrastructure more efficiently.

On its impact, Sheth mentioned that “for inferencing, based on some of the calculations we’ve seen, it could be 20X optimisation.”

As much as 70% of Pure KVA was developed in India. The company established an AI Center of Excellence within the GCC with data scientists, prioritising AI skill sets.

Ajeya Motaganahalli, VP engineering and MD India R&D, added they incubated a Gen AI team here. “We don’t have a similar team anywhere else. This team constantly looks at ways to make things better, faster, more cost-efficient for AI users.”

AI Partnerships

Pure Storage has built strong AI partnerships and leverages open-source large language models for enterprise needs.

“We have a world-class partnership with NVIDIA. We were the first in the industry to have a reference architecture with NVIDIA back in 2017. We also partner with RunAI, Weights & Biases, vector database providers like MongoDB, and infrastructure partners like Cisco and Arista,” Sheth said.

On building models for enterprise AI, Motaganahalli explained taking existing large language models, like Llama or Claude, and tuning them to internal data. 

“We’re building small-scale models, while leveraging enterprise AI infrastructure for tuning and training. Open-source models have democratised AI, allowing enterprises to adapt and train models to their specific needs,” Motaganahalli said.

Talent Strategy

Pure Storage also emphasises nurturing talent through internships, ensuring strong retention and building a skilled workforce. 

Motaganahalli explained, “When you come to a deep tech company like us, you spend a lot of time understanding how the development processes work, what the code base looks like, and how to write your unit tests. Internship gives this ability.” Most interns end up joining them as employees as the interview process remains the same for both, he added. 

Elaborating on the GCC hiring ecosystem, Sheth said that Pure Storage GCC is inviting internships, hiring fresh graduates, as well as staff at junior and senior levels. 

Meanwhile, Pure Storage recently announced its expansion in Enterprise Data Cloud to streamline AI workflows across on-premises and cloud environments. 

Key updates include Pure Storage Cloud Azure Native, enabling seamless VMware workload migration, Portworx integration with Pure Fusion for unified data management, Pure1 AI Copilot for natural-language storage management; and Key Value Accelerator with NVIDIA Dynamo to speed AI inference. Next-gen FlashArray and Purity Deep Reduce further optimise performance and efficiency.

The post How Pure Storage India R&D Centre Built Pure KVA  appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Global capability centres (GCCs) in India today span a wide spectrum of services, covering research and development (R&D), artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, as well as tax, finance, compliance, sustainability reporting, and cybersecurity. 

A PwC study noted that while GCCs and their headquarters often align on strategy, execution gaps remain in areas such as governance, resource allocation and performance metrics. These gaps can quickly translate into missed opportunities. Closing them could enable 3-4% higher compound annual growth in GCC value generation beyond current projections.

Moreover, GCCs are increasingly transforming their GCCs in India into internal innovation studios, building enterprise-style startups within the enterprise itself. This shift enables faster product development, tighter control over innovation and measurable cost advantages by tapping into India’s deep technical talent pool.

Talking to AIM, Rajeev Rajan, CTO of Atlassian, mentioned, “Our philosophy is very different from many GCCs. We believe in making products in India, with leaders in India who are global leaders.”  

Atlassian, the global collaboration software giant, entrusts end-to-end ownership of entire product lines to its teams in India. From a modest 60-member team in 2018, the company has grown to more than 2,500 employees across the country, with nearly 75% working in R&D roles. For Atlassian, Rajan explained, India is now a global centre of product ownership and innovation.

Building in India

A striking example is Atlassian’s IT Service Management (ITSM) product line, largely built and led from Bengaluru. Indian engineering and product leaders manage teams locally as well as globally, spanning the US, Australia and beyond. Similarly, the company’s commerce platform, which processes Atlassian’s multi-billion-dollar global revenues, is also primarily developed in India.

This confidence is a natural outcome of India’s fast-growing talent landscape. “The talent pool here is amazing, especially in AI. One statistic I saw said 50% of R&D workers in India are advanced AI users, more than any other country in the world. That excites us,” Rajan noted. From engineers to product managers and design leaders, Atlassian has successfully built entire product lines out of India, end-to-end.

The company’s approach to work also reflects its trust in the maturity of Indian talent. Its ‘Team Anywhere’ model allows employees to work from 28 states across India, with the flexibility to decide when to come into the office. Rather than enforcing rigid return-to-office mandates, Atlassian emphasises ‘Intentional Togetherness’, periodic in-person gatherings for collaboration without compromising flexibility.

Atlassian’s R&D focus in India is already powering the next wave of innovation. Its teams are building AI-driven service agents, incident management tools and consumption-based billing platforms, redefining how enterprise SaaS operates in an AI-first world. The company is also piloting Atlassian Studio, a low-code/no-code agent development platform designed to empower even non-engineers to build AI agents.

“We are building a 100-year company, not just optimising for this quarter,” Rajan said. That long-term vision explains why Atlassian continues to double down on India, making it the fastest-growing R&D centre worldwide.

The India team has “significant autonomy in setting product vision, defining roadmaps and executing on delivery”, Rajan noted, directly influencing the success of Atlassian’s offerings. Teams in India own major products such as IT service management, marketplace, commerce and cloud transitions, with engineering, product management and design leadership based locally.

Talent Scope

Atlassian’s hiring approach focuses on building senior leadership in India across engineering, product and design. The culture of empowerment is reinforced through initiatives like ShipIt, Atlassian’s biannual hackathon, which encourages experimentation and innovation. 

Meanwhile, in the second quarter alone, at least 16 new GCCs were set up in India by firms including GlobalFoundries, Heineken, First Citizens Bank, Sonatype, Reltio, Dai-ichi Life Holdings and Toyo Engineering. This builds on a strong Q1, which saw companies like Citizens Financial Group, AT&S, NAVEX and Rapid7 expand their presence. Together, these moves highlight the democratisation of the GCC model.

Most GCCs in India are driving their AI innovation from India.

For instance, Lowe’s team in Bengaluru has been a critical driver of its AI journey, playing a crucial role in developing and deploying cutting-edge solutions. 

“Many of our core systems, including the omnichannel order management and self-checkout terminals, were built from the ground up by our engineers in Bengaluru. These solutions have provided us with unmatched scalability and flexibility,” Amit Kapur, VP of AI and data analytics at Lowe’s India, told AIM.

In the healthcare sector, Siemens Healthineers plays a vital part within its parent company, making significant contributions to innovation. At present, approximately 54% of the global software workforce is based in Bengaluru, comprising a team of 3,500.

The post Why Atlassian Trusts India with Full Product Ownership appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

The White House on Saturday issued a key clarification on President Donald Trump’s latest visa policy, stating that the new $100,000 H-1B fee will be a “one-time” payment, applicable only to new applicants. The order, which upended the global tech industry, came into effect at midnight on Sunday (September 21). However, petitions filed before the proclamation date will not be impacted.

While the clarification offered some relief to existing applicants, industry experts say the steep fee will weigh heavily on companies dependent on high-skilled foreign talent. The move has reignited debates around access, affordability, and fairness in the US immigration system.

Akshat Shrivastava, CEO of the Wisdom Hatch Fund, in his LinkedIn post, said the new H-1B visa fee is expected to trigger several immediate shifts in the global talent landscape. 

He said that more US workers are likely to be hired, while many Indian professionals may be relocated back to India, or to alternative hubs like the UAE.

Shrivastava warned that other countries with far-right-leaning immigration policies could adopt similar measures, making it harder for Indians to migrate abroad and potentially fueling a rise in anti-India sentiments worldwide. Simultaneously, the reverse flow of talent to India could cause a spike in domestic competition, resulting in a hit to salaries here.

This scenario reminds one of a line from Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away—a man is not a piece of fruit.” Many in the tech community see the sudden imposition of such fees as reducing skilled workers to commodities in a transactional system.

Andrew Ng, founder, DeepLearning.AI voiced concern on LinkedIn: “America should be working to attract more skilled talent, not create uncertainty that turns them away.”

Short-Term Disruption, Long-Term Repercussions

In the short term, the reverse flow of talent to India could create an oversupply in the domestic market, intensifying competition and driving down salaries. 

Shrivastava also said that profit margins are likely to shrink, new market access will be challenging, and IT exports could slow—hurting both India and the US, though disproportionately in India’s case.

Yet, this shock might also trigger a much-needed reinvention of India’s IT industry. Companies may pivot from labour arbitrage to SaaS, vertical AI, and stronger product innovation, with some doubling down on R&D.

“The next 3–5 years would prove pivotal for our country: either India innovates dramatically to move beyond a domestic consumption model of low-margin business and weak exports, or risks falling massively behind the global curve,” Shrivastava added.

GCCs Emerge as a Bright Spot

While the visa hike is seen as a deterrent for mobility into the US, some believe it opens a historic opportunity for India’s services and GCC ecosystem.

In this regard, Alouk Kumar, CEO of Inductus Limited, told AIM: “This policy shift will encourage US corporations to bring work to India rather than moving talent abroad. For India, this could actually mean more jobs, more investment, and more GCCs.”

India already hosts 1,800 GCCs employing nearly two million people. Major US corporations, including Texas Instruments, American Express, Microsoft, Google, JPMorgan, Walmart, Meta, and Ford operate large GCC centres in the country. Kumar predicts this wave will now extend to mid-sized companies: “Inductus projects 500+ new GCCs in the next five years, creating 400,000 additional jobs in both metro and Tier-II cities, boosting India’s services exports, which already stood at $350 billion in FY24 (as per the RBI Data).”

However, Kamal Karanth, cofounder Xpheno, said that “the broader policy environment, including potential moves like the proposed HIRE Act or tariffs on outsourced services, could eventually extend to GCC operations as well.”

The Indian IT and services sector already commands over 60% of global offshored services and generated $350 billion in exports in FY24. With US visa costs rising, this figure is expected to climb as corporations shift delivery to India. 

Kumar noted that, “Where the US sees restrictions, India sees opportunities. This policy shift will not just redirect investment but reshape global delivery models, with India at the centre of this transformation.”

GCC Momentum Accelerates

Karanth believes the industry has been preparing for this moment: “The proposed hike in H1B visa fees is not a surprise, and IT services companies have been preparing for such developments. Over the last six months, many of them have either nominated or hired new GCC heads to capitalise on the GCC route for business.”

He said that while higher visa costs could slow down onsite hiring, it will only accelerate offshoring momentum: “We expect MNCs to increase their reliance on GCCs and IT services firms in India, which remain a cost-effective option even after factoring in a 25% cess. In the near term, IT services companies may become more aggressive in offering GCC-specific services, and the increased supply of talent could also lead to softer pricing for GCC staffing.”

A Pivotal Moment

Kapil Joshi, CEO, Quess IT Staffing, told AIM that GCCs, which employ nearly 2 million people in India and contribute over $46 billion to exports, could also experience shifts in how they deploy talent. For students, the increase in visa costs is another barrier in an already uncertain path to studying and working in the US.

Historically, Indian students have pursued US education not only for academic excellence, but also for career opportunities tied to H-1B work permits. With rising costs and tighter compliance, many of these students may now prefer to pursue higher education within India, providing a unique opportunity to strengthen domestic universities, research programs, and industry-academia collaborations.

Within this challenge lies a strategic advantage for India. As the cost of sending talent abroad rises, India’s attractiveness as a hub for innovation strengthens. “Multinational corporations may expand their GCCs in India rather than shoulder higher visa costs overseas. Startups stand to benefit from a larger pool of high-skilled talent choosing to remain in India, accelerating the growth of deep-tech, AI, and SaaS ventures,” Joshi added.

He said that policy reforms are equally vital. Simplifying regulations, enhancing the ease of doing business, and introducing a single-window clearance system for startups, GCCs, and research organisations will accelerate investment and innovation. 

Incentivising GCC expansion through tax benefits and infrastructure support, supporting startups with access to capital and incubation, and fostering public-private partnerships in research will help India absorb the shock of changing US visa policies while strengthening its own domestic ecosystem. 

“The H-1B visa fee hike is more than a policy change in Washington—it is a wake-up call for New Delhi,” Joshi added.

The post Trump’s  H-1B Fee Alarms Industry, But India Sees GCC Opportunity appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

A recent call on X, posted on September 1, to impose levies on all outsourcing and foreign remote work—and a repost by US president Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro—has reignited worries of a looming digital tariff fight. Proponents argue countries should pay to deliver services to the US, much like they do for goods, with rates calibrated by industry and origin. 

This renewed push for a tariff on outsourcing and foreign remote workers has rattled India’s $250 billion IT sector and the country’s thriving global capability centre (GCC) ecosystem. Experts warn that such a move could erode the cost arbitrage advantage that has long made India the world’s back office, forcing firms to rethink their operating models.

“An export tariff on IT services will definitely reduce the cost arbitrage that all services companies have been able to use as one of the pillars of their model,” Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, told AIM. 

“Today, most American companies partnering with the Indian IT services industry are doing so not just for lower costs, but also because of the large talent pool that brings high value. However, the additional costs would need a rethink on the model that companies work on in the long run.”

Mid-market GCCs are at Greater Risk

Smaller and mid-market GCCs, which typically run on tighter budgets, are expected to be hit harder than their larger peers. “Most mid-market GCCs do operate on lower margins and also work on shorter projects concentrated in a few industry segments. Hence, they would get hit harder. Larger GCCs usually have bigger margins, diversified global setups and the ability to absorb some extra costs,” Sharma added.

Roop Kaistha, regional MD of Asia-Pacific at AMS, agreed. “While there will be a reduction in the cost arbitrage, given the huge difference of 50–75%, there will still be positive but thinner arbitrage,” he told AIM. 

Kaistha cautioned that mid-market GCCs “lack the scale, balance sheet and pricing power that larger enterprises use to absorb or reroute tariff costs, and many are newer builds with thinner buffers and higher per-unit overheads.”

Alouk Kumar, CEO at Inductus Group, called the move politically feasible but economically flawed. “From an economic perspective, its implementation would be highly inefficient, risky and complex. If enacted, it would result in increased costs for US businesses, disrupt global supply chains and compel Indian IT firms to adopt novel business strategies,” he said during an interaction. 

He stressed that such tariffs would hurt US firms as much as Indian exporters. “While such a move is intended to be protectionist, we trust it would be met with significant opposition from American companies themselves, as it directly undermines their reliance on the established, high-quality talent pools that have enabled their own digital transformation.”

Kumar warned that the impact on mid-sized US firms, particularly in manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and retail, could be severe. “Without appropriate mitigation measures, the tariff may inadvertently exacerbate the competitiveness gap between America’s dominant corporate giants and its mid-market core,” he noted.

Pivoting to Innovation

The tariff chatter has also reopened the question of India’s value proposition.

According to AI and digital strategy leader Sunil Padmanabh’s estimation, “a 25% outsourcing tax could cut GCC savings for US firms from ~50% to barely 15–20%.” 

He identified BFSI, retail/e-commerce and tech support/back-office GCCs as the most exposed, with healthcare operations and marketing analytics moderately affected, while engineering and R&D centres face the least risk.

But Padmanabh said a wholesale rollback of offshoring is unlikely. “With 76% of US employers short of digital talent, companies cannot simply move all the work back to the US,” he said. Instead, he argued, “GCCs must move from cost arbitrage to automation, R&D and global platforms to stay valuable.”

Kaistha echoed this, saying Indian IT firms should “shift to value-based pricing, insert change in law clauses, and prioritise high-value processes instead of cost arbitrage alone.”

The consensus among experts is that tariffs, if introduced, would accelerate the Indian IT industry’s ongoing transition from being the low-cost delivery arm of US corporations towards becoming innovation-led, end-to-end partners. 

As Kumar summed it up, “The conversation has shifted from ‘cost arbitrage’ to ‘innovation arbitrage,’ and those who lead this transition will define the next chapter of global technology services.”

The post Tax Concerns Weigh Heavy on GCC Strategy appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Recently, the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), in partnership with global consulting firm Zinnov, has unveiled the “Karnataka Mid-Market GCC Report 2025: Lean, Local, and Globally Impactful.” 

The report underscores Karnataka’s dominance in India’s mid-market GCC landscape, hosting 480+ centers and 74,000+ professionals—nearly half of the country’s total. These centers are also maturing 1.4X faster than their larger peers, taking on full product ownership, nurturing CXO-level leadership, and embedding AI-first strategies at their core.

Bengaluru anchors this momentum, with 240+ mid-sized GCCs and a commanding share of India’s talent, 50% of AI/ML professionals, 38% of the digital workforce, and nearly half of global mid-market engineering and product management talent. 

Talking to AIM, Sean Kenally, COO, Availity, mentioned that they have chosen the Bengaluru-based GCC as a frontline hub for AI driven innovation. Availity is a healthcare technology company that has had its GCC in India since early 2023.

“India is not just a cost play for us. It’s where the future of Availity is being built,” Vybhava Srinivasan, MD of Availity India said. “For midmarket players like us, Bengaluru offers the right blend of talent, culture, and innovation ecosystems to scale globally.”

Policy support has accelerated growth, with 65% of new mid-market GCCs since 2023 choosing Karnataka, supported by initiatives like Beyond Bengaluru, which is expanding hubs into Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi–Dharwad, and Belagavi where costs and attrition are 15–25% lower. 

Companies such as Flexera, Bazaarvoice, Planview, and HERE showcase how quickly firms can scale from Karnataka by embedding AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and analytics innovation. 

India’s Tech Edge

Kenally said that Availity has considered outsourcing to major IT services firms like Wipro and Infosys but remains firm on keeping its core technology and innovations in-house.

At the same time, partnerships play a critical role in the company’s growth strategy. “We have a great partnership with AWS,” he said, pointing to the company’s ongoing cloud migration journey.

Partnerships, especially within India’s ecosystem, are set to amplify this model. With many technology-enabled firms located in Bengaluru and neighboring cities, Availity sees its GCC as a hub for fostering collaboration. The company believes startups with strong ideas but limited go-to-market reach can leverage Availity’s established network.

The company views its GCC in India as central to this strategy. “We’re going to be leveraging our GCC to help create the partnerships, create the conduits for growth,” Kenally added.

Scaling with Purpose

Unlike large enterprises with decades-old GCC setups, midmarket companies are entering India with sharper mandates , to innovate quickly, scale efficiently, and leverage cross-functional talent. 

Bengaluru, with its deep expertise in AI, data science, and healthcare technology, has become a natural magnet for such growth. Availity, which operates the largest real-time health information network in the US, manifests this shift. Its India GCC is spearheading projects like AuthAI, which reduces prior authorisation turnaround times from days to under 90 seconds.

Other innovations include Diameter Health Upcycling, which transforms fragmented medical records into unified, longitudinal patient journeys and Digital Correspondence, which replaces fax-heavy communication between payers and providers with AI-enabled, real-time messaging. 

“Healthcare is a purpose-driven industry,” said Keneally. “When our teams in India see that their work leads to faster authorisations or healthier outcomes, it’s not just about technology, it’s impact.”

A Broader Trend in Healthcare GCCs

Midmarket and pharma-focused GCCs are increasingly choosing India to scale:

Sanofi is investing €400 million in its Hyderabad centre, doubling headcount to 2,600 by 2026. Similarly, Eli Lilly has launched a tech innovation centre in Hyderabad, with plans to hire 1,500 by 2027.

As per a report by m360Research, over 1,600 life sciences and healthcare GCCs now operate in India, employing 280,000 professionals, with Bengaluru hosting the highest concentration.

These midmarket entrants, unlike large incumbents, are embedding themselves deeply in product innovation, AI-driven healthcare solutions, and patient-centric design.

Talking to AIM, Jaspreet Bindra, co-founder of AI&Beyond mentioned that “the rapid growth of India as a GCC hub has been bolstered by progressive government policies and reforms.”

He added that flagship programs such as Digital India, Startup India, and Skill India have empowered the ecosystem for innovation and delivery of service. Furthermore, India’s time zone advantage enables 24/7 operations, providing real-time tie-up with businesses in North America, Europe, and Asia.

“Our GCC is not a support function,” Kenally emphasised. “It’s a growth engine. For a midmarket company, Bengaluru gives us the speed, scale, and intelligence we need to compete with giants.”

The post Bengaluru Emerges as Scale-Up Hub for Midmarket GCCs appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Ahead of its flagship retail-tech event Converge, Walmart in August, 2025 unveiled WIBEY, a super agent platform under the retailer’s newly introduced agentic framework.

WIBEY enables developers to specify what they want (viz, a new microservice, a UI component, or a fix for an accessibility bug) and plans the workflow using Walmart’s internal APIs via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and delivers working, testable code.

“WIBEY  is more than just vibe coding. It has starter kits, access to enterprise APIs, and context-awareness that makes the output scalable and maintainable,” Sravana Kumar Karnati, EVP, global tech platforms, Walmart told AIM. 

WIBEY acts as a single, intuitive entry point for anyone building, deploying, or operating technology at Walmart, functioning not as a dashboard or portal, but as an invocation layer that interprets developer intent and orchestrates execution across Walmart’s agentic ecosystem. 

Representing a fundamental shift in software development and operations, WIBEY is fast, context-aware, and meets users where they work whether in CLI, Slack, or Visual Studio augmenting workflows without forcing teams to change their existing processes. 

Supporting WIBEY, Element, Walmart’s machine learning platform has introduced new capabilities such as agent-aware pipelines, stateful architecture, and standardised communication protocols.

What is Walmart Solving?

For developers inside Walmart, legacy code is often the biggest pain point as Karnati mentioned. He further added that much of the mainframe stack is built on COBOL—hard to maintain, harder to modernise. With WIBEY, developers don’t need to slog through every line manually.

Instead, WIBEY can analyse legacy code, map it to modern APIs, and even suggest equivalent implementations in languages like Java, Go, or Rust. Developers remain in the loop, reviewing pull requests and test cases that WIBEY generates automatically.

This means faster modernisation, without burning developer energy on syntax-heavy rewrites.

Another area where WIBEY has proven game-changing is accessibility compliance as Karnati explained. Ensuring apps meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is critical, but finding and fixing accessibility gaps is often repetitive and time-consuming.

With WIBEY, developers can spin up agents that scan code for accessibility gaps, fix them, write test cases, and even run automated browser tests. Doing this, Walmart has seen as Karnati reveals, an 8–10x improvement in velocity for resolving accessibility issues.

“Developers don’t want to spend their time fixing repetitive bugs. WIBEY lets them supervise the process instead of grinding through it,” Karnati said.

Unlike some generative coding tools, WIBEY doesn’t push changes directly into production. Instead, it creates pull requests (PRs) that developers review. This keeps engineers firmly in the driver’s seat, while letting WIBEY handle the repetitive, automatable steps.

What Developers Get?

For developers, this means fewer late nights debugging minor issues, and more time tackling system design, distributed algorithms, and scaling challenges.

WIBEY essentially marks a shift for developers  from simple prompt engineering to contextual engineering. 

Instead of just writing clever prompts, developers can now feed WIBEY with knowledge bases like HR policies or system rules, APIs and MCP tools such as sourcing, inventory, or merchandising services, as well as constraints and meta-rules like “keep code under X lines” or “always add test cases.” 

This richer context enables WIBEY to generate output that is not only syntactically correct but also domain-aware and scalable. For students and early-career developers, this signals that syntax alone isn’t enough. 

Karnati stressed on computer science fundamentals such as algorithms, caching, distributed systems over memorisation of languages. He said that “You can learn Golang or Rust on the job, but you can’t quickly learn the fundamentals of distributed systems at Walmart’s scale. That’s what we test for.” 

In other words, developers who combine strong CS fundamentals with adaptability in agentic workflows will thrive in this new era.

The post How Walmart’s Super Agent Is Transforming Developer Workflows appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Close on the heels of Bengaluru, Hyderabad is emerging as the specialised hub for global capability centres (GCCs). Among the firms that have set up GCCs in the city this year are McDonald’s, Vanguard, Citizens Bank, Heineken, Barry Callebaut, DAZN and Dai-ichi.

Zinnov recently revealed that the city houses over 355 GCCs today, with the majority of them being US-based firms. This year alone, the city has reportedly attracted as many as 27 GCCs, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing. 

In this mix, Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW), which serves as the largest software development centre for its parent company, Robert Bosch GmbH, is also committing firmly to Hyderabad, making the city one of its most strategic global hubs. The company has grown to a strength of 2,000 employees in just about two and a half years, marking Hyderabad as Bosch’s fastest-growing centre in India.

“Hyderabad is not a replica of Bengaluru or Coimbatore. It’s our centre of excellence for cybersecurity, and we’re building distinct clusters in AI, DevOps, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and mobility. This is a deliberate, focused bet,” Amjad Khan Patan, VP and centre head for BGSW in Hyderabad, told AIM.

Why Hyderabad?

BGSW’s decision goes far beyond talent availability. Hyderabad offers a unique mix of deep-tech startups, incubation networks, global connectivity, and a forward-looking government, making it an ideal hub for GCCs to move beyond cost arbitrage.

“Post-COVID-19, we looked at locations not just for talent numbers but for their ability to drive value creation. Hyderabad stood out. It’s a city where innovation, culture, and commerce converge,” Patan explained.

BGSW has been in India for over a century, but Hyderabad symbolises its pivot from execution support to global strategy.

“We’re no longer [playing] the numbers game. Earlier, it was about cost arbitrage. Today, it’s about expertise, innovation and global impact,” Patan emphasised.

Bosch is embedding AI into every layer of its engineering culture, and Hyderabad is central to this transformation.

The company has already trained 65,000 associates globally in AI and holds more than 1,500 AI patents. Hyderabad contributes significantly to this momentum with projects like remote validation systems, digital battery locks for e-bikes and AI-powered home appliances.

At BGSW in Hyderabad, around 400 associates are undergoing training through a professional course on AI, and aiming to scale this up to 1,500 associates by the end of this calendar year.

“We’re moving in phases—assistive, augmented and eventually autonomous AI. Hyderabad is at the centre of these innovations,” Patan noted.

Mobility in Focus

Hyderabad is architecting the next frontier of automotive innovation. What started as a centre for high-quality engineering delivery has now become a strategic hub for global automotive R&D, with GCCs playing a pivotal role in this transformation. 

Speaking to AIM, Namita Adavi, partner at Zinnov, said, “Global OEMs are building core platforms and architectures from the ground up. Whether it’s Hyundai Mobis reimagining software-defined vehicle systems or Stellantis advancing connected car programs, the city is enabling global mandates to be engineered at scale.”

Patan reinforced this perspective, emphasising how Hyderabad brings together a rare mix of mobility and digital capabilities. “Here, you have skill sets in mobility like V&V, HMI, embedded-based software, model-based software, but also people proficient in ERP, business consulting and cloud infrastructure,” he added.

This evolution is no accident. It is the outcome of deliberate policy and ecosystem orchestration—from initiatives like the Telangana Mobility Valley and robust infra through T-Hub and T-Works, to a steady pipeline of highly skilled engineering talent. 

Patan explained that Bosch is using AI to assist developers across multiple business units, including cross-domain, powertrain, and vehicle motion functions such as braking and steering. 

“We operate on a federated model—problem statements don’t just come from the top; they come from associates who understand the ground realities. These ideas are then funnelled into concepts and fast-tracked into solutions,” he said. 

In mobility, AI applications span personalisation, automation, electrification, connectivity, safety, security and sustainability. 

Giving real-world examples, he added, “Take, for example, remote validation for continuous product improvement during the development stage and failure monitoring after product launch in engine ECUs, based on data acquired and application of AI. Another example is digital battery lock in e-bikes, where we can completely lock the battery so it cannot be put to use if someone steals it.”

Adavi pointed out that Hyderabad now accounts for over 15% of India’s automotive GCCs, employing over 8,000 engineers. Many of them are at the forefront of IP creation, embedded systems and next-gen vehicle architecture.

But what truly sets Hyderabad apart is its ability to converge adjacent capabilities—pairing embedded software with chip design, integrating AI for predictive maintenance, and applying cybersecurity frameworks to automotive safety. 

Advai added that this cross-disciplinary strength is what defines the future of automotive R&D—globally distributed, platform-driven and anchored in innovation ecosystems that deliver real engineering outcomes. 

Recently, BGSW and EMotorad also signed an MoU to explore micro-mobility advancements. The collaboration combines BGSW’s expertise in software and technology with EMotorad’s knowledge of design and manufacturing to enhance the adoption of intelligent and sustainable mobility solutions.  

While Bosch is synonymous with mobility in Hyderabad, the company is also diversifying into ERP solutions, healthcare technologies and data migration hubs.

Hyderabad is also where Bosch is shaping the future workforce. According to Patan, 98% of the company’s associates in India are ready to upskill in AI, compared to a global average of 80%. “That speaks volumes.”

The post Bosch Global Builds the Future of Automotive Innovation in Hyderabad appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) ecosystem is entering its most transformative phase yet, and the clearest sign lies in the surge of greenfield investments.

Unlike expansions of existing facilities, Greenfield GCCs are fresh centres, established to expand the global footprint of their parent organisation in India. And the numbers tell a compelling story.

According to data shared with AIM by Inductus Group, more than 140 new greenfield GCCs have been established across the country in just the past 30 months. Together, these are projected to create over 70,000 jobs. 

This wave is increasingly being fueled not just by Fortune 500 giants, but by mid-sized, aspirational firms with annual revenues between $100 million and $1 billion.

The pace has only quickened in 2025. The data further shows that in the second quarter alone, at least 16 new GCCs were set up in India by firms including GlobalFoundries, Heineken, First Citizens Bank, Sonatype, Reltio, Dai-ichi Life Holdings and Toyo Engineering. This builds on a strong Q1, which saw companies like Citizens Financial, AT&S, NAVEX and Rapid7 expand their presence. Together, these moves highlight the democratisation of the GCC model.

The future looks even bigger. By 2030, India will be home to over 4,200 GCCs, employing over 4.5 million people, with the revenue expected to double from $50 billion in FY24 to $110 billion in FY30, as per a report by the Software Technology Parks of India.

The Rise of GCCs

Talking to AIM, Alouk Kumar, CEO at Inductus Group, emphasised that this greenfield boom is beyond just numbers. It signals the rise of what he calls ‘GCC 3.0’—centres that are born agile, AI-native and innovation-led from day one. Unlike legacy setups that began as cost centres, these new hubs are designed as strategic extensions of the parent organisation, serving as testbeds for advanced technologies and future business models.

Kumar further stated that the proof of success is undeniable: decades of case studies, benchmarks and best practices have de-risked the model, making entry far easier for new players across industries. In fact, he expects more than 120 new mid-market GCCs to launch in India by 2026.

Highlighting the reasons behind such a massive boom, Kedar Pathak, GCC talent specialist at Xpheno, told AIM, “Post COVID-19, many global enterprises have started seeing India as a great opportunity to set up new greenfield GCCs. There are two key reasons for this.”

First, he mentioned that most companies already had contracts and work outsourced to India through service providers or system integrators. 

Moreover, the depth of young STEM talent available in the country—in science, technology, engineering and mathematics—offers an advantage few other countries can match.

Earlier, GCCs largely approached India from a cost arbitrage perspective. Today, the focus as shifted towards value creation. The quality of Indian talent, coupled with experienced GCC leadership, is delivering tangible impact at the global headquarters. 

“That’s why we’re seeing new Greenfield GCCs from companies like McDonald’s, Ecolab, Costco and Amgen, and India is expected to add at least 100 more such centres soon,” Pathak added.

Another striking trend is geographic diversification. While Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune remain the traditional strongholds, many companies are now expanding into emerging cities like Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Kochi. This shift taps into untapped talent pools, reduces operational costs and leverages state-level incentives. Most importantly, it spreads risk by avoiding overconcentration in traditional hubs, making the overall ecosystem more resilient.

Investments Made or Promised

A diverse set of global firms have recently chosen India for establishing greenfield GCCs as a hub for technology and operations excellence. 

AML RightSource, a leader in anti-money laundering and compliance services, is building its first GCC to scale research and risk operations. Meanwhile, Evergent, known globally for its customer lifecycle management solutions, has launched a new centre to drive product engineering and innovation. 

The momentum spans industries. GlobalFoundries, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, is setting up an R&D and testing facility in Kolkata to support its advanced chip design and packaging roadmap. 

In smart energy solutions, SolarEdge has expanded its footprint with a technology hub focused on clean energy innovations. Similarly, Assent, a supply chain sustainability and compliance platform provider, has opened a centre for software engineering. 

The trend continues in customer-facing companies. Entain, listed on the London Stock Exchange and one of the largest global sports betting and gaming groups, has established a 2,000-seat GCC in Hyderabad, designed to bolster its digital operations.

HARTING, a leading industrial connectivity solutions company, and Sonny’s Enterprises, a US-based car wash equipment giant, are investing in Indian technology centres to enhance automation and IoT capabilities. 

The financial services sector, too, is well-represented. Dai-ichi Life Holdings and First Citizens Bank are leveraging Indian talent to build technology-driven financial services through new GCCs. 

Meanwhile, C&R Software, Ferguson, and Sonatype have all set up centres geared towards product development and cybersecurity functions. In one of the more high-profile moves, Heineken has chosen Hyderabad for its first Asia-Pacific GCC, with an investment of ₹2,500 crore to ₹3,000 crore, as reported by TOI, focused on analytics and digital transformation. 

Together, these developments reflect a broader trend: multinational corporations are no longer treating India as a back office, but as a frontline hub for establishing greenfield GCCs in India to access top-tier talent, strengthen operational resilience and drive innovation at scale.

The Road Ahead

The future of India’s GCC ecosystem is being built on three key pillars. The first is AI-nativity. New-generation centres are no longer content with simply adopting AI tools; they are positioning themselves as true hubs of innovation, driving decision-making and building centres of excellence in AI, Kumar explained.

The second is sectoral diversification, as industries like semiconductors, healthcare, energy and manufacturing now join traditional IT and BFSI players. This highlights the versatility and adaptability of the GCC model. 

And finally, global resilience. In an era of supply chain disruptions and geopolitical uncertainties, India’s GCCs are emerging as strategic anchors—ensuring operational stability and business continuity across borders.

The post Inside India’s Rise as the Home of Greenfield GCCs appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Global capability centres (GCCs) in India are currently showing a keen interest in attracting professionals from the country’s vibrant startup ecosystem, marking a decisive shift in strategy.

Until now, GCCs have been drawing top-tier talent mainly from IT companies, thereby forcing many to view them through the lens of poaching. 

Notably, GCCs added $64.6 billion in revenue to India’s tech sector in FY24, and the market size is projected to reach around $100 billion by 2030, showing that growth is accelerating for both models.

The rich pool of skilled professionals is reportedly encouraging GCCs to offer salaries 20–30% higher than those at domestic IT firms and often on par with or even exceeding startup compensation.

Talking to AIM, Roop Kaistha, regional MD APAC at AMS, mentioned, “Fresh 2025 data signals that a meaningful share of new GCC hires now come from startups. Hiring from IT services firms fell to 18% in FY24, down from 32% the previous year, while 16% of new hires came from startups and product companies, up from 13%.”

For startup employees accustomed to uncertainty, long hours and operating with limited resources, the promise of stability, competitive pay and global exposure at a GCC is an enticing proposition.

Reports indicate that Anaptyss, for instance, aims to double its workforce by 2027, bringing on board more than 600 professionals. The company is focusing on talent from allied industries, valuing their adaptability and growth potential.

In a conversation with AIM, Alouk Kumar, Inductus Group CEO, noted, “We see this as a clear signal that the value proposition of GCCs has matured. GCCs are no longer simply competing on cost; we are a destination for innovation.”

He pointed out that professionals with startup backgrounds are drawn to the scale of GCCs’ global problems, the stability for long-term R&D and the opportunity to impact millions rather than thousands.

From IT Services to Startup Talent

Traditionally, GCCs hired heavily from IT service companies. Now, they are actively targeting talent from startups and product companies, particularly for mid-to-senior level roles. 

These candidates are valued for their “balanced mindset”, blending agility, innovation and global thinking, along with expertise in AI, data analytics and cloud computing.

GCCs are also partnering with local startups to tap into niche “deep tech” skills without heavy capital investment.

In fact, Karnataka alone houses a thriving startup ecosystem with 30% of India’s startups, while 55% of IoT startups are based out of the state.

According to Sunil Padmanabh, AI and digital strategy architect, GCCs are winning over startup talent by offering four key advantages. 

First is real product ownership. GCCs like Mercedes-Benz and Target run full-stack pods where former startup product managers lead entire platforms—not just isolated features—giving them full autonomy. 

Next is AI and IP creation. Centres like Novartis Hyderabad and American Express India have absorbed startup data teams to lead AI sprints, build risk tools and file patents, moving well beyond simple pilots. 

Kaistha added that this shift reflects GCCs’ evolution from cost-focused offshoring units to outcome-driven product and innovation hubs. Demand is highest for product engineering, AI/ML, data engineering, cloud and platform roles—areas where startup talent thrives.

Then comes the appeal of startup roles at a global scale, with positions like founder-in-residence becoming a reality at Walmart, PepsiCo and Bosch, where former founders lead innovation labs with clear charters and budgets. 

Finally, better pay and global mobility are significant incentives.

Meanwhile, an NLB Services report revealed that GCCs in India are poised for a notable 9.8% salary growth over the next 12 months.

Fierce Competition for Emerging Tech Skills

Demand for professionals in AI, data science and modern engineering is surging. According to KPMG’s GCC Talent Benchmark, 22% of GCC hires in 2023 came from startups, while Xpheno data shows that moving from a startup to a GCC can result in an average 27% hike in CTC. 

In fact, roles in emerging tech sometimes command salaries up to 30% higher than those in traditional IT services.

According to Karthik Padmanabhan, managing partner at Zinnov, the most sought-after skills today include AI engineering, full-stack development, DevOps, and product management—disciplines that require adaptability and a builder’s mindset. 

Mid-market GCCs, in particular, often mirror the “structural DNA” of startups: operating lean, moving fast and taking full product ownership.

Mercedes-Benz and Target run full-stack pods where former startup product managers own core platforms. Novartis Hyderabad and Amex India have brought in startup data teams to lead AI sprints, build risk tools and file patents.

Global Pathways

Beyond competitive pay, GCCs offer global mobility and purpose-driven work. Many professionals secure rotation opportunities in global hubs like Zurich, Austin and Singapore. The appeal lies in blending startup-style autonomy with the stability and scale of multinational operations.

The convergence between big tech and startups is also shaping this trend. “In one high-profile example, Google acquired talent and technology from AI code-generation startup Windsurf, highlighting the global appetite for startup-born innovation,” Kaistha pointed out.

Yet, there are risks. Cultural and pace mismatches can frustrate startup talent, who may find GCC processes slow or overly structured. This could lead to disengagement and retention challenges, as these hires could leave if innovation agendas stall or bureaucracy creeps in. 

There’s also the risk of overpaying without fully leveraging their skills, which can erode the return on investment.

Kaistha believes that GCCs can avoid these pitfalls by preserving a startup-like environment for innovation teams, streamlining decision-making, giving hires ownership of impactful projects and aligning incentives to outcomes rather than tenure. “Continuous upskilling, mentorship and clear career growth paths can also keep startup talent engaged and retained,” she added.

As Kumar put it, “The best talent wants to solve meaty problems, not just execute on a brief. GCCs are attracting professionals who see their work as a strategic engine for the enterprise, not just a support function.”

With more than 6,500 global roles now based in Indian GCCs, up from just over 100 in 2015, this talent shift is reshaping the very identity of these centres. In doing so, GCCs are positioning themselves as the sweet spot between startup agility and enterprise scale

The post The Great Talent Shift from Startups to GCCs appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Not many banks have a direct partnership with OpenAI. Instead, they prefer to go through Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud, which offers a mix of regulatory caution, commercial pragmatism, and technology strategy.

The primary reason being banking is highly regulated, especially around data sovereignty, explainability, and compliance. A direct deal with OpenAI often translates to custom integration work and increased responsibility for governance, which is not preferred by banks in general.

Despite this, UK-headquartered bank NatWest partnered directly with OpenAI earlier this year. But why?

Banks that go direct often want early or exclusive model access along with more control over data handling and model fine tuning.

Gunjan Kumar, MD, global head of digital platforms and India head for Wealth CDIO, NatWest Group, told AIM: “The partnership will give NatWest early access to OpenAI’s latest models and help accelerate the rollout of high-value, transformative AI use cases.”

This includes customer-facing pilots that could offer personalised financial coaching, empathetic real-time voice support, and new ways for customers to manage their finances.

The focus is on applying GenAI in regulated and high-context areas such as fraud prevention, risk modelling, and customer service, ensuring that technology augments rather than replaces human engagement.

“Being the first UK bank to sign with OpenAI gives us a direct line to the latest AI advancements, helping us respond to customer needs faster and more effectively,” Kumar mentioned.

Scaling AI Across the Bank

Before partnering with OpenAI, NatWest had already implemented a range of AI-driven initiatives across its operations. Its Cora+ chatbot handled over 11 million customer interactions in 2024, increasing satisfaction by 150% and cutting down to half the number of cases needing human intervention.

In wealth management, Kumar shared that AI-powered call summarisation tools saved advisers around 15 minutes per call by reducing manual note-taking. Fraud detection systems supported approximately 7,000 colleagues in identifying and preventing scams earlier, offering greater protection to vulnerable customers. 

Developer productivity tools such as GitLab Duo generated code suggestions, performed security checks, and created test cases. AI also sped up complaints handling, reducing resolution times by an average of 20 minutes per case. These efforts were underpinned by NatWest’s Kepler ML platform, which enables data discovery, model training, and deployment at scale.

With over 17,500 employees across Gurugram, Chennai, and Bengaluru, NatWest India plays a critical role in driving these innovations. The India team has been instrumental in developing Cora+ and call summarisation capabilities. 

Roadmap for the Next 12–18 Months

NatWest plans to scale the priority AI use cases it identified in 2023, broaden access to GenAI tools for more engineers, and provide prompt engineering training to enhance adoption, said Kumar. 

He added that the bank is also working to simplify its data architecture to accelerate AI deployment, while reinforcing responsible AI practices through a dedicated code of conduct and expanded ethics training. 

Building on its existing partnerships with Accenture and AWS, NatWest is now collaborating directly with OpenAI to further strengthen its AI capabilities and deliver more personalised banking experiences.

Despite increased automation, the NatWest Group emphasises that AI is designed to augment, not replace human interaction — especially in sensitive areas like financial advisory, according to Kumar. The bank sees AI as a way to enable self-service, provide faster resolutions, and give employees more time for high-value work, all while keeping human oversight central to customer trust.

Turn of Events

OpenAI has reportedly given banks a major breakthrough by releasing GPT-OSS, its 20B and 120B parameter open-weight reasoning models that can run locally on a MacBook Pro, any cloud provider, or even on-premise. For years, large banks have been slow to adopt AI — not due to a lack of interest, but because strict regulations and cybersecurity concerns made SaaS AI tools risky. 

JPMorgan’s CISO Patrick Opet has publicly warned that SaaS can “quietly enable cyber attackers,” weaken the global economic system, and has already forced the bank to isolate compromised providers after supply chain incidents. Every AI query to OpenAI previously meant sending customer financial data to a third party, a non-starter for regulated institutions. 

Now, with GPT-OSS, banks can deploy powerful AI without data ever leaving their infrastructure, eliminating vendor risk, privacy concerns, per-token costs, and rate limits. 

Meanwhile, banks like G-SIB, as reported, have slashed the time needed to compile environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports from eight months to just one or two days by deploying OpenAI’s advanced models. The shift translates into nearly 39,000 hours of manual work saved and millions in cost efficiency.

Beyond ESG, analysts are already seeing a boost in productivity while using AI to speed up data extraction, content summarisation, and compliance-heavy workflows.

The post NatWest takes its AI engagement further with OpenAI Deal appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

India’s BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) sector is slowly changing the very foundation of traditional IT outsourcing. Global financial giants are increasingly turning to their in-house global capability centres (GCCs) to handle work that was once the stronghold of Indian IT service providers.

BFSI GCCs are increasingly bringing in-house many critical and strategic technology functions. This shift is particularly evident in areas such as regulatory compliance, where firms are developing tailored regtech solutions to meet evolving global standards, cybersecurity, to ensure tighter control over sensitive financial data and core system modernisation, aimed at upgrading legacy infrastructure.

Additionally, capabilities like AI and machine learning for fraud detection, advanced risk modelling, data governance and analytics are now being developed and managed within GCCs.

As per reports, AI & ML is projected to become the fastest-growing segment in the GCCs in the BFSI market during 2024-2032.

For instance, JP Morgan Chase has deployed its GCC in India to create digital platforms and improve customer services, with a focus on AI and machine learning solutions.

Furthermore, Citi has utilised its GCCs to automate and oversee core banking operations, improving the efficiency of loan approval and transaction processing times.

Outsourcing’s Comfort Zone Is Shrinking

Indian IT majors have reported sluggish growth, layoffs, and a growing struggle to maintain their traditional “pyramid” structure built on junior-level talent. 

“The volume and value of ‘run-the-business’ work available for outsourcing is being significantly reduced,” Alouk Kumar, founder and CEO at Inductus Group, a business solutions provider, told AIM. 

But it’s not a full stop. Routine, non-strategic tasks, especially those requiring scale or specialised tools, are still outsourced. The nature of the work, however, is changing fast.

Long-term, high-volume contracts for basic IT infrastructure, app maintenance, and routine processing are on the decline. This type of commoditised, low-complexity work which was once the bread and butter for large IT service firms, is being steadily pulled in-house by GCCs.

Talking to AIM, Ashutosh Sharma, VP & research director at Forrester, a research and advisory firm, mentioned that, “Financial services GCCs are in a co-opetition with service providers. These centres are striving to become critical for their HQ by focusing on key capability buildout.”

In an earlier interview with AIM, Bernd Leukert, chief technology, data and innovation officer at Deutsche Bank mentioned that the bank has moved beyond outsourcing and is now developing global technology solutions from India.

For instance, dbLumina, built using Google’s Gemini AI, by Deutsche Bank enhances the creation of client research reports and pitch books by scanning market data, regulatory documents, and company reports to generate high-quality content.

“On an overall basis, they have reduced the demand for service providers. However, they also enhance the overall pie of work that gets done out of the four walls of their HQ,” Sharma added.

Why GCCs Are Gaining Ground

Global financial institutions are increasingly embracing the GCC model for several compelling reasons. 

Kumar said that in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the regulatory landscape has become more complex, prompting banks and insurers to build in-house regulatory tech tools through their GCCs to better manage compliance with evolving frameworks, such as GDPR, India’s DPDP Act, and the EU’s DORA. 

These centres also offer tighter control over sensitive data, quality, and operations; an essential advantage for institutions dealing with confidential financial information. Unlike outsourcing vendors that cater to multiple clients, GCCs are dedicated solely to the parent organisation, enabling a deeper understanding of company-specific risks, internal processes, and long-term strategic goals. 

Additionally, India-based GCCs are offering 20–30% higher salaries than traditional IT services firms to attract top-tier talent, while also investing in high-demand areas like data engineering, AI and cybersecurity. This shift reflects a broader push toward innovation and value creation, rather than just cost efficiency.

What Comes Next

While outsourcing isn’t disappearing, it is being reshaped. Traditional IT firms must pivot toward high-value, specialised services to stay relevant. 

Namita Adavi, partner at Zinnov, told AIM, that BFSI GCCs are not replacing outsourcing. “They are evolving how global financial institutions structure and scale capability. In fact, BFSI remains one of the largest sectors for outsourcing globally, highlighting the continued importance of service partnerships.”

India is now home to some of the most advanced BFSI GCCs in the world. Firms like JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and NatWest Group have built deep capabilities across tech and business operations. These centres are working on everything from AI-driven fraud detection to risk modeling, from data platforms to digital banking.

Yet, even as they build robust in-house functions, these same firms continue to rely on external service partners — especially for large-scale rollouts, integration, or specialised skills.

The evolving role of GCCs includes driving high-value services such as consulting in niche domains, delivering AI and automation solutions, enhancing cybersecurity and cloud integration, and augmenting teams with high-skill talent.

At the same time, their relationship with IT service providers is becoming more nuanced. Vendors often lead early-stage pilots and proof-of-concepts (PoCs) for emerging technologies, but once these are validated, GCCs typically bring the work in-house to retain control and build internal expertise.

Josh Everett, CEO, Zinnia India, a GCC, said that “(GCCs) in India are no longer just part of the outsourcing story, they’re redefining it.” He mentioned that what we are witnessing is the rise of a new innovation epicenter, where global financial institutions are not only tapping into India’s exceptional talent but co-creating the future of financial technology.

At Zinnia, he added, “We’ve built structured internship programs and forged partnerships with leading Indian universities to unlock access to engineering and data science talent from Tier 1 to Tier 3 cities.” 

“This is not a case of one model replacing the other. It is a strategic rebalancing,” said Adavi, adding that GCCs are driving innovation and IP ownership, while service providers enable transformation at scale. Together, they form a hybrid model that is more resilient, more agile, and better aligned to enterprise outcomes.

The post Are BFSI GCCs Killing the Future of Outsourcing? appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Recently, Albertsons Companies, an $80 billion US-based food and drug retail giant, launched its Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Bengaluru, marking a step in its technology transformation journey. By tapping into Bengaluru’s deep tech talent pool, the company plans to scale its Indian workforce with the help of ANSR, from 300 to nearly 1,000 employees over the next 18 months.

This move comes as India continues to solidify its position as a global hub for innovation. As of 2024, the country hosts over 1,700 GCCs, employing 1.9 million professionals and generating $64.6 billion in revenue. 

The momentum has only grown in 2025, with new entrants such as Feuji, Ferguson, Heineken, MODEC, Assent, Entain, and Sonatype establishing their presence in the Indian market.

In this wave of global expansion, Albertsons’ entry stands out not merely for cost efficiency or access to talent, but for a deeper strategic shift in how it views technology’s role in retail.

“Albertsons Companies India is truly a strategic investment for us. We are not seeing this as a support site. It’s really a key part of our company’s strategy to modernise and own systems,” said Jill Pavlovich, SVP of digital shopping experiences at Albertsons Companies to AIM.

Why India? Why Now?

Pavlovich mentioned that the decision to set up operations in India was less about offshore support and more about strategic enablement. “We are building this global technology leadership team extending our North America capabilities to now include Bengaluru.”

India’s thriving tech ecosystem, specifically Bengaluru’s deep retail tech talent pool and culture of innovation, played a decisive role. “We were blown away by the continuous improvement mindset here, it’s embedded into the talent,” Pavlovich said. While cities like Hyderabad and Chennai are contenders, Bengaluru’s maturity in hosting major tech and retail players gave it the edge.

Furthermore, Albertsons Companies India is envisioned as a true global headquarters, not a satellite. The company has plans to build autonomous, cross-functional teams involving software engineers, architects, product managers, UX designers, DevOps engineers, AI specialists and others.

“It’s not about growing fast, it’s about growing strategically,” Pavlovich pointed out, speaking about their vision of building IP-led, scalable technology systems in-house, rather than relying on SaaS or third-party contractors.

AI-Powered Retail Transformation

With grocery being a low-margin, high-volume industry, Albertsons is leveraging AI as a core advantage. From conversational search to real-time inventory alignment, and from automated meal planning to personalised promotions, AI is at the core of the company’s transformation efforts.

One standout innovation is their shoppable recipes and digital recipe box powered by OCR and generative AI. Customers can upload family recipes, URLs, or even handwritten notes, which are then converted into shopping lists tied to real-time inventory — bridging sentiment with utility.

“Imagine a world where customers don’t need to think about what to buy — they just tell us their goals, and we do the rest,” Pavlovich said, hinting at future possibilities with generative AI.

Unlike many retailers that view digital as a distinct e-commerce channel, Albertsons is driving a true omnichannel approach. Pavlovich highlighted an insight that became a design pillar for the company’s product roadmap: “People think about food 226 times a day.” That insight drove the company to focus on reducing customer cognitive load across the buying journey — online and offline.

From pricing and inventory consistency to two-way chats between pickers and customers, every step is engineered to elevate the end-to-end shopping experience.

While Pavlovich did not divulge specifics about upcoming solutions, she assured that India will be at the center of innovation. The GCC will lead efforts in fulfillment optimisation, personalised AI models, and customer-centric automation, with a strong focus on building proprietary systems from the ground up.

“Gen AI enables what we could only imagine three years ago. Now, we can bring that to life for our customers,” she said.

Overview of Retail GCC Market in India

India is now home to nearly 25% of all retail Global Capability Centres (GCCs) worldwide, employing over 50,000 professionals.

These retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) GCCs are rapidly becoming hubs of innovation, driving transformation for their parent companies by setting up R&D labs, centres of excellence (CoEs), and tapping into the thriving start-up ecosystem through both in-house incubators and external accelerator programs.

Leading global brands such as Target, Tesco, Lowe’s, JCPenney, Fossil, Lululemon, H&M, Circle K, and 7-Eleven have established strong GCC operations in India. Many of these centres are either highly mature in their digital transformation journeys or are actively evolving to deliver increasing value across the enterprise.

While India’s retail market is ripe, Albertsons currently has no plans to launch physical stores. However, Pavlovich didn’t rule it out entirely: “Never say never.”

The post Why Albertsons Has Chosen India for Retail Transformation appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Once seen as support hubs, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India have evolved into strategic powerhouses, fueling innovation, scaling operations, and transforming how global enterprises function. Their economic and technological contributions have been significant creating jobs, advancing digital capabilities, and embedding global standards across industries.

MachineCon GCC Summit, Goa >> 5 – 7th December 2025 >>

Behind this evolution stand visionary leaders. These individuals are not only responsible for delivering operational outcomes but also for setting long-term direction, balancing global mandates with India’s dynamic opportunities. Their leadership drives agility, innovation, and excellence. This list celebrates the individuals at the helm those shaping the future of GCCs and elevating India’s position in the global enterprise map.

See Last year’s List >

(Listed in alphabetical order by company name)

Malahar Pinnelli

At 7-Eleven Global Solution Center (7-Eleven GSC–The Global Capability Centre of 7-Eleven in India), Malahar leads the strategy and operations for the center.

Malahar brings over two decades of experience in driving digital transformation and scaling global operations. His extensive background includes leadership roles at Ecolab, where he served as Senior Vice President of Technology and Managing Director of India GCC Operations, and significant tenures at leading retailers such as Target, Kohler, Joann Fabrics, and Digi-Key.

Malahar has a strong track record of building and scaling Global Capability Center (GCCs) for various organizations, including Ecolab, PFS, and others. His experience in establishing and scaling Ecolab’s digital innovation center in India is a testament of his ability to build high-performing teams from the ground up.

Malahar’s entrepreneurial experience, founding and scaling a startup, demonstrates his self-reliance and innovation. His strategic leadership in driving digital transformation and enhancing Global Business Services, resulting in significant business impact, marks him as a promising tech and business leader in India.

Ramesha Narahari

Ramesha Narahari is a seasoned executive professional serving as Whole Time Director, Head of ABB Business Services from starting 2025, and Electrification Enterprise Architecture Lead at ABB. With a rich track record in enterprise business services and the electrification landscape, Ramesha plays a pivotal role in shaping ABB’s regional architecture, aligning technology strategies with business goals across India, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

In his current capacity, he oversees multi-country ERP management and support, leading more than a dozen ABB nations through integrated digital transformation journeys. Ramesha manages large cross-functional teams, ensuring the seamless deployment, operational stability, and continuous enhancement of critical systems that enable value-driven industrial automation and smart electrification.

His leadership is rooted in a deep commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainability. Ramesha actively fosters collaboration across global and regional stakeholders, leveraging enterprise architecture principles to deliver scalable, resilient, and business-aligned technology solutions. As a strategic thinker and mentor, he cultivates high-performing teams prepared to meet the dynamic demands of the industry.

Ramesha brings a clear vision of leveraging digital transformation and architectural innovation to drive sustainable growth, operational resilience, and long-term value. His blend of strategic insight, technical acumen, and people-first leadership makes him a respected leader in the industry.

Prashant Jadhav

Prashant Jadhav leads the India Global Capability Centers (GCCs) of Air Products, overseeing the Digital Technology (DT) hubs in Pune and Vadodara. As a senior technology executive, he is responsible for establishing, scaling, and nurturing high-performing, value-driven teams that are at the forefront of product development, digital innovation, operational excellence, and strategic transformation.

Under his leadership, the Air Products DT India team has emerged as a key enabler of the company’s global digital strategy delivering technology solutions that align seamlessly with business priorities and drive enterprise-wide efficiency and agility. His efforts have contributed significantly to Air Products DT India earning the prestigious “Great Place to Work®” certification, a testament to the culture of excellence and employee-centric values he champions.

A recognized thought leader in the IT and GCC ecosystem, Prashant frequently shares his insights on building AI-enabled high-performing workforces, strategic talent development, and employee engagement. He is known for his ability to foster collaboration across cross-cultural, globally dispersed teams and his passion for transforming technology centers into strategic innovation partners.

Before joining Air Products, Prashant played a pivotal role in leading the Global IT Capability Center for Franke Faber India for nearly six years. With close to two decades of experience in digital technology leadership, he holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Pune University.

Jison John

Jison John is a seasoned leader with over 28 years of experience in the IT/ITES industry. He currently serves as the CEO and Managing Director of Allianz Services India, while also holding the global position of Chief Delivery Officer for Allianz Services locations in Mauritius, Morocco, Portugal, and Malaysia.

An accomplished academic, Jison is a Gold Medalist in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Kerala University. He further enhanced his expertise with a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and has been recognized as a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute UK (FCMI), the British Computer Society (FBCS), and the Institution of Engineers India (FIE). In 2024, he was honored as one of the “Top 25 CEOs/MDs/Founders” by the Great Manager Institute.

Under Jison’s leadership, Allianz Services India has garnered numerous national and international accolades. These include the prestigious Grand Stevie Award for Excellence in Customer Service, which the company has won twice, the title of World’s Best GBS in 2024, and recognition as one of the Top 20 Most Admired Shared Services in 2019 by SSON. Additionally, Allianz Services India has been named the Top GBS Employer in India by the Everest Group and has received the OPEX Team of the Year award. 

Jison has been instrumental in fostering an engaging workplace culture at Allianz Services India, earning the company the Great Place to Work® certification for six consecutive years. His leadership empowers employees to reach their full potential, driving continuous improvement, innovation, and delivery excellence across the organization.

Siva Kumar Padmanabhan

Siva Kumar Padmanabhan is the Managing Director of AstraZeneca India Private Limited and the Head of the Global Innovation and Technology Centre (GITC) Chennai. Since joining the organisation in 2014, Siva has been instrumental in the transformation of AstraZeneca’s global capability centre, driving the insourcing of critical IT services, building high-performing leadership teams and advancing innovative digital and data capabilities.

Under Siva’s leadership, AstraZeneca’s GCC was named one of India’s Top 50 Workplaces and Top 50 Best Companies for Women by Great Place to Work®, with 2024 marking the seventh consecutive year of certification. It has also consistently featured among India’s Top 50 Workplaces in IT & IT-BPM. What began as a focused IT centre has now evolved into a dynamic, multi-functional hub supporting global operations across IT, Global Business Services, Supply Chain Solutions and other enterprise functions.

Prior to AstraZeneca, Siva led the Global In-house Centre for IT & Digital at Flex, a Fortune 500 company, where he was responsible for delivering digital solutions across customer engagement and supply chain operations. Earlier in his career, Siva worked with PwC in management and technology consulting across India and the United States.

He holds an MBA in Finance and Information Systems from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore. Siva currently serves on the NASSCOM GCC Council (2023–27) and was named one of India’s 100 Most Influential AI Leaders in 2024 for his commitment to enterprise innovation through AI.

Mohit Dhingra

Mohit Dhingra is a seasoned leader with 24+ years of global expertise across banking & financial services, technology, and biopharmaceutical industries. He has been recognized with industry awards including CIO100, CSO100, Stevie and Brandon Hall Excellence awards for innovation and accelerating talent development. Since becoming Managing Director at Bristol Myers Squibb Business Services India in August 2023, Mohit has helped rapidly scale operations, to establish Hyderabad as one of BMS’ strategic global hubs and its largest international site outside the USA.

In two years, Mohit facilitated the expansion of the Hyderabad team from a small number to over 2,700+ employees. His efforts helped significantly enhance global partner confidence and fuel business expansion in Hyderabad, expanding capabilities across multiple functions in BMS, and swiftly driving full process ownership internally. These efforts have helped further BMS’ mission to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

Mohit regularly champions inclusivity initiatives, establishing impactful diversity-focused groups and CSR activities that uplift local communities. This has helped the organization secure industry awards including the GCC Transformation Catalyst Award and AIM MachineCon GCC Excellence Award.

Mohit is also a speaker in forums like the AI Global Summit and BioAsia 2024, participating in critical discussions on the future of technology and healthcare.

Kamal Sharma

Kamal Sharma is an accomplished business and technology leader in the Global Capability Centers (GCC) ecosystem, renowned for his visionary leadership in digital transformation, tech-driven innovation, and capability development. As the Head of Global Connected Hubs at Carrier, Kamal is at the forefront of redefining enterprise value delivery through a unique globally integrated GCC model that spans Carrier’s India, China, and Mexico based capability hubs. His leadership is instrumental in shaping Carrier’s digital future, driving innovation-led transformation, and building high-impact technology ecosystems.

Having worked with reputable organizations such as IBM and Satyam and bringing over two decades of experience in digital strategy, business growth, and deep-tech innovation, Kamal has consistently driven enterprise-wide transformations for leading multinational corporations. His early recognition as one of the youngest CIOs appointed Global CIO at Mindlance at the age of 28 highlights his forward-thinking approach and ability to lead at scale. Since then, he has led transformative initiatives at organizations like Jay Kuling Group and Tally Solutions, establishing himself as a trusted leader in digital excellence.

At Carrier, Kamal has been pivotal in scaling up the Digital Hub India into a center of innovation and operational excellence, fostering capabilities in cloud, AI/ML, IoT, data & analytics, and product engineering. His strategic foresight and ability to align technology with business outcomes have accelerated Carrier’s digital maturity and global competitiveness in recent times.

Kamal’s leadership philosophy is rooted in purpose, agility, and innovation. An enthusiastic champion of strengthening organizational D&I portfolio, Kamal views it as a catalyst for innovations and sustainable growth. His people-first mindset and commitment to building high-performing, inclusive teams makes him a role model in the GCC landscape. Beyond his corporate success, Kamal is a credible voice in the GCC/GIC/GBS domains, actively shaping the narrative around the evolution and growth of GCCs as strategic value creators in India truly exemplifying the vision of “building in India for the world.”

Ashish Patel

Under Ashish Patel’s leadership as the Managing Director of CBA India, the brand has strengthened multi-fold, and we have recently won three prestigious awards- Best Firms for Diversity & Inclusion in Tech by AIM; Impactful Global Capability Centers of India, 2025 by ET Edge; 20 Best Firms for Women in Tech to Work For by AIM in 2025!

He brings over 24 years of diverse experience across leading global organizations, including Allianz Holdings UK, Barclays
Bank, and HDFC Bank. His passion lies in Retail & Commercial Banking, Treasury, Digital Banking, Insurance P&C, Life & Health, e-Commerce, Robotics & AI, and Analytics, driving 50+ transformative projects locally and globally.

Ashish has successfully led teams in establishing digital excellence through open-source platforms, cloud delivery, and
cybersecurity frameworks. His strategic approach has built sustainable digital assets revolving around customer-centricity,
leveraging big data, APIs, and mobile solutions. Through resilience and innovation, he delivered 100% operational success
during the pandemic, ensuring seamless work-from-home transitions for his teams.

Ashish’s accomplishments include pioneering OPEX innovations to deliver considerable financial benefits, leading a strategic IT outsourcing deal at Yes Bank, and steering critical initiatives like the HDFC-Times Bank merger. Recognized globally, his accolades include the Silver Stevie Award, Asia Outsourcing Award, and consistent recognition as a high performer. Ashish remains focused on creating future-ready, connected ecosystems through agile transformation and sustainable digital solutions.

He has contributed to societal causes by championing energy conservation, earning national recognition like the SEEM Award and the National Energy Conservation Award. His leadership also earned his organization consecutive “Great Place to Work” certifications.

Ashish is dedicated to nurturing employee growth and development while delivering exceptional customer service.

Pratik Nath

With two and a half decades of experience in technology and business leadership, Pratik Nath is at the helm of Epsilon India as Managing Director, leading the company’s Global Capabilities Centre (GCC). Since taking charge last year, he has been instrumental in shaping Epsilon India into a vital engine of innovation, delivery, and talent for the company’s global advertising and marketing technology landscape.

At Epsilon, he is also a key driver of the company’s AI-first agenda, globally, helping teams to build best-in-class capabilities, scale AI-driven solutions across business lines, and embed intelligent automation into our ways of working. Under his leadership, the India centre comprising of 3500 associates, drives high-impact solutions that power client success worldwide. Pratik’s approach is rooted in building a culture of continuous innovation, unlocking strategic value, and nurturing career growth across the organization.

Known for his deep technical expertise and design-led approach to problem-solving, Pratik holds six engineering patents, reflecting his passion for innovation and first-principles thinking. He has successfully led large-scale transformations, built resilient and high-performing teams, and delivered outcomes that create lasting value for organizations and clients alike.

He is a strong advocate for inclusive leadership and a people-first culture, guided by a core belief: when you take care of your people and your clients, success follows. Through his work, Pratik continues to reinforce Epsilon India’s position as a center of excellence, innovation, and opportunity in the global GCC ecosystem.

Sachin Kulkarni

Sachin Kulkarni has over three decades of experience in building and scaling Global Capability Centers (GCCs) and driving profitable growth across global consulting and technology businesses. At Fiserv, he leads the transformation of a broad portfolio including cards, core banking, digital payments, ecommerce, financial risk and treasury solutions, application operations, product implementations, and professional services. Under his leadership, Global Services, Fiserv has successfully deepened its product engineering capabilities, achieved maturity in agile and DevSecOps practices, migrated critical workloads to the cloud, and pioneered the use of GenAI to drive productivity.  His career spans leadership roles across Europe, USA and Asia-Pacific, where he has delivered high-impact transformation programs, built differentiated go-to-market strategies, led strategic sales campaigns, and managed post-merger integrations with a focus on CXO relationship management and alliance partnerships.

He is also a member of the NASSCOM GCC Council and known for delivering strong outcomes across client satisfaction, operational excellence, and strategic growth. He has been instrumental in championing global roles out of India and is also a proud sponsor of Fiserv’s Women Impact Network, advancing inclusion and diversity.

With hands-on experience across 28 countries, Sachin has been a key driver of digital transformation, intelligent automation, and platform resilience initiatives.

Saurabh Saxena

Saurabh Saxena is the Intuit India Site Leader and Senior Vice President of Go-To-Market (GTM) Technology. In this dual capacity, he leads a global team that builds the technology platform capabilities powering Intuit’s go-to-market strategies. His team is responsible for building the platform capabilities that leverage AI to create deeply personalized customer journeys, optimize monetization, and accelerate experimentation, delivering transformative experiences for customers worldwide.

As the leader of the India site, Intuit’s second-largest tech and innovation hub, Saurabh’s leadership has been instrumental in accelerating India’s position as a strategic growth site for the company. An embodiment of Intuit’s home-grown success, Saurabh began his journey as a staff software engineer and has steadily risen through the ranks. In a previous role leading the Small Business & Self-Employed Group (SBSEG) in India, he and his team defined the strategy, vision, and roadmap that drove $2 billion in revenue for core products like QuickBooks Online Advanced and QuickBooks Desktop.

A testament to his leadership and commitment to unleashing the potential of talent around him, Saurabh has been recognized as one of India’s Most Trusted Leaders by the Great Place To Work® Institute and named one of the Top 25 GCC Heads in India for 2024 by AIM Research. His other accolades include being conferred as a ‘Visionary Leader’ in the AI100 awards by Analytics India Magazine 2023 and receiving several prestigious Intuit awards, including the Scott Cook Innovation Award and the CEO Leadership Award.

Under his leadership, Intuit India has consistently earned recognition as one of ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For,’ Top employer for LGBTQ+ inclusion by the India Workplace Equality Index, and one of the country’s Top 10 Best firms for Data Scientists to work by Analytics India Magazine.

Dr. Rajesh Puneyani

With a remarkable career spanning 28 years of leadership experience across the globe, Rajesh has played a key role in setting up and maturing Centers of Excellence (COE), Global Delivery Centers (GDC), and Global Capability Centers (GCC).

Rajesh is recognized for his expertise in infrastructure technology, service management, and operational excellence, along with a strong commitment to digital transformation at Kenvue and during his previous roles at Lowe’s, Wells Fargo, Oracle, IBM, and Dell.

He is a graduate in Computer Science, and has a degree in MCA along with a MBA in Operations Management. He has completed several executive education programs, including the Artificial Intelligence for Leaders program from Texas McCombs School of Business and a CIO Program from New York University.

As a certified professional coach, Rajesh is dedicated to developing and bringing out the best across his teams and managing talent across levels. With a strong passion for employee engagement he ensures the experience for employees is on the top of his radar always. He has played a pivotal role in championing diversity and inclusion practices within the organizations he has served, particularly focusing on technology leadership and strategic initiatives.

As an industry leader, Rajesh has been a recipient of numerous awards throughout his career, including the coveted “Next 100 Future CIO” award in 2023, along with other prestigious recognitions for leadership and excellence in his previous roles.

Outside of work, Rajesh is dedicated to holistic wellness and health programs, and actively promotes this in his personal and professional space. He also has a passion for playing badminton and serving the community.

Ankur Mittal

Ankur Mittal is a visionary leader in India’s growing GCC ecosystem. As the Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of Lowe’s India, he has played a major role in turning the company into a global center for innovation and digital growth. With over 20 years of distinguished experience in technology and strategic business leadership, Ankur has played a pivotal role in positioning Lowe’s India as a critical global hub driving cutting-edge digital transformation and seamless co-creation with Lowe’s Inc. His leadership is driving meaningful change and growth in the Indian GCC sector.

Under his leadership, Lowe’s India has significantly expanded its capabilities, increasing its leadership team fivefold and overall headcount by over 60% during the pandemic. The company now drives key initiatives across Lowe’s global operations, including omnichannel, online marketplace, and enterprise platforms among others. Notably, the India team developed the One Roof Media Network, a unique retail media service, and played a crucial role in the Pro Rewards, which has strengthened customer loyalty.

Ankur’s approach emphasizes ‘human leadership’, building an inclusive, agile culture that contributed to Lowe’s India being recognized as one of the best workplaces in the country. His educational background in engineering and management supports his ability to balance technological innovation with strategic business goals.

Prior to joining Lowe’s in 2019, Ankur held senior leadership roles at Target, including Vice President of Technology, and has also worked with major technology firms like Wipro and Infosys. His extensive experience reflects a sustained commitment to driving innovation and excellence in the technology sector.

Soumitra Saha

Soumitra Saha serves as the Managing Director and Country Head of Lumen Technologies, India, and is based in Bangalore. As a key leader within the organization, Soumitra is spearheading a transformative initiative to establish Lumen India as a premier technology hub for Lumen Technologies globally. He is also an active member of the NASSCOM Karnataka Regional Council.

Soumitra has been recognized for his exceptional leadership with multiple accolades, including “Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia” by the Times Group, “Influential Leaders of India 2024” by Republic TV and Marksmen Daily, and the “Visionary Leader” award at the Bharat Leadership Excellence Awards 2024. Under his leadership,Lumen India has also earned distinctions such as “Technology Leader” and “Most Preferred Workplaces 2024” by Marksmen Daily.

With over 25 years of experience in Banking, Finance, and Information Technology, Soumitra brings a wealth of expertise to his role. Prior to joining Lumen, he served as Head of Technology for the APAC region at Northern Trust across multiple business units, where he successfully drove key technology initiatives. At Fidelity Investments (FMR) India, Soumitra held several leadership positions, including Head of Capital Markets Technology, Head of Innovation, and Head of Strategy and Planning. During his 14-year tenure at Fidelity, he contributed across diverse domains such as Asset Management, Institutional Services, Stock Plan Services, and Brokerage Services. Soumitra’s earlier career includes roles at UBS (via HCL Perot Systems) in London, where he worked in the Confirmations and Settlements team, and Infosys Technologies, where he began his professional journey in 2000.

Soumitra’s extensive international experience spans Boston, Toronto, Ottawa, San Francisco, and London,providing him with a rich multicultural perspective. He is deeply passionate about leveraging technology as a catalyst for innovation, creating groundbreaking products, services, and experiences that enhance client engagement.

An alumnus of INSEAD’s Executive Management program, Soumitra also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, India.

Manu Saale

As the Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI), Manu leads the largest R&D centre for Mercedes-Benz Group AG outside Germany. With nearly three decades in automobile innovation and engineering, Manu has held various leadership roles, driving organisational transformation through complex business challenges. He focuses on digital engineering, passenger safety, and sustainable mobility, leading a team of over 8,500 engineers.

Under Manu’s leadership, MBRDI has evolved from a cost-focused unit to a strategic partner for the group, noted for its skilled workforce and impactful innovations. During his tenure, the centre has witnessed a rise in gender diversity and grown to excel in digital mechanical engineering and software development. Manu has fostered advanced technologies in automotive, leading to numerous industry awards, including the CII Industrial Innovations Award ‘Top 75 Innovative Companies’ recognition and the ASSOCHAM IP Excellence Award for the ‘Best IP Portfolio – Large Enterprises (Engineering)’ in 2024. Manu’s engineering contributions and visionary leadership have also been recognised by the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), which elected him as a Fellow for his pivotal role in driving technological development in India. 

Manu holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the University of Mysore, India.

Ramya Parashar

Ramya Parashar is the Chief Operating Officer of MiQ’s Bangalore Center of Excellence, where she drives strategic growth, operational excellence, and a people-first transformation agenda for one of the most critical innovation hubs in global adtech. At the helm of one of India’s most transformative GCCs, Ramya Parashar is redefining how data, innovation, and people-first leadership converge to shape global impact.

With over 13 years in Executive Leadership across JCPenney, FireEye, and Monsanto, Ramya brings a rare combination of technology depth and business acumen, having led large-scale digital transformations, enterprise application strategies, and data science-driven growth initiatives.

At MiQ, she steers CoE operations with a focus on:

• Scaling high-impact teams and sustainable delivery models
• Embedding data and analytics into core business decisions
• Enhancing operational agility to drive profitability and retention
• Driving operational leverage

Ramya is a member of MiQ’s Global Executive Board and a published voice in digital media with over 50+ features. Her leadership has earned her industry recognition including Top 25 GCC Head-AIM, Women COO (2022), Leader 2.0 – 40 Under 40, Iconic Women of Excellence (Fortune India), and The Inc Most Inspiring Women Entrepreneur.

She holds a degree in Electronics and is a certified Digital Business Strategist and Organisational Performance Expert from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB).

Uma Ratnam Krishnan

Uma Ratnam Krishnan is Managing Director of Optum India, which is a global capability center of UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune 4 company one of the world’s largest health care organizations.

At Optum, Uma oversees strategy, execution, delivery, and governance in close partnership with clients and global teams. In this role, she sets the company’s vision across the country, helping teams deliver distinctive value across all businesses.

Uma has a rich and diverse experience including global roles where she has been part of senior leadership teams – conceptualizing, providing strategy and vision, setting up and managing P&L businesses and initiatives, and working with large cross functional and geographically diverse teams.

Uma started her working life with the Indian Foreign Service having secured all India 13^th rank in the Civil services exam. Prior to starting her corporate career, she completed an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore. And followed this up with a Women in Leadership program at Harvard Business School and a Strategy Program at Wharton. She has been engaged with various industry associations and been a speaker at many forums with diverse talent. She currently serves as a member of the NASSCOM National GCC Council.

Prior to joining Optum, Uma served as the CEO & MD, Barclays Global Services. Over the last three decades she has had senior leadership roles in Natwest in the UK, ANZ Grindlays Bank, HDFC Bank and Polaris Software. She has served as an independent director on the boards of various companies including Chennai metro rail and mentored promising startups to scale.

Uma is passionate about building high performing business where every team member can deliver their best work every day. She is an avid trekker and outdoor and fitness enthusiast and loves travelling with her family.

Murali Krishna

As Chief Global Officer for Providence, one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the United States, Murali Krishna heads Providence’s global innovation center in Hyderabad, India, and also leads the expansion of new and diversified business models, building partnerships with U.S. health systems to drive digital transformation at scale in the industry. Providence India builds information services, products, and solutions to enable health for a better world. The center’s innovative engineering capabilities help accelerate digital transformation in healthcare, improve patient and caregiver experiences and deliver digitally enhanced outcomes. 

Recognized as one of the top GCC leaders in India, Murali brings more than 25 years of rich engineering and business acumen from strong executive leadership roles at Microsoft and General Electric (GE), where he led business and digital transformation, and technology integration and customer success efforts. He played a pivotal role in GE’s information technology set up in India.

A people-first leader, Murali is a strong proponent for inclusion and work-life integration. He champions gender diversity in the workplace as a strategic priority and actively advocates for mental health and well-being. At Microsoft and GE, he served as executive sponsor for DEI, driving meaningful cultural shifts.  

Murali is Vice Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM India), the apex chamber of U.S. industry in India. He is also an executive committee of the Society for Cyberabad Security Council, a not-for-profit association that brings together business and government to drive industry-wide safety and security programs in Hyderabad’s IT corridor.

In his career, Murali has received several awards for leadership and excellence in business and transformation, including the Business CIO Award for Lasting Contribution, and the President’s Award for community service.

Murali is an engineer, has an Executive MBA from Indian School of Business, and is an associate alumni of Harvard Medical School. He is Six Sigma Black Belt certified, underscoring his expertise in operational excellence.

Debashis Neogi

Debashis Neogi is an Auto Industry professional with over 35 plus experience in Product Development, Innovation, Project management and launch of vehicles not only in India but also in his stint abroad. As a Managing Director of Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre, India, he is leading India’s biggest GCC centre in Automotive with 10500 plus workforce having three key verticals – Engineering, Information Technology and Business Process Services. Since taking over the centre in 2021, he has been instrumental in growing the centre’s strength and revenue by 50% in last few years.

The centre has not only grown in numbers but also in capabilities like vehicle design /development in advanced technologies like Autonomous driving, Electrification, Connectivity but also deep tech areas like AI, Cyber security, Cloud computing etc. He is a people centric leader, whose leadership and strategies has resulted in his centre being certified as Great Place to work by Great Place to Work Institute and Top Employer Award by Top Employer Institute. Prior to being MD of the centre, he worked as Director, Powertrain Engineering in Renault Technical Centre in Romania and was instrumental in launch of many cars in Europe with latest powertrain technologies.

Before Renault Nissan, he worked in reputed Automotive companies like General Motors, Tata Cummins, Case New Holland Tractors and Bajaj Auto. He is also actively involved in growth of Tech Industry in India as a Nasscom Engineering R&D Council member. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with postgraduate in Management Science.

Kalavathi G V

Kalavathi GV (Kala) is the Executive Director and Head of the Global Development Center (DC) at Siemens Healthineers (Siemens Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.). In this role, she leads one of the organization’s largest technology excellence centers outside Germany, with operations in India and Slovakia. Under her leadership, DC plays a critical role in advancing precision health solutions and enabling global and local healthcare innovation.

With nearly three decades of industry experience, Kala brings deep expertise in product segmentation, R&D development, and market-focused innovation. Before joining Siemens Healthineers, she served as the Senior Vice-President and Global Head of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and the Software Centre of Excellence at Royal Philips. There, she led large-scale transformation programs and drove global healthcare growth through technology leadership. Her earlier tenure at GE Healthcare, spanning over a decade, was marked by her focus on glocalization and delivering value from India to global markets.

She firmly believes that Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have evolved into innovation centers that co-drive strategy, innovation, and business outcomes. At Siemens Healthineers, she has championed the belief that healthcare is inherently local, and so must be the solutions. She emphasizes the importance of increasing patient touchpoints and sees collaboration as the cornerstone for driving meaningful, context-aware impact. She has fostered a multi-dimensional approach that includes strengthening talent development, focused on academic partnerships and upskilling initiatives, while also building ecosystem collaborations to accelerate innovation and knowledge exchange.

Kala’s journey is defined by purpose, resilience, and a strong commitment to making a difference to the world. She is driven by the strong purpose of saving and making a difference in people’s lives. She is a strong advocate for digital transformation and its potential to improve access and outcomes in healthcare, especially for underserved populations. She actively contributes to various industry forums and councils, working at the intersection of healthcare and IT to strengthen India’s leadership in the global innovation ecosystem. She is also a committed voice for increasing the representation of women in senior technology roles.

Amit Kalra

As Managing Director at Swiss Re group, Amit Kalra has more than 20+ years of global leadership experience in financial services industry. He leads Swiss Re’s Global Business Solutions division, which offers groupwide capabilities of Digital Services for employees and clients, Partner Enablement, and global capability hubs in India (Bangalore and Hyderabad) and Slovakia. He has diverse experience in executive and strategic leadership, business and cultural transformation, innovation and thought leadership.

He also heads the global capability hub in India- a setup of over 2,400 professionals across the re/insurance value chain. In this role, he works with his counterparts to enhance Swiss Re’s competitiveness in the market by delivering excellence in core business and technology capabilities and enabling transformation through R&D-focused initiatives and innovation.

Amit joined Swiss Re in 2007 and has held various roles since then- setting up and leading Economic Research and Consulting India; incubating and leading analytics and non-life actuarial teams; as Head Strategy India, designing and executing strategic development initiatives, enabling growth and ecosystem connect; and as Head of India setup, he drove the growth, capability development and holistic transformation of India hub.

He also founded and led the global Swiss Re startup initiative- InsurTech Accelerator, which sourced innovative ideas/solutions in the re/insurance sector. He has written several global studies published under Swiss Re’s sigma publications on trends in emerging markets, covering topics like food security, micro insurance, and urbanization.

Amit is an executive member of NASSCOM national and Karnataka GCC Councils and has previously served as Chair NASSCOM Karnataka GCC council and President South- Swiss India Chambers of Commerce (SICC). He is also an Independent Board member at Institute of Insurance and Risk Management (IIRM), Hyderabad.

Amit is a Harvard Business School alumnus (AMP 2023), and holds a Master’s degree in Business Economics from University of Delhi. He is a qualified Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Reinsurance from The Institutes, United States.

Andrea Zimmerman

Andrea Zimmerman is the president of Bengaluru-based Target in India (TII), a headquarter location of Target, one of America’s leading retailers that serves guests at nearly 2,000 stores and at Target.com.  Andrea leads a multi-disciplinary team of more than 5000 team members across tech, data and core business functions that include merchandising, marketing and digital, properties, supply chain, HR operations, finance and more. Andrea has held the position of president of TII for close to two years during which she has been instrumental in expanding TII’s capabilities and driving strategic initiatives that help deliver transformative retail solutions and accelerate growth for Target. Her previous experience in human resources has ensured her focus on continuing to nurture an award-winning culture at TII, positioning the organisation as an employer of choice across the GCC and retail industry.

Under Andrea’s tenure, Target in India has received some of the following key recognitions:

2025:

• Best companies to work for in India by Blind
• Featured at No.2 for the second year running in LinkedIn Top Companies: The 10 best Retail and FMCG employers
• Finkelstein Awards for Data Engineering Excellence in the category of ‘Best Collaboration between Data Engineering and Business teams’

2024:

• 50 Best Firms for Data Scientists to Work – Analytics India Magazine
• Top GBS Employers + Top Employers for Tech Talent – Everest Group
• Best Companies for Women in India in the Avtar & Seramount Top Companies for Women in India (BCWI)

Andrea joined Target in 2007 and has held a variety of roles in HR in the U.S. and India, driving large scale structural and operational change and building highly effective global teams. Prior to her current role, she was Vice President of Future of Work and HR Strategy for Target Corporation, reimagining how global teams connect, work and collaborate in a hybrid environment, while also leading and driving strategic priorities across HR.

Andrea has a post-graduate degree in business administration from the Carlson School of Business. She lives in Bengaluru with her husband and, in her personal time enjoys being outdoors, traveling and spending time with family.

Vijayaraman Subramanian

Vijayaraman J. Subramanian (Vijay) is the Vice President & Managing Director for Verizon India, one of the largest telecoms based Global Capability Centers (GCC) in the country. Vijay spearheads the charter for transforming and evolving Verizon India as a strategic center, an innovation hub and a great place to work. Vijay is a member of the CSR Committee for Verizon India.

Verizon India is an integral part of the global teams that brought 5G to life. Driven by its purpose of moving the world forward, Verizon India, is focused on areas ranging from emerging technologies, design, customer experience, cybersecurity to global services.

Vijay has been associated with Verizon India since its inception in 2001. As a passionate leader and firm believer in empowerment, championing customer-focused innovation, he leads people through change, building high-performance, diverse, & inclusive teams. He also focuses on organization level initiatives like talent transformation, driving innovation through intrapreneurship and ecosystem connections with start-ups, academia and industry peers.

Vijay holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Applications from Bharathidasan University, Trichy (TN, India). He also holds two patents to his name, actively contributes to industry forums including NASSCOM. In 2023 & 2024, Vijay was recognized as one of the top 25 GCC Heads in India by Analytics India magazine. He was also recognized as one of India’s Most Trusted Leaders by the Great Management Institute in partnership with Great Places to Work in 2024. Under his leadership, Verizon India has been recognized as one of the most impactful GCCs in India by ETNOW, and amongst the top 10 Great Places to Work in 2024.

Envisioning the importance of unlocking the potential of the young workforce in India, Vijay devotes a lot of his time in coaching youngsters to navigate their way into the professional realm. He also works closely with select start-ups to mentor and help them shape their aspirations in line with the changing technology landscapes.

Balu Chaturvedula

As the Senior Vice President (SVP) & Country Head, Balu leads Walmart Global Tech‘s vision in India to drive a culture of innovation and support the delivery of delightful experiences for Walmart’s customers, members and associates.
He oversees the building and deployment of scalable, leverageable capabilities and systems across the enterprise. His hands-on approach and vision for the future of retail has been instrumental in nurturing high-performance teams. With nearly three decades of experience in the industry, Balu has been deeply invested in aligning technology with business goals and leading teams that consistently deliver compelling results. He has played an integral role in nurturing the supply chain talent in India.

Balu joined Walmart in 2015. During his tenure, he played a vital role in building the fulfillment technology that focused on delivering a flawless experience for each customer order while reducing costs. With nearly three decades of experience in the industry, Balu has been deeply invested in aligning technology with business goals and leading teams that consistently deliver compelling results. He has played an integral role in nurturing the supply chain talent in India.

Prior to Walmart, Balu has worked with organizations such as HP, Yahoo! and Motorola where he spent time creating systems and platforms that have significantly contributed to the bottom line. He was also a founding member of Confluent Software where he helped enterprises reduce security threats by building security intermediary products.

Balu holds an engineering degree from the University of Madras and an executive management degree from UC Berkely.

Uday Odedra

Uday Odedra leads Wells Fargo’s operations in India and the Philippines. He is responsible for executing on Wells Fargo’s strategy for the region by building efficient capabilities and enabling a performance driven culture. Recently, he was appointed to the Nasscom India GCC Council 2025-2027. A seasoned executive, Uday has a wealth of experience in the global financial services sector.

He joined Wells Fargo from UBS AG, bringing broad experience in the global financial services sector, including international business leadership, technology and data strategy. With more than 25 years of experience at UBS, Uday served in a variety of leadership roles, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of India, and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Asia. As the CEO of UBS India, Uday led the build out of the company’s footprint in India, driving strong collaboration between technology, operations, and the business. Additionally, he led large global teams across UBS Investment Banking, UBS Services, which included Digital, Technology, and Operations, and UBS philanthropy.

Our GCC Explorer provides detailed insights on nearly 1,400 GCCs—and if you’d like our help navigating this ecosystem write to info@aimmediahouse.com.

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With over 130 UK-headquartered companies already operating global capability centres (GCCs) in India, the UK now represents the second-largest cohort of GCCs in the country after the US, according to a recent report by leading global management consultancy Zinnov.

The report, titled ‘UK Global Capability Centres in India: Unlocking Strategic Opportunities’, has revealed a transformative shift in the global strategies of UK enterprises. 

The major UK GCCs are in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. Firms like Barclays, HSBC, GSK, Unilever, Vodafone, Rolls-Royce, BP, Shell, Arm and Tesco are using India to scale and lead their global innovation mandates.

The report highlights the strategic significance of India for UK firms through several key findings. UK GCCs in India created an impressive $6.5 billion in value annually (FY2024), with 200,000 professionals powering initiatives in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and analytics.

Notably, 14% of these centres are operated by Fortune Global 500 companies, underscoring their global importance. A remarkable 95% of UK GCCs are investing in engineering R&D, a cornerstone for product innovation and intellectual property creation. 

Reason Behind this Growth

One of the reasons being cost of operations in India is 50% lower compared to the UK, allowing firms to scale efficiently without compromising on quality. In fact, over 90% of UK GCCs function as multi-functional centres, demonstrating a high level of operational maturity and strategic integration within their global enterprises.

UK companies are also moving towards a model of co-creation and collaboration with India. Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities are being strategically leveraged to de-risk concentration and support follow-the-sun delivery models. Regulatory maturity in data protection and cybersecurity is also promoting UK firms’ confidence in operating from India.

India’s depth of AI, data science, and financial engineering talent is proving particularly invaluable for UK’s financial institutions focusing on AI-driven risk assessment, fraud detection, and algorithmic trading.

As the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) opens new doors, the UK–India relationship is going to become one of the most strategically vital alliances in the digital economy.

Mohammed Faraz Khan, partner – GCC Business at Zinnov, noted, “The UK–India corridor is on the cusp of a generational opportunity. With digital transformation accelerating globally, UK companies are not just looking at India to scale — they’re looking at India to lead. The GCC model offers a fast-track to innovation, resilience, and long-term growth.”

A Strategic Realignment for the Future

With the free trade agreement (CETA) expected to catalyse over £35 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, the expansion of UK GCCs in India signals more than just economic collaboration. It reflects a strategic realignment for future-ready growth. 

As UK firms seek to compete globally, India’s established strengths in digital talent, engineering excellence, and innovation provide a crucial advantage, particularly for mid-sized enterprises aiming for agility, speed, and cost-efficiency.

“The expansion of UK-headquartered Global Capability Centres in India is a strategic recalibration,” said Alouk Kumar, founder & CEO at Inductus Group, a strategic advisory and consulting firm. “There are over 120 UK firms already operating GCCs in India, as embedded drivers of innovation, customer experience, and competitive differentiation. This is smart, future-focused scaling.”

India’s mature digital infrastructure, vibrant start-up ecosystem, and deep domain talent across sectors like fintech, pharmatech, and AI are now directly aligned with the UK’s forward-looking economic agenda.

“India is no longer about labour arbitrage. It’s about intellectual arbitrage,” Sumit Mitra, CEO, Tesco Business Solutions shared.

From AI models for financial forecasting to RegTech solutions for compliance-heavy sectors, India-based GCCs are helping UK firms create high-trust, high-impact operations. These centres are increasingly taking on product ownership, embedding ESG analytics, and enabling complete business transformation, moving far beyond transactional functions.

India’s cities, particularly Bengaluru, play a critical role in this transformation. Jay Doshi, MD & CIO of BT Group, explained: “Bengaluru is known as the ‘silicon valley of the east’ due to its vibrant tech ecosystem. Academia and industry together have enabled large corporations to accelerate their transformation journeys and remain competitive globally.”

Adding to this perspective, Lalitha Indrakanti, CEO of Bengaluru-based Jaguar Land Rover technology & business services India, captured the essence of India’s evolving role in global operations: “India has proven its mettle as a hub of engineering excellence, innovation, transformation and digital talent. GCCs here have evolved from cost centres to value amplifiers and reliable transformation partners.”

The post Why UK Companies are Bullish about their GCCs in India appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

As global capability centres (GCCs) in India evolve beyond traditional IT support roles, the demand for conventional, generalist skill sets is softening, while the industry increasingly prioritises specialised capabilities in emerging areas such as generative AI, financial operations, cloud security, and fintech.

For GCCs striving to remain competitive and future-ready, domain expertise is now a foundational requirement.

According to a recent report by Quess Corp, data engineering has become central to real-time decision-making as GCCs accelerate their investments in robust, cloud-native data infrastructure. While data science remains a critical function, the focus is clearly shifting towards more specialised, domain-centric analytics. This reflects a broader trend. When it comes to GCCs, the ability to embed deep business knowledge within technical functions is becoming a critical differentiator.

Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, told AIM, “As these centres start doing more important and innovative work, they need tech professionals who really understand their industries.”

Echoing this sentiment, Roop Kaistha, regional managing director of APAC at AMS, informed AIM that the next wave of growth will come from building deep, domain-specific talent pools. Collaboration between GCCs and academia can play a catalytic role in this regard. By co-creating curriculum, enabling hands-on experience, and embedding soft skills and domain context into learning pathways, talent can be nurtured to be both technically strong and business-ready. 

This strategic pivot is especially evident in sectors such as banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), where deep fintech expertise is in demand across Indian enterprises, startups, GCCs, and public digital infrastructure.

An Interesting Industry-Academia Collaboration

In response to this demand, companies like Fidelity Information Services (FIS) have taken a long-term view by investing in the education pipeline. 

Talking to AIM, Ramkumar Narayanan, executive VP of technology and services in India and the Philippines at FIS, said over the last 12 months, the focus has been on hiring from industries that are far and wide. 

The core are product companies—places where people have worked on a wide variety of use cases across different markets and have demonstrated experience in building and scaling enterprise software. 

In partnership with Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), a unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), FIS launched a four-year BTech programme in computer science and financial technology in August 2023. This is one of the first dedicated programmes of its kind in the country, purpose-built to create deep fintech talent from the ground up.

This collaborative initiative goes beyond theoretical instruction. FIS professionals co-develop and co-deliver the curriculum alongside the MIT-Manipal faculty, offering students a blend of academic rigour and industry relevance. 

The programme integrates foundational knowledge in computational mathematics and software development with in-depth modules on economics, machine learning, deep learning, and core financial domains such as banking, insurance, payments, and trading.

From the very first year, students are immersed in fintech principles. Labs are carefully designed to blend financial concepts with computing and real-world use cases, creating a laddered learning pathway over the four-year programme. 

Notably, this is not just a talent pipeline for FIS, it’s a broader ecosystem play. “The intention is not that FIS will hire all these students,” an FIS leader shared. 

“We want to get them ready for the market. If they choose to work with us, great—we already know their quality. But more than that, we see this as building long-term value for India,” Narayanan added.

Scaling with Purposeful Depth

Now in its second year, the programme has gained strong traction, Narayanan added. Each batch is capped at around 70 students due to high demand, and Manipal is already in talks with FIS to consider scaling.

He further mentioned that FIS believes in focusing on a few institutions rather than spreading efforts thin across many. However, it is also complementing these deep partnerships with lighter-touch university engagements across the broader academic landscape, especially with high-potential tier-two institutions. 

These engagements involve FIS professionals conducting sessions on BFSI career pathways, financial systems and digital transformation, and contribute to awareness, aspiration, and future recruitment potential.Furthermore, this model of industry-academia collaboration is gaining ground. Siemens Healthineers, for example, is exploring similar engagement models to align academic curricula with real-world industry requirements. The company is working closely with institutions like Manipal Academy of Higher Education to bridge the gap between theory and practice by contributing to syllabus development and deploying industry professionals into classrooms.

The post GCCs are Betting on These Students to Lead the Fintech Race  appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

As the wave of layoffs continues, Wells Fargo has reportedly let go of nearly 400 employees from its operations in India over the past two months. The job cuts have primarily affected its engineering division and the Chief Administrative Office (CAO), according to Business Standard. 

The layoffs were part of the financial services company’s broader strategy to consolidate its global capability centre (GCC) operations in India and respond to the rapidly evolving economic and technological landscape.

The company responded to queries from AIM via email, stating, “We review and adjust staffing levels to align with market conditions and the needs of our businesses. We work hard to identify opportunities for employees in other parts of the company so we can retain as many employees as possible.”

In May, the company confirmed plans to shut down its Chennai GCC by 2027, concentrating its Indian workforce in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which it says offer deeper ecosystems and stronger future-readiness. 

“We aim to provide more robust career growth opportunities and better service for clients,” Wells Fargo had said, signalling that consolidation could improve strategic alignment and operational efficiency.

The term “operations consolidation” is now a familiar refrain, often signalling the elimination of duplicate roles, centralisation to fewer hubs, and increased automation of previously manual tasks. While painful, such moves are designed to boost long-term efficiency and productivity.

As one analyst noted under the condition of anonymity, “Wells Fargo’s recent job reductions in India are a stark reminder of the global banking sector’s ongoing recalibration, caused by a confluence of tech disruptions, persistent cost-cutting imperatives, and a cautious economic outlook.”

As reported previously, more than 300 engineering roles were cut in June, followed by another 100 from the CAO in July. The layoffs reflect a trend echoed across the global financial sector, where automation, AI adoption, and cost optimisation are reshaping back-end operations.

However, a junior software developer at Wells Fargo told AIM that while he uses AI to complete work more efficiently, he does not fear losing his job to AI.

Why Now?

Wells Fargo’s actions aren’t isolated. The financial services company’s global operations are facing pressure from declining net interest income, lower-than-expected revenue, and a sluggish mortgage market in the US, where its Des Moines division also saw layoffs in recent months.

The company’s chief financial officer, Mike Santomassimo, publicly acknowledged concerns about a “potential net decline” in consumer lending, reflecting broader caution across the industry.

Alouk Kumar, founder and CEO of Inductus Group, told AIM, “Climate change, geopolitical instability, and trade tensions are reshaping the business landscape,” creating economic uncertainty that is forcing companies to rethink capacity expansion and prioritise leaner operations.

Is This the Sign of India’s GCC Slowdown?

The layoffs are a sobering reflection of India’s shifting narrative in the GCC landscape. A study by Inductus found that GCC hiring in FY24 dropped to 60,000–75,000 roles, down from 1.25 lakh in FY23, citing economic slowdowns, inflation, and geopolitical disruptions as key reasons. 

According to a Nasscom report, hiring demand typically dips 10–15% in Q4 of the fiscal year, but the current downturn is deeper and more structural. Banks and financial services firms, particularly in the BFSI sector, are shifting focus from traditional support roles to high-skill areas like generative AI, MLOps, cybersecurity, and regulatory technology. This shift is accompanied by a 10–15% decline in job postings in Q1 2025 compared to the previous quarter.

Furthermore, the closure of Technicolor India, which impacted over 3,000 employees in March, is another signal of changing tides. Though Technicolor’s issues stemmed from financial trouble in its Paris headquarters, the collapse has sparked conversations about resilience and adaptability in India’s AVGC-XR sector, which includes animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, and extended reality.

A Silver Lining

In the bigger picture, Wells Fargo’s move is part of India’s evolving GCC story from being a low-cost talent hub to a high-value innovation engine. Companies are becoming more selective, seeking hubs that align talent, technology, and infrastructure to power next-generation growth.

While the layoffs bring short-term pain, relocation stress, and uncertainty, they also reflect a broader recalibration of the company’s priorities. India’s role as a strategic tech and operations hub is far from over—it’s simply transforming to meet the demands of a new, AI-powered global economy.

The post Wells Fargo Cuts 400 Jobs in India Amid GCC Pivot to Innovation Over Scale appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

It is well-established that Karnataka leads the race in attracting global capability centres (GCCs), even as other states are working to catch up. 

According to reports from the consulting firm Zinnov, Karnataka is home to 50% of India’s GCCs and employs a third of the national GCC workforce.

What is perhaps less often discussed but more impressive is the state’s emerging success in decentralising this growth. This has been powered by a structured push to build tech-driven economic ecosystems beyond its capital city.

In an interview with AIM, Priyank M. Kharge, Karnataka’s minister for Electronics, Information Technology & Biotechnology, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, detailed this vision. 

“We are creating plug-and-play facilities in Mangaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, and Ballari so that we are able to build a very solid pyramid of innovation,” he said.

Kharge described a ‘pyramid’ strategy, emphasising the importance of a strong skills foundation at the bottom, supported by incubation hubs, centers of excellence for innovations, and policy and budget backing at the top. This creates a policy-driven, skill-based structure.

It is supported by institutions like the Centre of Excellence for IoT & AI, which aims to foster innovation through collaboration with startups and the industry, according to Karnataka’s Department of Electronics, IT, and Biotechnology.

Creating Regional Tech Powerhouses

Through plug-and-play infrastructure and cluster-based development, the state is nurturing regional innovation hubs. Kharge noted that clusters in cities like Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Udupi-Manipal, Mangaluru, and Kalaburagi are emerging as viable alternatives to metro-based operations.

To facilitate this, the government has introduced the concept of Nano GCCs. “If somebody wants to see how the ecosystem is in Mysuru, we have a building. We’ll give you all the infrastructure that is required,” Kharge explained.

These smaller, more agile GCCs typically focus on niche services or innovation-driven projects. This pragmatic approach helps decongest Bengaluru while creating new economic gravity centres across the state.

The impact is already visible in export numbers. “Mangaluru exports close to around ₹3,000–4,000 crore annually in IT exports. Mysuru is exporting close to ₹3,000 crore. Belagavi is exporting close to ₹1,200 crore. So we have created these clusters,” the minister said.

Data from a Zinnov-Nasscom report supports this trend, showing that tier-2 and tier-3 cities housed about 7% of total GCC units in FY2024, an increase from 5% in FY2019. These Nano GCCs are projected to grow by 15-20% by 2025, with a surge of 25-30% anticipated in subsequent years.

The Competitive Edge

While Hyderabad hosts 355 plus GCCs, Mumbai and Pune together continue to host 720 plus GCCs reportedly, Karnataka is confident in its leadership.

Also, GCC policies across other states, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, reveal distinct sectoral strengths shaped by each state’s economic priorities and ecosystem maturity. 

“Competition is increasing. We love competition. It keeps us on the edge, keeps us on our toes,” Kharge said. He explained that Karnataka has set benchmarks by leading with comprehensive policies across sectors like IT, Biotech, EV, GCC, Space, AVGC, and R&D.

The data speaks for itself. “Last year, my IT exports were ₹4.5 lakh crore. The closest is my neighbour Telangana with ₹2.1 lakh crore,” Kharge stated.

Indeed, Karnataka’s 875+ GCCs outpace every other Indian state. The strategy to embed growth across districts may be its most transformative move yet. 

Kharge stated that over the next three years, the government plans to implement a significant local economic acceleration initiative, aiming to establish region-specific anchors in every sector to promote their activities

The post Inside Karnataka’s Quiet but Powerful Push to Decentralise GCCs appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

In June, Tesla launched Robotaxis in Austin, Texas, marking its first commercial use of fully autonomous driving technology. Known as full self-driving (FSD), this technology has been under development for nearly a decade, facing several setbacks along the way.

The automotive industry is evolving beyond its traditional role of merely transporting people from one place to another. With AI at its core, cars can now respond to drivers’ needs in real time.

Beyond the vehicles being fully autonomous, there is an emerging emphasis on interior assessments, keeping the occupants in mind. Besides its user-friendly interface, Robotaxi offers a personalised experience to passengers. However, its services are still in the early phase of development.

Recognising the importance of an empathetic connection between the driver and the vehicle, Harman, a Samsung company, has developed some innovative technological solutions.

In an exclusive interview with AIM, Krishna Kumar, MD and SVP of Harman India, said the integration of AI in cars is no longer just about performance. “It’s about building a deep, emotionally intelligent connection between the driver and the vehicle,” he said. 

Typically, automotive product development takes three to four years from concept to launch. To accelerate this process, the company developed solutions that significantly reduce the time required for software development and productisation, bringing it down to just 18 to 24 months.

He added that Harman’s product portfolio is increasingly focused on embedding advanced AI capabilities that go beyond enhancing the driving experience.

Beginning in 2025, HARMAN, launched its Ready product portfolio, which infused vehicles with a brain, senses, and a voice.

Harman’s Ready products are designed to enhance the in-cabin experience, utilising AI and machine learning to deliver a seamless, context-aware service that drivers and passengers expect. 

These products not only enable faster deployment but also support both software and hardware upgrades. For example, a customer who purchased a car in 2005 or 2010 might still appreciate the vehicle itself in 2025, but outdated features—such as cassette or CD players—make it feel obsolete. 

The company’s approach ensures that such products can evolve with changing technology and consumer expectations.

The company claims that the Ready series, including Ready Engage and Ready Care, ensures that the in-car environment isn’t just functional, but deeply connected to the requirements and well-being of the driver.

An Intuitive Experience

Ready Engage includes a smart personal assistant named Luna. It utilises AI and machine learning to provide a level of intuition and understanding that traditional car technology has never been able to achieve. 

Harman’s Luna system can assess the heart rate, stress levels, and cognitive load to detect driver fatigue. “Our products can sense fatigue based on your vital parameters,” Kumar said.

Luna takes action instead of just warning the driver. For example, if the system detects fatigue, it might recommend a nearby coffee shop where the driver can take a break, even suggesting their preferred brand. 

Harman utilises data to understand individual needs, taking into account previous interactions and adjusting to preferences accordingly.

While many vehicles today prompt the driver to take a break after a set period of continuous driving, Luna’s system is tailored to each individual. If one does not feel tired but the system detects that cognitive load is high due to stress or external distractions, it will act accordingly, offering suggestions for taking a break or directing you to a safe and calm place to rest.

Agentic AI plays a crucial role in this. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into cars, it allows vehicles to make autonomous decisions, guiding the driver through complex situations in a way that feels deeply personalised and intuitive. 

“We are seeing a 20-30% improvement in productivity with the use of GenAI models in our products. It’s helping us enhance user experience, making it not just about driving, but about the entire in-cabin experience,” Kumar explains. 

At the heart of this empathetic interaction is data, specifically predictive data analysis used to understand and respond to the driver’s emotional and physical state. 

The data collected from various feeds helps understand human behaviour in stressful situations, such as distracted driving, urgent calls, or even the mental effort involved in solving a riddle while on the road. 

The AI system analyses these behaviours and predicts when a driver might need a break, as well as offers real-time solutions to ensure their safety and comfort.

Harman’s India GCC

Currently, Harman’s automotive division employs around 4,000 people, with the majority based in Bengaluru, which serves as the main hub. There is also a centre in Pune. While collaboration with global teams is essential, “the core critical work that happens for the products and the projects happens out of India,” Kumar added.

With regard to hiring, the company follows a dual hiring model. It recruits fresh graduates directly from colleges and enrols them in internal training programs. After completing the training, these recruits are absorbed into live projects.

In addition to campus hiring, the company also brings in lateral hires from a variety of other organisations. 

Given that much of their work lies in niche areas, it is often difficult to find exact talent matches. As a result, the company typically hires candidates with relevant potential and, “where required, we also skill them up and then continue with them,” Kumar revealed.

Harman primarily looks for individuals with a strong computer science background in engineering, especially because much of the work is in the embedded systems domain.

The post This Company is Turning Cars into Your Empathetic Companions appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

As India advances towards its ambitious net-zero carbon target by 2070, the spotlight is firmly on electric, autonomous, and connected vehicles. 

According to reports, India’s electric vehicle (EV) sector is projecting significant expansion in 2025, with domestic automakers set to launch nearly a dozen new models, mainly in the premium segment. 

This momentum continues despite a global slowdown in EV demand, with India’s EV sales rising by 20%. The government has set ambitious targets to increase the share of EVs by 2030: 30% of private car sales, 70% of commercial vehicles, 40% of buses, and an impressive 80% of two- and three-wheelers.

To support this transition, Union minster Piyush Goyal launched the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, showcasing India’s aspiration to become a global leader in electric mobility.

However, these mobility solutions call for more than just conventional mechanical engineering. They call for an integrated approach, inclusive of merging systems engineering, electrical design, and digital simulation to accelerate development cycles and maximise performance.

In this virtual twin, leveraging AI-driven simulations is an effective way to predict outcomes.

In an interview with AIM, Deepak NG, MD, Dassault Systèmes, India, said, “In mobility, virtual twins are used to refine vehicle performance, by testing different designs and materials digitally.”

He added that they also play a critical role in advancing autonomous driving and traffic management by simulating real-world scenarios for safer and more efficient transportation.

Dassault Systèmes, a French multinational software corporation, develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and other 3D-related products.

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform is enabling both OEMs and startups to virtually design, simulate, and validate everything from battery packs and electric drives to complete vehicle systems. This virtual approach reduces time-to-market and ensures safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

How to Make a Difference in R&D Space

The company supports this transformation with its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which integrates real-world data with tools like CATIA, SIMULIA, and DELMIA for advanced modelling and simulation. 

The platform is deployed across sectors like healthcare, pharma, infrastructure, and mobility, underscoring its impact on cross-industry innovation and sustainability.

Startups like Simple Energy have leveraged this platform to deliver breakthrough EV products in record time. This is an example of how virtual engineering can reduce dependency on imported components while encouraging indigenous innovation.

“To further strengthen this ecosystem, R&D must include model-

based systems engineering (MBSE), additive manufacturing, and a digital thread that provides real-time traceability across the product lifecycle,” the MD said.

He further explained that these digital-first R&D models support cost and energy efficiency, aligning with government-backed initiatives such as FAME II, the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, and Make in India.

Role of 3DEXPERIENCE Lab in India

The 3DEXPERIENCE Lab in India is an innovation strategy enabler that allows startups and entrepreneurs to ramp up the development of transformative solutions in healthcare, cleantech, and mobility. 

“Through access to state-of-the-art simulation, design, and collaboration capabilities, the lab helps early-stage companies progress quickly from idea to ready-for-market product,” Deepak said.

Beyond technology, the lab connects startups to a global network of innovation, offering mentorship, expertise, and exposure that can significantly amplify their impact. 

He explained that whether it is developing diagnostic technologies for the underserved or designing the next-gen sustainable mobility solutions, the lab enables purpose-driven innovation with worldwide applicability. 

Located in Pune, the lab functions as an open innovation hub and startup accelerator, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The lab supports these entrepreneurs by providing advanced software tools, expert guidance, and a collaborative ecosystem that includes partnerships with initiatives like Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and other stakeholders across academia, industry, and government.

What About Workforce Readiness?

However, Deepak believes that the journey to atmanirbharta also requires investments in workforce readiness.

“We have many partnerships, such as TANCAM in Tamil Nadu, which trains engineers in battery modelling, motor design, and functional safety standards,” Deepak revealed.

Furthermore, the MD added that democratising digital engineering tools for tier 2 and tier 3 cities is key to unlocking grassroots

innovation and empowering local talent to address region-specific challenges.”

To further this mission, the company is actively strengthening partnerships with Indian academic institutions through a variety of structured initiatives. 

The company’s initiative in association with state governments like Telangana, Assam, and Tamil Nadu focuses on setting up a centre of excellence that offers students a virtual experience of a “factory floor” or “aircraft hangar” without stepping into one.

The post How This Company Powers EV Innovation Through Virtual Twins appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

While cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune have long been GCC magnets, Madhya Pradesh has now jumped into the fray with its ambitious GCC policy. The newly launched framework aims to position the state as a serious contender among tier-2 cities, offering talent, infrastructure, and generous incentives to attract companies looking to set up tech and operations hubs.

Madhya Pradesh has a strong presence in IT/ITeS, automobile, geographic information system (GIS), pharmaceutical, and textile industries. For these industries to grow faster, the state intends to attract sector-specific GCCs to support specific industries. 

With this policy, the state aims to attract more than 50 GCCs, targeting the employment of over 37,000 direct employees.

In an exclusive conversation with AIM, Sanjay Dubey, additional chief secretary ,the government of Madhya Pradesh, said, “We are not competing with Bengaluru, Pune or Noida. We know they have a first-mover advantage and established ecosystems. But among tier-2 cities, we want to be the best in terms of ease of living, ease of doing business, infrastructure, and most importantly, talent.” 

The state is positioning Indore and Bhopal as core hubs, with ready spaces and policies designed to fast-track the setting up of GCCs.

Dubey clarified the government’s strategic approach to attracting GCCs, emphasising a multi-sectoral focus and a realistic assessment of its positioning. “We will definitely be focusing on finances and on multi-sectoral GCCs, which are looking not only for a particular kind of operation, but are also into multiple domains,” Dubey said.

The state is sharply focused on leading the pack among tier-2 cities, which includes being best-in-class across several parameters.

In fact, with IT/ITeS exports tripling in the past three years, the state has witnessed an impressive average growth rate of 43%. The presence of over 5 SEZs, 15+ IT parks, and 150 ESDM units, coupled with more than 2 lakh skilled IT/ITeS professionals, creates a conducive environment for IT businesses. 

The growth is not limited to specific regions. However, cities like Indore, Bhopal, and Jabalpur are emerging as major IT hubs, housing numerous IT/ITeS units, including BPO/BPMs.

Talent Is the Backbone, and  MP Is Betting on It

The state’s strong emphasis on education, with about 300 engineering colleges producing well over 50,000 tech graduates annually ensures a steady supply of skilled talent. Additionally, the booming automobile and pharmaceutical sectors necessitate specific GCCs to address their evolving technological needs.

The real hook, as Dubey mentioned, is talent. With its strong base of institutes like IIT Indore and IIITs in Gwalior and Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh is leaning on its youth. “There is a readiness among our talent to come back. Many students from here are already working in Bengaluru or Pune. Now we want them to return,” he stated. 

To ensure students are job-ready, the government is partnering with global tech companies like Meta, Amazon Web Services, Barclays, and L&T Mindtree to offer AI and deep-tech skills courses.

“Barclays is helping with fintech, Meta with AI-enabled services, and CA Unity with XR and gaming. We’ve also tied up with institutions like IIT Delhi to cover the spectrum—from ITI to engineering colleges,” Dubey explained.

He also revealed that instead of waiting for companies to scout and set up their own spaces, the state is working with developers to offer plug-and-play infrastructure. Several developers are already in advanced talks.

“GCCs don’t come on their own. They want developers to offer ready, standardised spaces. We’ve facilitated that, and we’ll soon see announcements of new centres in Indore and Bhopal.”

Dubey’s ultimate goal is: “Out of the 2400 GCCs expected in India over the next few years, around 1800 are already in India. My vision is for Madhya Pradesh to get the maximum out of the remaining 600.”

Building Centres of Excellence

Recognising the growing demand for deep-tech capabilities, the state is setting up centres of excellence (CoEs) across sectors.

MP is actively building a robust ecosystem for deep-tech innovation through the establishment of multiple CoEs. These include a Deep AgriTech CoE at IIT Indore, developed in collaboration with CDAC, ICAR, and MIT, which aims at advancing agricultural technologies. 

A dedicated drone technology CoE is being set up in partnership with IISER and the Drone Federation of India, focusing on manufacturing, navigation, and image analysis capabilities.

The state is also in the process of launching a semiconductor CoE to strengthen its presence in the electronics and chip design space. 

Additionally, an AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality) CoE is operational at the Global Skill Park in Bhopal, supporting next-generation media technologies and skill development.

To ensure these initiatives move fast and remain nimble, the state is forming Section 8 companies to run the CoEs, keeping them free from bureaucratic delays.

“These CoEs will be run by professionals from industry and academia, not government officials. We are borrowing from what worked in other states, and learning from what didn’t,” he added.

Space Tech Policy on the Horizon

Dubey revealed that MP is preparing to roll out a Space Tech Policy by August 2025. The policy will focus on the state’s strong areas, like academic infrastructure and ready talent.

He further said that IIT Indore is offering BTech, MTech, and PhD in spacetech, and the government is actively engaging with ISRO-linked startups and industry stakeholders regarding the Space Tech Policy.

The state aims to align this with the central government’s broader space policy and fill gaps that others may not have addressed.

The post Madhya Pradesh Joins the GCC Race, But Isn’t Playing the Same Game appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

AI agents are quickly becoming a standard in various industries. According to a recent LangChain report, while 51% of companies are already using AI agents in production, 78% have plans to adopt them in the near future. 

Originally rooted in robotic process automation (RPA), which handles simple, repetitive tasks, AI in the supply chain is now evolving rapidly. 

Today’s AI agents go beyond task automation—they’re capable of managing entire workflows, adapting in real time and supporting decision-making across logistics, procurement, and inventory.

Manhattan’s Alternative Approach

While many vendors are racing to build AI agents for their clients, Manhattan Associates—a global technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce—has chosen a different route. 

Manhattan Associates India Development Centre is the largest GCC with over 2,000 employees, having started with just five employees in 2002.

Rather than pre-building large sets of agents, the company has introduced Manhattan Agent Foundry—a platform that enables clients to create their own agents, tailored to specific needs and workflows.

“You can write your agent, you can take our agents, you can mix and match, you can work with it,” Ushasri Tirumala, executive vice president and GM, India at Manhattan Associates, said in a recent interview with AIM.

“That is the philosophy that we have. We are not announcing we will do 200 agents or whatever. We are going to provide the critical agents for you to understand and leverage them, and then you can develop your own.”

What Makes Manhattan Agent Foundry Stand Out

Agents built on the Manhattan platform are powered by large language models (LLMs) and integrated into a cloud-native, microservices-based API architecture. These AI agents are not just reactive—they can orchestrate processes, adjust dynamically to real-world conditions, and communicate across systems.

Notably, Manhattan’s agents are designed to interoperate with third-party agents, adhering to standards like A2A and MCP. This means enterprises can mix Manhattan-built agents with those developed or acquired elsewhere, creating a truly interconnected, AI-driven ecosystem.

“Customers would have the ability to get the information when they want, however they want, and to make decisions,” Tirumala shared.

“It is very important for companies because it would help in certain areas so that you don’t need to do the kind of context jobs…using more skilled manpower that would go away,” she added.

Tirumala confirmed that these agents are being integrated across all Manhattan product lines, with broader availability planned by this fall. 

A Unified View of the Supply Chain

Manhattan’s product philosophy revolves around unification. From demand forecasting to order and transportation management, the focus is on creating a cohesive view across supply chain operations.

“More and more today, we are talking about unification. It is not enough if you look at one transportation management or distribution management,” Tirumala explained. “You have to have a total view, and [know] how to bring that visibility to people who are planning, using, etc. That is what we are bringing.”

Manhattan’s broader product strategy already includes several key innovations aimed at improving supply chain intelligence and customer experience. 

These include Manhattan Active Supply Chain Planning (MASCP), designed for advanced forecasting and supply optimisation, and the Enterprise Platform Framework (EPF), which enables seamless omnichannel visibility.

Manhattan Active Maven, a generative AI solution tailored for next-generation customer service, and Manhattan Assist, an AI-powered assistant that provides contextual guidance on product functionality, API structures, and more.

Furthermore, Manhattan’s move into AI didn’t happen overnight. The company began investing in AI years ago and even developed its own machine learning platform.

“Even a couple of years back, we had developed our own machine learning platform,” Tirumala noted.

Talking about LLMs, Tirumala revealed that Manhattan also maintains a strong partnership with Google, hosting its solutions on Google Cloud and leveraging Google’s AI infrastructure.

“We do not stick to one LLM,” Tirumala added. “We work with Google in a big way. We work with Google platforms. So, our solutions are also hosted on the Google Cloud.”

Bengaluru for Scaling 

Manhattan Associates takes a deliberate and focused approach to team structure. Unlike companies with multiple development centres across the globe, Manhattan operates from just two primary locations—the United States and India—with over two-thirds of its R&D workforce based in Bengaluru.

“We are not in the tens of thousands in number. And we believe that product development requires very close working together,” Tirumala said “We cannot have one centre here, another centre somewhere else…That will be quite difficult.”

Tirumala mentioned that an earlier internal study even explored adding a third development hub, but the findings supported sticking with Bengaluru as the optimal location.

“We looked at whether it is worthwhile establishing another centre from a talent perspective, not for anything else. And then that study came back with the finding that being in Bengaluru is the best thing. Not even Mysuru at that time,” she said.

With a lean team of just over 2,000 employees, Manhattan India handles not only R&D but also customer support and product-based services—from implementation to lifecycle support.

“Product-based services, the implementation of that, the extension of that, and improving whatever the customer wants from their work perspective—all of those things are carried out here,” Tirumala noted.

Note: The headline has been updated to improve clarity and reader understanding.

The post Why Manhattan Associates Wants Its Clients to Build AI Agents appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

While GCCs (global capability centres) are riding high in India, the reality is not all sunshine and rainbows. The challenge of employee retention continues to plague the tech and GCC sectors.

In 2022 and early 2023, as reported, offer dropouts (no show) in the tech sector was as high as 40%, and infant exits (employees leaving within six months) were also notable, ranging from 10% to 15%. 

Even though the number of offer dropouts has decreased due to a shift in demand, the supply-demand balance in tech hiring remains skewed.

GCCs, in particular, have been experiencing higher infant exits, which can be attributed to culture-related issues. Alouk Kumar, founder and CEO at Inductus Group, told AIM that the retention crisis in GCCs is a multifaceted challenge rooted in workforce expectations, structural organisational limitations, and hyper-competitive market dynamics. 

Today’s GCC professionals, he said, particularly those in early- to mid-career stages (typically 2–10 years of experience), exhibit a high degree of mobility, driven by a desire for accelerated careers and diverse, high-impact experiences.

Talking to AIM, Roop Kaistha, regional managing director–APAC, AMS, said, “In greenfield GCCs, specifically, employees join with high expectations due to a salary hike, often causing a mismatch between their expectations and the company culture.” 

Greenfield GCCs at Risk

Greenfield GCCs are those that are still in their formative stages, and employees joining these centres may often find themselves facing challenges that are not reflective of productivity expectations. 

Kaistha pointed out that the assumption that cost-cutting through offshoring would automatically lead to one-to-one productivity fails in practice. When it comes to new GCCs, employees may feel isolated, especially compared to their counterparts in well-established tech companies.

She also added that the offer dropout rate in greenfield GCCs can still be as high as 20% (as per her prediction) if companies don’t focus on sustaining new hires. 

“The infantile exit rate at these centres can range from 8-10%,” Kaistha noted.

Moreover, creating a thriving global culture within these GCCs requires delicately balancing local cultural nuances, particularly when employees work directly with foreign counterparts. 

According to an analysis of over 145 companies that established GCCs in India in the past 30 months, 40% of the leaders of these centres came from other GCCs, 17% from IT services companies, and 24% were internal leaders. 

“When a company is building a GCC, sending someone from the HQ or an experienced Indian leader abroad for a short period to embed the [international] culture in the GCC can work well,” Kaistha added.

Moreover, the GCC sector’s high demand for talent also contributes to retention challenges, as competition among GCCs is intense while the talent pool remains limited. Kaistha noted that new hires, especially those under probation, are often targeted by competing GCCs looking for employees with shorter notice periods. 

Changing Job Roles 

With AI joining the workforce, entry-level, mundane, and repetitive jobs are gradually being phased out, making way for mid-level positions that require more domain expertise, business logic, and skills. This shift is quite visible in the Indian GCC market, where the culture and team dynamics are evolving.

Talking to AIM, Nipun Sharma, chief executive officer, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, commented that this retention crisis demands innovative solutions beyond traditional hiring approaches.

“For some of our clients, we have seen a huge shift where almost 60% of the roles used to be volume-based, involving junior hires with 1 to 3 years of experience,” Kaistha explained.

Meanwhile, GCC employees cite limited visibility into long-term career pathways as a primary reason for seeking external opportunities. This is compounded by rigid hierarchical structures in some GCCs, which often fail to offer the dynamic growth trajectories that ambitious professionals demand, prioritising stability over transformational opportunities.

“When professionals begin their careers through apprenticeships, they develop an intrinsic understanding of the company culture and processes while acquiring industry-relevant skills in emerging technologies like AI/ML,” Sharma said.

Beyond everything, the ‘war for talent’ in the GCC ecosystem is intensifying, more than ever before, particularly for niche skills in AI, ML, cloud architecture, and data engineering.

The post Talents Walking Out—and GCCs Are Taking Notice appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Beyond the projected economic boom, GCCs in India are emerging as a major catalyst for cultural change as well. By establishing innovation hubs, they are enabling innovation, agility, and grassroots transformation in the country.

According to a Nasscom report, a talent pool of over 120,000 AI/ML professionals and over 185 dedicated AI/ML COEs is helping build specific use cases. The more mature GCCs are further developing expertise in full-stack development. 

The report highlights that engineering, research and development (ER&D) GCCs have grown 1.3 times faster than the overall GCC growth rate, indicating a shift towards higher-value and more complex work in India.

Evernorth Health Services is supporting this transformation on the ground by embedding the startup mindset into its operations. This approach encourages rapid experimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and a willingness to adapt quickly to change. 

Organisations can drive continuous innovation by promoting accountability, reducing hierarchical barriers, and fostering a culture where employees are empowered to take initiative and learn from failure, just like startups.

In an exclusive interaction with AIM, Ashok Venkatachalam, MD, Evernorth Health Services, said, “We are enabling a startup culture and mindset by opening an innovation lab. We have signed an MoU with Vardhaman College of Engineering. This gives us an opportunity to bring that innovation and startup mindset with engineering grads.”

Evernorth Health Services, part of the Cigna Group, offers comprehensive solutions in pharmacy, care, and benefits. Venkatachalam added that the organisation began actively partnering with students and involving them in ongoing projects. 

This initiative bridges the gap between academic learning and corporate experience, providing students with practical exposure to complement their theoretical knowledge. Working closely with internal teams, the students gain firsthand insight into real-world applications, fostering a startup mindset and culture of innovation.

The company inaugurated its lab last November, and the initiative has already gained momentum. Currently, 40 engineers are engaged with the lab, contributing to meaningful outcomes while learning how to make a real impact in a corporate setting. 

Transforming the Ecosystem

Additionally, the organisation is collaborating with the local healthcare innovation ecosystem, seeking to support and partner with emerging players making strides in the sector.

Venkatachalam highlighted that the GCC is exploring the creation of a dedicated healthcare consortium. This would involve collaboration with the government and local healthcare companies based in and around Hyderabad. 

In parallel, the organisation is in talks with universities to develop academic programmes focused on US healthcare. Recognising that many students lack exposure to the intricacies of the US healthcare system, the organisation aims to introduce specialised electives and courses. 

These would cover essential topics such as the roles of payers, providers, hospitalists, and the functioning of the insurance ecosystem.

While students are expected to acquire technological skills through existing curricula, this initiative is designed to strengthen their domain and functional knowledge. 

Similarly, Kalavathi GV, executive director and head of the global development centre at Siemens Healthineers, pointed out that the company aims to close the gap between academia and industry by sending professionals to engage with educational institutions. 

Moreover, the company is exploring ways to collaborate with institutions such as Manipal Academy of Higher Education to improve the syllabus and ensure it aligns with current industry needs. The company is also partnering with Nasscom to focus on upskilling initiatives. 

Arindam Sen, partner, EY, told AIM, “The solution really is that at the grassroots levels, more and more companies need to participate and develop academic courses that suit their needs. And I think that is already happening. There are collaborations with established engineering schools and other great initiatives. But leaving it solely to the government is a difficult task.”

Building an Innovation Engine for the Future

GCCs in India are aggressively betting on their COEs for cutting-edge AI-driven innovations.

Evernorth, operating within the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) space in the US, is strategically implementing AI with a clear ethical boundary. Hyderabad is the company’s key innovation hub, serving as a “grassroots innovation place” to pilot solutions before scaling.

“The cost of talent compared to other markets definitely brings an added advantage,” he added while talking about Hyderabad as a strategic location.

Partnerships with Microsoft, OpenAI, Stanford, and MIT—mainly driven by US teams—are leveraged globally, recognising that “every use case is different and it’s changing so rapidly now.”

Venkatachalam mentioned that the company focuses on 90% technology. Furthermore, generative AI is a major focus, with efforts centred on identifying use cases, testing them, and embedding capabilities within the software lifecycle to “deliver much faster,” using tools like GitHub Copilot.

Internally, as Venkatachalam explained, Evernorth has developed a proprietary AI platform with LLMs trained on in-house data, including “claims data” and “labs data”. These are refined in an iterative, test-and-learn model to support wellness and predictive health. A “restricted gateway” allows approved users to “test and learn” within a secure environment.

Emerging Talent Strategy

Currently, the organisation is in a foundational phase, thereby focusing on building an agile team.

Venkatachalam added that a core goal is to operate “across horizontal team(s), not a vertical team,” thereby enabling global talent to contribute flexibly across domains. For instance, talent currently working in the claims space due to immediate demand may tomorrow be redeployed to areas such as provider services, pharmacy, or PBM. 

This horizontal movement allows the organisation to “retain talent” while enabling individuals to “expand their domain knowledge in addition to their technical skills”.

The company is also putting in place consistent engineering practices across functions—standardisation in “engineering, release management, DevOps, testing, [and] development”—so that regardless of whether someone works on the claims team, provider team, or pharmacy team, “you do it in the same way as any other person does”.

The organisation is also investing heavily in GenAI capabilities. Venkatachalam revealed that there is already a centre of excellence with “around 60” team members dedicated to GenAI, with plans to expand by “another 50–60 team members” in 2025, especially in India. 

This team will support both the CoE and the development of new AI-based solutions in collaboration with technology and operations teams.

Individual development teams are also beginning to incorporate GenAI into their workflows. Tools like GitHub Copilot are being used to enhance coding productivity, and innovations such as automated test case generation are already in the MVP phase. 

“We’ve already tested that; it’s in an MVP now. We are now trying to finalise it and take it to production.” Venakatachalam added, “Once operational, the entire thing will be automated… from a test case design standpoint.”

On the development front, teams are already experiencing “30–40% efficiency gains,” allowing the organisation to “do more work with the same head count”.

The post How This Hyderabad-Based GCC is Engineering a Startup Culture in India appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

With a mature, cost-effective, and innovation-driven talent pool, India is home to over 1,700 GCCs today. This number is expected to cross 2,975 by the end of FY2024.

However, this rapid growth brings along a pressing challenge: a widening skills gap in emerging technologies.

While the demand for AI/ML engineers and other specialised professionals is soaring, traditional education systems often fail to keep pace with evolving industry needs. As a result, businesses are increasingly struggling to find talent equipped with future-ready capabilities.

According to LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report, nearly half of learning and development leaders acknowledge a skills crisis within their organisations. Notably, 49% say that company executives are worried about their teams lacking the necessary skills to execute business strategies effectively.

GCCs, however, have taken the lead in reshaping the talent market. By investing in AI-focused apprenticeships and internship programs, GCCs are creating a steady pipeline of highly skilled professionals. 

These initiatives also help companies reduce hiring costs, improve employee retention, and foster a culture of continuous learning.

Siemens Healthineers

Among the GCCs based in India, Siemens Healthineers is working to bridge the gap between academia and industry by involving experienced professionals in academic engagement and collaborating with institutions like the Manipal Academy of Higher Education to align curricula with current industry needs. 

The company is also partnering with NASSCOM to support upskilling initiatives. 

In the healthcare space, Siemens Healthineers plays a crucial role in driving innovation within its parent organisation. Currently, about 54% of its global software workforce is based in Bengaluru, comprising a team of 3,500 professionals. Over the next 12 to 18 months, the company plans to expand this team by adding between 900 and 1,200 new members.

Daimler Truck

Daimler Truck, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles, operates its GCC—Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India (DTICI)—from Bengaluru, where it was established three years ago.

The organisation sources talent at all levels through a range of channels, maintaining strong partnerships with premier academic institutions and hiring both fresh graduates and postgraduates. It also recruits actively from the local ecosystem, including other GCCs, technology firms, and service providers. 

Over the years, DTICI has invested in building a strong employer brand, clearly communicating what prospective employees can expect. The message is consistent: employees have the chance to work on cutting-edge technologies, contributing to innovations that enhance products and customer value. 

Wayfair

Wayfair, a Fortune 500 online home retailer, is taking a distinctive approach to talent recruitment in India. Having entered the Indian market from a technology perspective just over two years ago, the company made rapid strides, hiring around 130 team members in its first year and growing to 300 by the end of Q1 2024. 

Today, Wayfair’s Technology Development Centre (TDC) has expanded to 550 employees, with plans to reach a headcount of 700 by 2025. A key element of its talent strategy is a six-month internship programme that provides students with practical, hands-on industry experience. 

Recognising that Indian universities produce strong engineers with largely theoretical training, Wayfair seeks to bridge this gap by offering real-world exposure. The company partners with institutions such as Plaksha University and BITS Pilani, while also maintaining an open application model for students from any university. 

Notably, 80% of interns from last year’s cohort were converted to full-time employees, reflecting the programme’s success and the company’s commitment to long-term talent development.

Zinnia

In the past year, Zinnia India, a technology company with deep expertise in the insurance sector, significantly expanded its presence by doubling its workforce following the acquisition of part of Ebix, a firm specialising in life and annuity support services. 

This strategic move increased the company’s headcount in India from around 750 to approximately 1,500 employees. Today, the expanded team includes over 1,200 professionals focused on product development, engineering, and project management, along with more than 500 service personnel handling operational functions. 

CEO Josh Everett highlighted Zinnia’s tech-driven approach to talent acquisition, which prioritises diverse backgrounds over traditional insurance experience. 

For example, the company recently hired a professional from the aerospace industry, demonstrating its openness to talent from various sectors and life stages. Zinnia emphasises technological capabilities and supports its hires through continuous on-the-job training. 

Everett noted the critical role of data interpretation and how perspectives from other industries, such as aerospace, can bring fresh insights to the insurance space.

Sabre

Sabre India a global leader in travel software and technology, is also redefining talent development by offering early career engagement, impactful internships, and continuous upskilling.

At the heart of this strategy is Hyperjump, Sabre’s flagship six-month internship program that goes far beyond traditional models. Integrated into the academic curriculum of leading institutions, Hyperjump immerses students in real-world projects and intensive training, preparing them to contribute meaningfully from day one. 

With a near-100% conversion rate to full-time roles, and nearly 30% of all new hires coming through campus recruitment, Sabre is actively shifting from lateral hiring to investing in early talent.

Beyond internships, Sabre’s commitment to upskilling spans the entire employee lifecycle. Through global and local innovation events, technical certifications, and leadership programs like the New People Leader Experience, employees are continuously equipped to grow and lead. 

Personalised learning paths—delivered through strategic partnerships with top learning platforms—ensure team members can upskill on their terms.

The post How GCCs are Defining the Talent Ecosystem appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Bengaluru is home to over 30 IT parks spread across the city, each playing a role in shaping India’s tech landscape. For ages now, Whitefield in the east of Bengaluru has been the key location for major tech parks as it houses hubs like International Tech Park Bangalore (ITPB), Brigade Tech Park and others.

However, the 31-km stretch of Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Hebbal to Central Silk Board is another prominent tech zone of Bengaluru. According to reports, ORR is the only stretch that has seen enormous growth in the past decade, much more than any IT hub.

Upon closer examination, it’s evident that the region is currently experiencing a significant transformation, evolving into a prominent global capability centre (GCC) corridor. 

With over four lakh professionals working across fields like AI, semiconductors, fintech, and digital health, ORR has become a magnet for the world’s top technology companies. Major players like Google, NVIDIA, Visa, Qualcomm, and Amazon all operate within a few square kilometres of each other, creating a vibrant network of innovation and collaboration.

Talking to AIM, Karthik Padmanabhan, managing partner, Zinnov, said, “ORR hosts some of the most mature and impactful GCCs in India. These centres do much more than support global headquarters; they lead product development, drive innovation, and handle advanced engineering work.”

He added that the region benefits from unmatched access to top tech talent, a strong network of service providers, an energetic startup scene, and improving infrastructure, including new Metro connectivity and top-grade commercial buildings.

Embassy TechVillage: A Flagship of ORR

One of the standout developments on ORR is Embassy TechVillage, owned by Embassy REIT. Spread across 103 acres, it’s designed as a complete business ecosystem. 

Around 90% of its rental income comes from multinational companies, and over 50 leading firms operate from this campus, employing more than 50,000 people. The park includes everything from modern offices and custom-built facilities to landscaped gardens and a large sports zone. 

One of the most notable examples of the several GCCs at the Embassy is the 1.1 million square feet office space built for JP Morgan Chase & Co, which was completed in August 2023. 

The tech park also houses companies like Wells Fargo and Flipkart.

Source: Embassyofficeparks

To improve movement and access, the park has a dedicated traffic lane for pick-ups and drop-offs, along with walking and cycling tracks lined with trees. A skywalk connects the park to nearby areas, improving pedestrian access and reducing traffic.

Embassy REIT has also committed to investing ₹100 crore to fund the Metro ORR Project, which will support Bengaluru’s urban infrastructure development. 

The investment will contribute to the construction of the Kadubeesanahalli Metro Station on the ORR, which will be named ‘Embassy TechVillage Kadubeesanahalli Metro Station’ for a period of 30 years from its commercial operation date. 

Embassy REIT and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) signed a definitive agreement on February 28, 2025, for the development of this new Metro station along the ORR corridor. 

The Metro ORR Project, undertaken by BMRCL, is a major infrastructure initiative that spans 17 km from Central Silk Board Junction to KR Puram. This corridor, which includes 16 stations, aims to enhance connectivity for thousands of commuters in Bengaluru’s key business districts, including the landmark Embassy TechVillage business park.

The park is also home to an 8-acre Central Garden, open-air green spaces and sports zones. It also features food courts, retail outlets, and breakout spaces.

A new 518-key dual-branded Hilton hotel is also coming up on the campus, adding to the hotel services.

Hub for Innovation

Embassy REIT told AIM that Embassy TechVillage has about 50% GCC occupancy. For instance, Eli Lilly opened its capability centre, Eli Lilly Services Pvt Ltd, in Bangalore in January 2016. The centre allows the company to take advantage of unique drug development capabilities found in India.

Rubrik, a US-based cybersecurity company, has recently set up its office in the park, intending to focus on product innovation.

Some of the other major GCCs in the park are Intuit, Warner Bros, Quest Global, Sony, Rockwell Collins, Fractal Analytics, and more.

Global Technology Park & More

Meanwhile, Global Technology Park, another prominent IT campus located on ORR in Marathahalli, Bengaluru, is home to a diverse range of companies spanning IT/ITES, semiconductors, and other sectors. Notable organisations based here include Yazaki India, Tessolve Semiconductor, Wissen Infotech, Ondot Systems India, EPAM Systems and others.

RMZ Ecoworld is yet another IT park that caters to both multinational companies like Honeywell as well as startups.

Cessna Business Park, also known as Prestige Cessna Business Park, is home to some of the big GCCs such as Walmart, Sapiens,  Citibank, GE Healthcare and Akamai Technologies.

More than Tech 

ORR is fast evolving into a living, working innovation district. IT campuses such as Manyata Tech Park, Embassy Tech Village, and Prestige Tech Park have become microcosms of the GCC economy — integrated mini-cities with workspace, residential clusters, F&B zones, and leisure options. 

This smart-city-like ecosystem enables convenience, boosts productivity, and enhances employee well-being, giving employers a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent.

“What makes ORR especially compelling is its real-estate agility – it offers something for everyone. From co-working spaces and agile workspace formats suited for fast-scaling mid-market GCCs to expansive tech parks built for global enterprises, ORR supports every stage of a GCC’s lifecycle,” Padmanabhan said. 

For global organisations, he added, ORR is not just about operational scale – it’s about strategic value. It stands as the blueprint for next-generation GCCs: integrated, innovation-led, and future-ready.

Bharath M, vice president at Everest Group, said, “What we are seeing in ORR sort of resembles the agglomeration economics concept – businesses clustering where there is a shared traffic, visibility, and infrastructure. It’s easier to get noticed – even if they are competing.”

However, there is also an ongoing trend of techies shifting towards north Bengaluru, predicting the bulk of new office space that will be developed over the next five years in those areas.A Reddit users commented that, “The tech corridor in ORR and Whitefield has peaked and as the connectivity with the metro improves in Bangalore, the centre of axis from Bangalore will move from the current east direction, towards the north.”

The post How Bengaluru’s ORR Became a GCC Magnet appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

With AI rewriting the playbook of talent acquisition, BFSI GCCs, which are projected to exceed 250 by 2030, up from the current 120, are transforming workforce dynamics. 

According to Careernet, a leading talent solutions provider, nearly 50% of BFSI GCCs already have an employee base exceeding 1,000, while 15% employ over 10,000 professionals. 

To keep pace with this rapid growth and the industry’s demands, organisations are ramping up hiring across a wide range of areas, including technology, analytics, next-gen capabilities, infrastructure, functional expertise, and operations. 

However, what truly sets this transformation apart is the sector’s increasing shift away from traditional domain silos.

With data and AI-driven technologies at the core, talent is now evaluated not by industry background alone, but by adaptability, digital fluency, and problem-solving potential. This makes cross-sector mobility and industry-agnostic hiring the new normal.

Anuj Khurana, CEO and co-founder of Anaptyss, a digitally enabled managed services company, told AIM that the critical skills these centres are looking for include programming languages like Python and R, risk management frameworks, AI and ML proficiency, and descriptive analytics.

Talking to AIM on this, Josh Everett, CEO of Zinnia India, a technology company with deep insurance expertise, stated that the company’s approach to talent acquisition is rooted in a tech-driven mindset that values diversity in experience over traditional industry alignment.

“We hired somebody…three months ago from the aerospace industry,” he explained. “We’re finding people from different industries, at different stages in life, with different experiences. It’s not everybody just with insurance [background]. The focus is on technological capabilities, and then we help train and develop them in our industry through ongoing on-the-job training and development.”

Everett also highlighted the central role of interpreting data, especially when drawing parallels between aerospace and insurance. This helps in bringing a fresh perspective to the sector.

How Automation is a Big Play For Zinnia in India 

“Automation is a big play here in India for us in order to remove the human touch, which improves our quality and improves real-time interaction,” Everett explained.

He added that the company has three major go-to-market products, all of which are actively being developed by their global teams including India.

Talking about Zinnia’s products, Everett highlighted Zinnia Now—a solution that introduces a UI/UX layer that sits on top of systems of record. This solution provides a single pane of glass for consumers, agents, carriers, and internal folks to interact with the record on file. 

Another key product, Zinnia Launch, focuses on drastically accelerating product deployment timelines for carriers. 

As Everett puts it, it’s about using data, AI, and the latest and greatest technology to help carriers launch products lightning fast. “It used to take one year to 18 months to launch a new product. With Zinnia Launch, we’re able to launch products within three months.”

The third product, Zinnia Market Connect, is designed to bridge the gap between consumers and financial professionals. 

Zinnia Market Connect allows consumers to connect with advisors and financial professionals to find the right product, educate themselves on the product, apply for the product, and ultimately get it in force.

Everett emphasised that all of these innovations are being actively supported by India team. 

Moreover, the India team is spearheading chatbot development and intelligent automation. The company’s business operating procedures are digitised through a ChatGPT-like feature.

AI Agents to Reduce Friction

The focus, Everett explained, is on eliminating friction in customer engagement and delivering custom fit solutions and services.

To attain this, the company leverages AI agents. “We do about…1.5 million call summaries on an annualised basis on every call that comes in. We drive that through analytics so we understand what capability we could provide you on a portal that would answer your question versus a call,” he added.

The company is also working towards enabling chatbots to proactively reach out to customers and talk to them about their questions.

Furthermore, Everett explained that the broader role of AI in the organisation is in data strategy. 

Zinnia uses large language models (LLMs) to analyse call data. “We are building LLMs—the AI call summaries I talked about leverage large LLM models that help us take that, understand sentiment, understand agent propensity to recall, understand consumer propensity to recall, understand did we answer it, what could we have done better?”

The company leverages multiple different models and continues to learn from them and advance from them. Zinnia’s teams in Pune and in Bengaluru are helping develop and continue to expand the capabilities of the digital ledger.

10x Plus Growth Every Year

Zinnia has experienced consistent growth of over 10% year-over-year, with some years seeing significantly higher expansion.

In the previous year, the company notably doubled its workforce in India following the acquisition of a portion of Ebix, a firm known for its life and annuity support services. This strategic move increased Zinnia’s employee count in India from approximately 750 to around 1,500.

The expanded team now includes over 1,200 associates focused on product development, engineering, and project management. In addition, there are more than 500 service personnel delivering various operational capabilities.

The post Inside the AI-Driven Hiring Wave in Insurance appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Since 2015, India’s global capability centres (GCCs) have seen a dramatic shift in reputation, as evident in the growing number of global roles based in India.

The number of global leaders, as Karthik Padmanabhan, managing partner, Zinnov, told AIM, has increased from just over 115 in 2015 to more than 6,500 today. These leaders encompass diverse business functions such as product management, digital strategy, data science, and risk governance. 

By 2030, this number is predicted to hit 30,000, fuelled by the aggressive integration of digital technologies across industry verticals.

However, this shift is not limited to incremental progress; it represents a rudimentary change in how Indian GCCs are viewed and leveraged globally. 

As Ekroop Caur, secretary of electronics and IT, the government of Karnataka, pointed out in an interview with AIM, “In Bengaluru alone, we have more than 2000 global roles, which means that people sitting out of Bengaluru are managing that segment of the business for the company across the globe.”

This sharp rise compels us to ask a pivotal question: What has changed to shift India’s positioning from cost arbitrage to skill arbitrage—and now to leadership arbitrage?

The answer lies in the strategic adoption of digital technologies, particularly AI, ML, and GenAI. Indian GCCs have embedded them deeply into their functions, enabling real-time decision-making, personalised customer experiences, predictive analytics, and innovation at scale.

As a result, GCCs in India are now repositioned as global innovation hubs. 

The number of global roles also reflects the confidence that global companies now place in their India-based centres. With access to deep domain expertise, scalable talent, and world-class AI infrastructure, these GCCs are disrupting every industry, from fintech and telecom to healthcare and retail.

AI as a Catalyst for Strategic Growth

Within GCCs, as per Zinnov data, 78% are investing in GenAI training programs, and 37% are running pilots to test AI-driven learning applications in real time. This suggests that digital upskilling is now a core mandate.

Resonating the same, Snigdha Ghosh Ray, VP of banking & payment at Diebold Nixdorf, told AIM that AI is no longer a choice for Indian GCCs, it is an imperative. It is the Brahmastra that will define the next era of leadership, innovation, and enterprise-wide value creation.

“Over the past decade and a half, my experience in senior global roles across Diebold Nixdorf, PayPal, and ADP has reinforced one undeniable truth: the early adoption of AI/ML and GenAI by India’s GCCs accelerates strategic value creation,” she added.

Adding a word of caution, Jay Doshi, MD, corporate units, digital & India at BT Group, told AIM, “It’s not merely about automating tasks but fundamentally reshaping how we operate and deliver value.”

A standout example, according to Doshi, is BT’s AI-powered ‘Ask Me Anything’ platform, which equips employees with instant access to information, reducing delays and enhancing productivity. By embedding AI across functions—from product development to customer service—BT Group has created a seamless and intelligent operational backbone.

Talking about the AI-first approach, Ray also mentioned that “AI/ML and GenAI have redefined our capabilities, allowing us to transcend traditional product development and drive game-changing business outcomes.” 

She added that the company’s AI-enabled chatbot reduced customer issue resolution times by 60%, while knowledge management bots increased operational efficiency by 400%, drastically cutting the cost-to-serve. 

GenAI and copilots have streamlined compliance with network scheme mandates, shrinking timelines from weeks to days. 

Leadership and Responsibility on a Global Scale

Previously, in an interview with AIM,  Raja Jamalamadaka, country head and board director at Roche Information Solutions India, said, “Future global leaders will not simply manage teams in one location but oversee diverse, cross-cultural teams worldwide.” 

These leaders must see the big picture—spotting industry shifts, understanding geopolitical changes, and finding new business opportunities.

In the next five years, Jamalamadaka believes the success of digital centres will be measured based on how many global roles they contribute and the value they generate.

Padmanabhan added that several executives with global mandates have played pivotal roles in transforming GCCs into strategic hubs, having built and scaled global functions across multiple organisations. Their ability to lead with empathy, context, and commercial clarity has redefined what it means to “lead from India”.

As the leader of digital experiences for over 100,000 colleagues worldwide, Doshi expressed that his role involves much more than managing technology infrastructure. 

This encompasses strategic initiatives like modernising ERP systems, driving collaboration through digital tools, and setting the technological direction for the organisation. One of the key milestones in his career at BT has been unifying fragmented ERP systems into a single SAP platform—streamlining operations across finance, HR, and payroll.

Ray added, “Throughout this journey, my approach to customer-centric solutions has undergone a paradigm shift, embracing a data and AI-first mindset. It has required continuous learning, regulatory awareness, and fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation.”

“The most notable testament to success was the creation of the global chief data scientist role in India GCC,” she concluded. This inflection point is the result of a decade-long maturity curve of both the ecosystem and its leaders.

Even though the Indian GCC ecosystem has matured over the years, as Padmanabhan added, currently, only around 9-10% of GCCs operate at the final maturity level.

As Padmanabhan mentioned, the biggest shift has been from team structuring to product ownership, which accounts for 40% of such GCCs.This means decision-making capabilities have grown significantly within these centres, with stronger leadership, better team structures, and greater ownership of product portfolios.

The post These GCC Leaders are Fast-Tracking to Global Power with AI appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Over 15% of all global capability centre (GCC) employees in India are involved in the healthcare and life sciences sector, reflecting the sector’s growing importance within the country’s global services landscape, according to recent reports.

Moreover, a significant share—over 55%—of these GCCs are backed by US-headquartered companies, underlining the sector’s strong international roots. 

Geographically, around 85% of healthcare and Life Sciences GCCs are concentrated in four major hubs: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR. Bengaluru leads with nearly 33% of the total centres, followed closely by Hyderabad and Mumbai. 

Notably, around 20% of these centres have expanded their footprint across three or more cities, signalling a trend towards multi-city operations. Hyderabad, in particular, has recently emerged as a rising star in this sector, driven by attractive government incentives, modern infrastructure, and a rich talent pool. 

Some of the top companies based on GCCs headcount in India are Novartis, Pfizer, Abbott, Siemens Healthineers, and Eli Lilly.

AIM is hosting the most powerful GCC event, MachineCon GCC Summit 2025, from June 20 to 22, 2025, at the ITC Grand in Goa.

Novartis

Over the past two decades, Novartis’ development hub in India has grown significantly, now operating three advanced centres across two major cities. In Hyderabad, the company has a strong presence at both the Novartis Corporate Centre and Genome Valley, while a newer centre has been established in Mumbai. These centres play a key role in supporting the development of breakthrough medicines across a wide range of therapy areas, including cardiovascular, oncology, immunology, neurology, and global health.

The India hub supports several global functions such as global clinical operations, technical R&D, patient safety and pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, and advanced quantitative sciences, among others. For over 12 years, Novartis has steadily expanded its technical R&D operations in Genome Valley. Today, more than 350 highly qualified scientists—including master’s, PhDs, and post-doctorates—are actively contributing to the pharmaceutical development of new chemical entities.

With a team of around 2,400 employees across its development division in India, this hub plays a vital role in driving Novartis’ long-term growth and advancing its mission to improve and extend people’s lives.

Pfizer

Over the decades, Pfizer has introduced many of its global, breakthrough treatments across major therapeutic areas while also building one of India’s most recognised local brand portfolios, benefiting millions of patients and consumers.

Pfizer operates in India through three legal entities: Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Products India Private Ltd, and Pfizer Healthcare India Private Limited.

Across these entities, more than 5,500 colleagues are engaged in commercial operations, global manufacturing, R&D, and other functions—all united in Pfizer’s mission to prevent, treat, and cure some of the most pressing health challenges facing India and the world.

Pfizer’s footprint in India includes three manufacturing plants, two R&D centres, and six regional hubs for commercial operations and global support functions. 

Pfizer Healthcare operates a world-class sterile injectables manufacturing facility in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh—one of Pfizer’s largest of its kind globally. This plant supplies critical medicines to over 30 countries.

In Chennai, Pfizer Healthcare also runs a state-of-the-art R&D centre focused on small molecules. The centre employs top scientific talent and plays a key role in global research, development, and technical support for the commercial manufacturing of parenteral products.

Abbott

Established in 1910, Abbott India is a publicly listed company and a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company has a workforce of over 14,000 and deep-rooted local expertise. It is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of consumers, patients, healthcare professionals, hospitals, blood banks, and laboratories across urban and rural India.

As a market leader in pharmaceuticals, nutrition, medical devices, and diagnostics, Abbott offers a broad and trusted portfolio. This includes more than 400 pharmaceutical brands, a wide range of nutritional products tailored for infants, children, active adults, and individuals with special dietary needs, and advanced medical devices such as blood glucose monitors and vascular solutions. In addition, Abbott provides comprehensive diagnostic tools that support timely and accurate healthcare delivery.

Siemens Healthineers

The Development Centre at Siemens Healthineers in India functions as a microcosm of the global organisation, complete with an extensive laboratory setup. The company takes pride in the fact that nearly every product or solution it delivers has roots in India, with the Development Centre playing a central role in its creation and maintaining full ownership of the development process.

In key areas such as CT, MRI, and molecular imaging, the India team contributes significantly to both scanner development and post-processing technologies. Moreover, the team plays a vital role in artificial intelligence initiatives, handling essential tasks such as data mining, annotation, and other related activities.

Siemens Healthineers has a long-standing manufacturing presence in India, producing medical devices for over 60 years. As part of its continued commitment to innovation and growth, the company is investing €160 million (approximately ₹1,300 crore) in expanding its Development Centre in Bengaluru, which is scheduled to open this year.

With a workforce of around 7,000 employees in India, Siemens Healthineers credits this team with having a profound impact on its global innovation pipeline—so much so that today, every product from Siemens Healthineers is said to have “India inside”.

Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly and Company established the Lilly Capability Centre India (LCCI) in 2016 as a cross-functional hub designed to harness the power of data, content, analytics, and technology. Located in Bengaluru, the centre serves as a strategic partner to support Lilly’s global operations and drive innovation.

Currently employing 3,372 people in India, Eli Lilly is expanding its presence with the launch of a second capability centre in Hyderabad. The new facility, also named Lilly Capability Centre India (LCCI) Hyderabad, will focus on cutting-edge areas such as automation, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and cloud computing.

The Hyderabad centre is being developed to strengthen Lilly’s global capabilities by enhancing efficiency and accelerating the development of next-generation medicines through advanced technologies and data-driven insights. Recruitment for the new centre is already underway, with plans to onboard between 1,000 and 1,500 professionals, including technology engineers and data scientists.

The post 5 GCCs Driving Pharma and Healthcare Innovation appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

In recent years, GCCs in India have evolved into AI innovation hubs for their parent companies in tier-1 cities. They are now expanding beyond major metropolitan areas to access the abundant talent pools available in tier 2 and 3 cities.

Recently, a report by Instahyre further found that cities like Chandigarh, Jaipur and Indore (among other talent-rich metros) are becoming prominent destinations for product talent. These locations are projected to witness 2x-3x growth in hiring compared to 2024.

These cities present an appealing mix of lower operational costs, robust infrastructure, a skilled talent pool, and supportive business policies, making them ideal for companies aiming to establish or expand their operations.

Mysuru

In close proximity to Bengaluru, Mysuru is emerging as a promising and cost-effective hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), offering business potential and operational savings. With established IT players like Infosys, Wipro, and L&T Tech already present, and lower living costs compared to Bengaluru, the city is attracting attention from companies looking to expand beyond metro markets. 

Mysuru has a skilled talent pool from local engineering and management institutions, a disciplined workforce, and improving infrastructure, including expressway and rail connectivity, and an expanding airport. As Bengaluru continues to dominate India’s GCC landscape, a natural spillover into nearby Mysuru is expected. IBM has already led this trend by launching its Client Innovation Center (CIC) in the city, offering hybrid cloud and AI consulting services, signalling the city’s growing role in India’s tech ecosystem.

AIM is hosting the most powerful GCC event, MachineCon GCC Summit 2025, from June 20 to 22, 2025, at the ITC Grand in Goa.

Lucknow

The Uttar Pradesh government launched the Global Capability Centres (GCC) Policy 2024 to attract Fortune 500 companies and increase foreign direct investment. The policy includes a range of incentives, such as land subsidies, exemptions on stamp duty, and capital and operational subsidies, to promote the setting up of GCCs in cities like Lucknow.

The GCC Policy 2024 also highlights the government’s plans for an AI City in Lucknow (40 acres), which will further enhance UP’s infrastructure offerings. 

IBM has announced plans to open a new Software Lab in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to accelerate innovation in generative AI and agentic AI. The facility will be located at Platinum Mall in Sushant Golf City and is part of IBM’s broader expansion efforts in India.

Coimbatore

Known as the “Manchester of South India,” Coimbatore’s strong industrial heritage in automotive, aerospace, precision engineering, and medical devices provides an ideal base for developing and testing digital twin technologies. 

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) specialising in manufacturing, embedded systems, and automation are key contributors, offering practical support for prototyping and scaling innovations in smart factories, aerospace components, and medical technology.

Bosch has been a pioneer in tapping into Coimbatore’s ecosystem for over 12 to 15 years, driving innovation by combining its industrial expertise with advanced digital technologies. The company has effectively utilised the local talent pool, SMEs, and academic institutions to create sophisticated automation solutions, smart manufacturing systems, and AI-driven industrial applications.

Similarly, SLB, a global technology company, has established a strong presence in India by strategically recruiting fresh engineering graduates from top institutions nationwide and blending their skills with digital expertise. Their success highlights how companies can leverage Coimbatore’s engineering and IT talent to build future-ready Global Capability Centres.

Jaipur

The prime reason Jaipur is emerging as a key hub for GCCs in India is its strategic location, strong connectivity, and well-developed infrastructure, including IT parks and Special Economic Zones like Mahindra World City. 

The city benefits from a skilled talent pool produced by institutions such as MNIT and the University of Rajasthan, supported by government initiatives and incentives through agencies like STPI. 

Leading companies like Dotsquares have established GCCs in Jaipur, highlighting its growing importance in IT and digital services. 

Kochi

The Kerala Global Capabilities Centre (GCC) Framework aims to establish Kerala as a leading hub for global business and technology innovation. The framework leverages Kerala’s strategic location, advanced infrastructure, and skilled workforce to attract global firms.

 It focuses on emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, quantum computing, and photonics, positioning the state as an Emerging Technology Hub with strengths in agriculture, space, renewable energy, digital media, and healthcare. 

Kerala supports over 6,200 startups and fosters innovation through initiatives like IEDCs and LEAP. The framework also emphasises inclusive growth and is developing policies to transform companies into Global Technology Centres (GTCS) in the era of AI and advanced tech.

A major IT park in Kochi, InfoPark, houses over 580 companies, including global giants like TCS, Wipro, and Cognizant, employing around 70,000 professionals.

Indore

Ranked fourth in the Ease of Doing Business Ranking 2023, the state of Madhya Pradesh provides affordable business operations and living costs that are less than half of those in metropolitan cities. 

With approximately 300 engineering colleges producing over 50,000 tech graduates annually and a talent pool of more than 2 lakh skilled IT/ITeS professionals, Madhya Pradesh houses an abundant, English-speaking workforce. With this, Indore, the populous city in the state, is turning into an education and service hub. 

Additionally, the state also hosts a large industrial land bank comprising over 120 industrial areas, five SEZs, and 15 IT parks, making it an attractive hub for global business operations.

Chandigarh

Chandigarh is emerging as a preferred destination for companies establishing GCCs in India. The city offers a compelling mix of advantages, including a robust talent pool, cost-effective infrastructure, and attractive tax incentives. With a population exceeding one million and a high literacy rate, Chandigarh provides access to a large and skilled workforce capable of supporting diverse industry needs.

The city’s state-of-the-art infrastructure—a strong optical fibre network and modern office spaces—ensures reliable connectivity and smooth operations. The city’s thriving startup ecosystem further promotes innovation and collaboration, fostering a dynamic business environment.

The local government actively champions the growth of the IT sector by offering various incentives, creating a business-friendly atmosphere. Additionally, the availability of affordable real estate allows companies to establish operations without incurring heavy costs.

Initiatives such as the Microsoft Innovation Centre also bolster the local tech landscape.

The post 7 Emerging GCC Hubs Beyond Bengaluru appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Data engineering is shifting from reactive maintenance to intelligent automation. As enterprises grapple with constant schema changes, growing data volumes and evolving source systems, there is a growing push to make pipelines more adaptive and resilient. At the heart of this shift is the use of AI agents, not as replacements for engineers, but as tools that reduce manual intervention and bring consistency to everyday operations.

While speaking at AIM’s event DES 2025, Manjunatha G, engineering and site leader at the 3M Global Technology Centre, laid out a practical path to integrate AI agents into data engineering workflows.

“Transformation in data is going to be an easy change if we embrace the technology,” he said. However, the change he referred to isn’t flashy. It’s incremental, often mundane, like moving from 10 fields to 12 in a schema, or switching a source system from mainframe to SAP. “These are the kind of standard changes [which every company faces],” he noted.

Schema Changes are Constant

Manjunatha pointed out that schema evolution is inevitable as businesses change. “New dimensions of the data will be introduced,” he said. Traditionally, such changes trigger a long series of updates including source definitions, mapping documents, transformation logic and destination schemas.

He offered an alternative by introducing AI into the pipeline. Specifically, the use of large language models (LLMs) with carefully crafted system prompts. “This change can be done with any full-stack developer or data engineer who knows how to develop and ingest data pipelines,” he said.

He described a setup using prompts to define what the LLM should do. “Be very clear,” he advised. For example, one might instruct the system to ingest only if the file is in CSV format, or to log instances where data volumes exceed 20 MB. With such guardrails in place, a pipeline can dynamically detect new fields, validate them, and update the destination schema, without manual intervention.

“It is self-healing,” he said. “Instead of updating the mapping, transformation engine, and destination schema manually, we can make it totally dynamic.”

System Prompts are Key

The success of this approach depends on the quality of system prompts. “System prompt is where the trick is. User prompt is very easy to build,” he said. A robust system prompt ensures consistent behaviour across pipeline executions and helps reduce hallucinations.

Manjunatha explained how system prompts can also embed controls for schema validation. For instance, new fields can be compared against a gold dataset before they are accepted. This prevents spurious changes from corrupting downstream data.

Beyond Schema, Volume and Business Logic

AI agents are useful for more than schema handling; they can track ingestion volumes, latency, and error rates. Manjunatha shared an example in which the system flagged increased latency and volume, automatically prompting further investigation.

“Please do something,” the system might prompt, indicating a need for action. “And you can only ask what needs to be done,” he said, reinforcing that this is about augmenting engineers, not replacing them.

He also mentioned how these methods can support live transactional systems. Predictive models could be layered onto smart pipelines to forecast demand surges or prevent stockouts.

Small Change, Large Impact

Manjunatha’s message was clear: small code changes backed by AI logic can lead to significant operational improvements.

“Most of the data pipelines, the schema changes are going to be the common scenario,” he said. “Change is minimal. The impact is going to be big.”

Manjunatha emphasised practicality. This approach works across tooling—whether Terraform, ERP tools, or ingestion frameworks—and can be embedded as a lightweight step in existing pipelines.

He urged organisations to begin experimenting. “Wherever there is an opportunity, try to leverage this thought process.” With proactive monitoring, smart prompts, and validation logic, data pipelines can evolve into intelligent systems—less fragile, more responsive, and better aligned with business needs.

The post At 3M, AI Agents are Making Data Pipelines ‘Self-Healing’ appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.