In Part 1 of this leadership series, Nayeema Kouser — Centre Head GCC at Sinch — shared foundational mantras for building high-performing GCCs, covering everything from strategic alignment and talent development to culture and metrics. She laid out what it truly takes to transform GCCs from cost centres into strategic hubs of innovation.
In this second and concluding part, we zoom out to explore India’s rising stature in the global GCC landscape. Nayeema unpacks the sectoral trends, emerging city ecosystems, and enabling policies that are redefining India’s value proposition — and shares her vision for how next-gen leaders can thrive in this rapidly evolving environment.
GCC Pulse: With new locations and policies emerging, how do you view India’s evolving position as a hub
for next-generation GCCs?
Nayeema: India’s evolving position as a hub for next-generation GCCs is both strategic and transformative. Here’s a breakdown of how and why India is becoming increasingly central to this global trend:
–Shift from cost arbitrage to capability hub: Historically, India attracted GCCs (formerly called captive centres) due to its cost-effective talent pool. However, the narrative has significantly shifted from cost arbitrage to Innovation & R&D and end-to-end ownership, taking full lifecycle responsibility for products and services, not just support roles.
– Talent and demographic advantage – deep talent pool: India produces over 1.5 million engineers annually and has a robust STEM ecosystem, many GCCs in India are now led by leaders with global experience, enabling strategic alignment with headquarters, and India ranks among the top in digital skills and adaptability, which suits evolving tech demands
– Emerging tier-two cities: Locations like Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Ahmedabad are growing as alternatives to traditional hubs like Bengaluru and Gurugram; these cities offer lower attrition, cost advantages, and improved infrastructure, making them attractive for new GCC entrants.
– Government and policy support: PLI (Production Linked Incentives) and Digital India initiatives are boosting tech-driven investments, Liberalised FDI policies, data protection laws (e.g., Digital Personal Data Protection Act), and improved IP regulations build investor confidence, and state-level incentives are driving investments in emerging cities.
– Ecosystem maturity: A mature startup ecosystem and vibrant tech vendor base allow GCCs to co-innovate with Indian startups, academia, and service providers. Partnerships with universities and R&D institutions help GCCs build domain-specific talent pipelines (e.g., in biotech, semiconductors, and fintech).
- Despite some of these advantages, there are a few challenges to watch out for
- Attrition and talent retention remain concerns, especially in highly competitive skill areas
- Infrastructure and urban congestion in Tier-1 cities may limit expansion
- Ensuring cybersecurity and regulatory compliance in a more data-sensitive global environment is critical
The outlook for India continues to be incredibly positive and transformative. India is no longer just a backend engine—it is evolving into a global strategic node for digital innovation, AI-led transformation, and sustainable scaling of global businesses. As GCCs embrace agility, platform thinking, and cloud-first approaches, India’s role as a next-gen capability powerhouse is only expected to grow stronger over the next decade. Among the sectors to watch out for are:
Emerging Next-gen Capabilities
- BFSI (Banking, Financial Services & Insurance)
- Blockchain pilots for trade finance, smart contracts
- Cybersecurity operations centres (SOCs) with 24×7 surveillance
- Development of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reporting tools
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- AI in drug discovery and diagnostics (e.g., using bioinformatics, image recognition).
- Precision medicine and genomics research support.
- Use of digital twins and IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) to simulate health outcomes.
- Retail and Consumer Goods
- AI-driven personalization engines
- Digital supply chain optimization with IoT + real-time analytics
- Sustainability metrics tracking and carbon footprint monitoring tools
- Technology and Software
- Autonomous systems, AI copilots, gen AI-based support bots, and edge computing are being developed here
GCC Pulse: What excites you most about your new role at Sinch, and how do you see the India GCC contributing to the company’s innovation journey?
Nayeema: My vision for Sinch is to create an organization that is “To be a world-class Global Capability Centre that drives innovation, delivers transformative value, and empowers talent to co-create the future of our enterprise — from the heart of India to the world”.
GCC Pulse: What advice would you give to young professionals aspiring to build leadership careers within the GCC ecosystem?
Nayeema: Here’s my advice, structured around mindset, skills, behaviours, and strategic moves to help you stand out and grow:
- Think Beyond Tasks — Understand the Business
- Build a Strategic & Global Mindset
- Embrace Technology & Continuous Upskilling
- Cultivate People Leadership Early
- Build Operational & Change Agility
- Develop Stakeholder Management Skills
- Make Yourself Visible
- Personal Reflection
GCC Pulse: If you had to describe your leadership philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?
Nayeema: “A leader is someone who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way”.
India’s GCC story is no longer just about scale — it’s about strategic depth, capability maturity, and future readiness. As new sectors surge, policies align, and tier-2 cities emerge on the map, GCCs are entering their next growth curve.
For leaders like Nayeema, this is not just an opportunity but a responsibility — to build GCCs that innovate locally and impact globally. And for the next generation of professionals, her message is clear: think boldly, lead authentically, and co-create the future from India, for the world.
Catch up on Part 1: Scaling Up: Mantras that Could Drive Hypergrowth-focused GCCs
