GCCs: Dinosaurs or Unicorns?

Are GCCs slow moving dinosaurs or fast paced unicorns? A high-powered group of industry leaders got together to debate this & other contentious questions related to the Global Capability Center ecosystem. Rajiv Gupta, Managing Director & Senior Partner who leads BCG India’s TMT practice, supported by Snehil Gambhir (Partner and Director, TMT) chaired the closed-door session aimed at developing a nuanced answer to these questions, and led to three key takeaways.

1. All said and done, is cost savings the real reason only for a GCC? Cost is a necessary 'seed capital' while setting up a GCC beyond which it has limited importance. The conversation then shifts to generating business value & scale.
2. Is it indeed all about scale and ‘FTEs’? Indian GCCs are synonymous with scale but this does not mean that 'Number of FTEs' is the objective function. Scale is a by-product of Indian GCCs achieving a higher 'degree of penetration' enabled by the availability of cutting-edge talent that can support a wide array of business functions.
3. Is there anything innovative about a GCC beyond scale and cost? GCCs continue to drive the enterprise's innovation agenda. Indian GCCs with their outcome-focused methods, with a mindset that has pushed the boundaries of innovation in a manner that is distinct from conventional global definitions.

The panel included industry leaders Aditi Shukla, Head of India Shared Services and Country Head India at AXA XL, Diwakar Singhal, Global Business Leader at Genpact, Giridhar Rajagopal, President at First American (India), Krishna Pera, Managing Partner at Proyojana Ascendant Solutions, Prateek Aggarwal, Chief Financial Officer at HCL Technologies, Priyaranjan Jha, Head of Global GBS operations at PepsiCo, Punit Sood, Head of International Hubs, NatWest Group and Chair-GCC Council at NASSCOM and Sudish Panicker, Managing Director & Head at BNY Mellon India.