NTT DATA and The Mainstream have announced the launch of the India Global Capability Centre (GCC) Innovation Transformation Report 2025, a joint initiative aimed at decoding the evolution of India’s GCC ecosystem into a global innovation powerhouse. Announced during the GCC Converge Summit – Bengaluru Edition, the report explores how India’s GCCs are redefining value creation through AI-led transformation, innovation maturity, and leadership evolution.
Key findings
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India’s GCCs are maturing into global innovation engines, with about 40% already driving digital modernization, product co-creation and customer experience design. The next step is to standardize value monetization and measurement.
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AI is emerging as the defining differentiator, with almost every GCC investing in AI-led transformation. Maturity levels vary, with an almost equal distribution across four stages – exploration, piloting, functional integration and enterprise-scale operations, with 22–25% GCCs in each category.
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Despite India’s deep talent pool, a capability gap exists in end-to-end outcome ownership. Around 42% of GCCs cite a scarcity of specialized deep tech skills in their talent pool, which limits their ability to drive end-to-end outcomes.
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The ecosystem needs more product visionaries, technology strategists and innovation leaders who can translate ambition into global-scale impact. Over 70% of Indian GCCs are actively working to address this locally, with 42% already having structured leadership development programs in place and a significant 31% using a more informal mentor-mentee approach.
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GCCs are embedding ESG principles, green operations and responsible AI into their global mandates – aligning innovation with purpose.
India is home to nearly 2,000 GCCs employing close to two million professionals across sectors such as technology, engineering, consulting, manufacturing, and BFSI. Over the past decade, GCCs have evolved from cost optimization hubs to strategic centers of innovation, leadership, and digital transformation.
The focus has clearly shifted from operational efficiency to value creation and ownership. GCCs that integrate AI into core business processes are gaining a clear innovation advantage.
Commenting on the report, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India said, “We appreciate the India GCC Thought Leadership Report 2025 for its insightful portrayal of the crucial role Global Capability Centres play in strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem. The report clearly highlights how GCCs have evolved into strategic hubs driving digital transformation, advanced technologies and high-value talent development. Their growing contribution to global competitiveness and economic growth reinforces India’s position as a preferred destination for innovation-led enterprises and future-ready global organizations”
Leading GCCs are now designing frameworks to track innovation ROI, linking experimentation with enterprise value. They are increasingly focused on building cross-functional skills and leadership pipelines by accessing talent from multiple cities and training them for end-to-end accountability.
“The India GCC Innovation Transformation Report 2025 goes beyond standard metrics to capture the mindset behind what it takes to create a global-scale innovation hub. Through extensive dialogue with GCC leaders and in-depth research, we are seeing how India’s capability centers are evolving into the world’s innovation laboratories, where technology, talent, and purpose converge,” said Khushbu Soni, Co-Founder and CEO, The Mainstream.
“India’s Global Capability Centres are rapidly transforming into Global Innovation Centers, fueling enterprise-wide transformation. With the emergence of AI as a major differentiator, this report highlights a turning point in this journey. NTT DATA is proud to partner in amplifying the voices and ambitions of GCC leaders, equipping them with the insights, tools and skills to accelerate this shift. With vision and collaboration, India’s GCCs are poised to lead the world in shaping the future of enterprise and society,” remarked Avinash Joshi, Executive Managing Director, India, NTT DATA, Inc.
The research for the Report was built around three core objectives.
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Map the Transformation Trajectory: Understanding how India’s GCCs are transitioning from execution units to innovation powerhouses with end-to-end product mandates and global impact.
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Assess Growth and Future Potential: Estimating the scale and economic significance of India’s GCC network, while identifying emerging growth drivers across technology, talent, and strategy.
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Decode the Human and Strategic Levers: Capturing leadership perspectives on innovation, capability building, AI adoption and sustainability to understand the deeper intent behind this transformation.
This report draws from in-depth conversations with over 250 GCC leaders and practitioners across India’s major hubs, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Delhi. Respondents included Technology Leaders, GCC Heads, HR, Finance and Procurement Leaders, reflecting the sector’s strategic direction, operational challenges and innovation priorities.
The research adopted a hybrid, insight-led approach combining analytical rigor with qualitative depth. It included one-on-one interviews with GCC executives exploring transformation priorities, leadership culture and digital initiatives. This national survey mapped trends in talent, technology and operating models. Insights from Leadership Roundtables held as part of The Mainstream × NTT DATA GCC Converge Summit & Awards were also incorporated, alongside secondary research and benchmarking from industry reports and sector analyses. This approach ensured that insights are both data-backed and human-centred, blending analytics with lived leadership experience.
Read the report here: https://themainstream.co.in/gcc-innovation-transformation-report-2025-download/
