AI, business ownership and talent transformation will define the next wave of GCCs, say Sonoco India and Gainsight
India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are entering a new phase of evolution, where the focus is shifting from operational efficiency to enterprise wide innovation, AI adoption and business ownership. Industry leaders believe the next generation of GCCs will be judged not only by the work they deliver but by the strategic value they create for global organisations.
Speaking during an industry discussion, Arvind Chittora, Managing Director, Sonoco India GCC, said GCCs have moved well beyond their traditional role as cost and delivery centres.
“We evolved from a global capacity centre into a global capability centre by taking end to end ownership of projects. We also shifted from hiring for roles to hiring for capabilities and business knowledge. The next phase for GCCs will be built on TRP, Trust, Reliability and Partnership, with global headquarters.”
The discussion underscored that this transition requires more than expanding operational responsibilities. Organisations are increasingly rethinking talent strategies, leadership development and cross functional collaboration to enable GCCs to influence global decision making and business outcomes, rather than simply execute predefined tasks.
Chittora also said that the success of AI adoption would depend as much on employee confidence as on technology.
“An AI first workplace must augment employees’ skills, not threaten their jobs. Organisations need a culture of continuous learning because AI is changing faster than any previous technology.”
The conversation also reflected a growing industry consensus that AI adoption is moving beyond isolated pilots. Enterprises are increasingly embedding AI across engineering, operations, customer support and business workflows, requiring organisations to redesign processes while ensuring employees are equipped with the skills needed to work alongside intelligent systems.
For Anil Kumar Chalasani, EVP Technology & Operations and MD India, Gainsight, AI is fundamentally reshaping software engineering and enterprise operations.
“We’re building an agentic software factory where engineers steer the system while AI does much of the coding. What earlier took three or four weeks can now be delivered in 24 hours, enabling much faster innovation.”
He noted that AI driven software development is enabling organisations to accelerate product delivery and respond more quickly to customer requirements, while also requiring wider organisational transformation.
“AI transformation has to happen across the organisation. Upskilling is now critical because job roles are changing rapidly. The train has already left the platform. It’s only a matter of when you board it.”
The discussion reflects a broader shift taking place across India’s GCC ecosystem. As enterprises increasingly position their GCCs as strategic business units rather than delivery centres, the emphasis is moving towards business ownership, AI led innovation, connected enterprise ecosystems and continuous workforce development. While AI is accelerating engineering, operations and decision making, the next phase of GCC evolution is likely to be defined by how effectively organisations combine intelligent automation with human judgement, leadership and domain expertise.
