<p>Hyderabad: GCC leaders converged in Hyderabad on Wednesday as part of the second GCC Leadership Conclave, hosted by The Leadership Federation, exhorted that Indian companies aspiring to lead the next decade must boldly rethink how they approach balancing talent with AI-powered technology to improve how work gets done.</p><p>Over 300 senior leaders from global enterprises, government, academia, and innovation hubs held day long discussions as part of the conclave. Centered on the evolving role of India’s Global Capability Centers, the conclave explored how GCCs are transitioning from traditional support functions to becoming engines of enterprise innovation, value creation, and economic growth.</p>.US tariff to hit iPhone production expansion, electronics exports.<p>“India has the opportunity to cement its position as a global hub for innovation and excellence through a modern Global Capability Center network powered by AI. Companies aspiring to lead the next decade must boldly rethink how they approach balancing talent with AI-powered technology to improve how work gets done. India stands at a pivotal crossroads where its deep engineering expertise can be amplified through AI to shape the future of work,” said Dr Paul Roehrig, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Ascendion in his opening remarks.</p><p>“At Ascendion, we believe the next wave of Global Capability Centers will not just support enterprises—they will lead innovation. Building AI-first, experience-rich, and outcome-driven digital capability centers is how we prepare for the future, and India is central to that global vision.” said Ashwin Rao, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President at Ascendion.</p><p>Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary of Telangana Youth Advancement, Tourism and Culture, said that India has firmly established itself as the global hub for GCCs, and Telangana—especially Hyderabad—is emerging as its epicenter.</p><p>“A decade ago, Hyderabad was seen as a services destination today, we’re transforming into a true power centre for technology and innovation. But we cannot afford to get complacent. Feedback around talent quality and infrastructure shows there’s still room to improve. We’ve created consortiums in key sectors like finance and life sciences, with plans to expand into more emerging verticals. This collaborative approach not only strengthens the ecosystem but has helped reduce attrition. The next step is to move beyond scale and start delivering strategic value from these hubs,” he said.</p><p>The Conclave also tackled business transformation head-on in the session "Writing the New ROI Playbook for AI-Powered GCCs", where Anuprita Bhattacharya (Merck IT), Malahar Pinelli (7-Eleven), Manu Dhir (Stonex), and Shameel Sharma (PepsiCo) offered hard earned lessons on how the pace of ROI evolution is accelerating. The panel underscored that leaders must move from experimentation to scaled impact quickly.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: GCC leaders converged in Hyderabad on Wednesday as part of the second GCC Leadership Conclave, hosted by The Leadership Federation, exhorted that Indian companies aspiring to lead the next decade must boldly rethink how they approach balancing talent with AI-powered technology to improve how work gets done.</p><p>Over 300 senior leaders from global enterprises, government, academia, and innovation hubs held day long discussions as part of the conclave. Centered on the evolving role of India’s Global Capability Centers, the conclave explored how GCCs are transitioning from traditional support functions to becoming engines of enterprise innovation, value creation, and economic growth.</p>.US tariff to hit iPhone production expansion, electronics exports.<p>“India has the opportunity to cement its position as a global hub for innovation and excellence through a modern Global Capability Center network powered by AI. Companies aspiring to lead the next decade must boldly rethink how they approach balancing talent with AI-powered technology to improve how work gets done. India stands at a pivotal crossroads where its deep engineering expertise can be amplified through AI to shape the future of work,” said Dr Paul Roehrig, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Ascendion in his opening remarks.</p><p>“At Ascendion, we believe the next wave of Global Capability Centers will not just support enterprises—they will lead innovation. Building AI-first, experience-rich, and outcome-driven digital capability centers is how we prepare for the future, and India is central to that global vision.” said Ashwin Rao, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President at Ascendion.</p><p>Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary of Telangana Youth Advancement, Tourism and Culture, said that India has firmly established itself as the global hub for GCCs, and Telangana—especially Hyderabad—is emerging as its epicenter.</p><p>“A decade ago, Hyderabad was seen as a services destination today, we’re transforming into a true power centre for technology and innovation. But we cannot afford to get complacent. Feedback around talent quality and infrastructure shows there’s still room to improve. We’ve created consortiums in key sectors like finance and life sciences, with plans to expand into more emerging verticals. This collaborative approach not only strengthens the ecosystem but has helped reduce attrition. The next step is to move beyond scale and start delivering strategic value from these hubs,” he said.</p><p>The Conclave also tackled business transformation head-on in the session "Writing the New ROI Playbook for AI-Powered GCCs", where Anuprita Bhattacharya (Merck IT), Malahar Pinelli (7-Eleven), Manu Dhir (Stonex), and Shameel Sharma (PepsiCo) offered hard earned lessons on how the pace of ROI evolution is accelerating. The panel underscored that leaders must move from experimentation to scaled impact quickly.</p>