Telangana’s quiet revolution: How Hyderabad became the global GCC magnet

In an era where countries and states compete aggressively for the attention of global tech giants, Telangana has quietly rewritten the rules. Under the leadership of Sri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary of the ITE&C and Industries & Commerce Departments, Government of Telangana, the state hasn’t just welcomed Global Capability Centres (GCCs)—it has redefined how they thrive, scale, and integrate into the local ecosystem.

At the recent People Matters GCC Talent Summit 2025, which was held in Hyderabad, Ranjan delivered a keynote address on the theme “GCCs at an Inflection Point: Telangana's embrace of GCCs” where he spotlighted pragmatic innovation and state-enabled collaboration. More than statistics and slogans, his message revolved around one powerful truth: policy is personal when it listens.

GCCs: Beyond scale, toward value

Once primarily the domain of the Fortune 500 companies, GCCs are increasingly attracting mid-sized and emerging firms. And many are choosing Hyderabad as their go to destination. Ranjan for instance pointed to a telling example: “Citizens Bank from Rhode Island—hardly a household name in India—chose Hyderabad for its first GCC just months ago.” The message is clear: Hyderabad is no longer Plan B. It's becoming the strategic Plan A.

This shift is attributed to a combination of factors: strong talent density, infrastructure maturity, and state responsiveness. But Ranjan cautions against generalising India as a monolith:

“What we’re doing in Telangana isn’t just about infrastructure—it’s about intelligent listening and co-creating solutions with industry.”

Tackling attrition with empathy—and innovation

Employee turnover, especially among fresh graduates has long been the Achilles' heel of GCCs in India. But instead of offering hollow reassurances, Telangana responded with action, opting for a more targeted approach. .

One of the standout examples is the BFSI Consortium, an industry-led group that helped identify a critical gap in financial literacy among engineering graduates entering the financial sector GCCs. In response, the state collaborated with the consortium to introduce finance focused minors in engineering colleges across the state to ensure that engineering graduates gain practical knowledge before joining an organisation in the financial sector, leading to smoother onboarding. 

“We launched finance minors in over 100 engineering colleges, co-designed with the consortium itself,” Ranjan shared. Today, thousands of students graduate with both tech fluency and financial literacy, making them project-ready from day one. This kind of proactive skilling not only strengthens the talent pipeline but also addresses one of the most persistent challenges employers cited in 2023—ensuring talent attraction and retention in a shifting landscape. 

However, this approach also resulted in an even more unexpected conclusion wherein through regular consortium meetings, companies began to self-regulate poaching. As Ranjan put it:

“It became awkward to sit across the table from someone whose VP you just poached the day before. So they formed a gentleman’s agreement: no senior-level offers without prior consent.”

Attrition didn’t just decrease—trust increased. And the state never had to legislate a word.

This model showcases why India’s GCCs must rethink their talent strategy now to stay ahead in 2025—focusing not just on hiring, but on creating sustainable talent ecosystems grounded in relevance, collaboration, and long-term value creation

The Hyderabad model: Beyond BFSI

Encouraged by the BFSI success, Telangana is rolling out similar consortiums across sectors: Life Sciences, Media & Entertainment, Logistics, FMCG, and Engineering R&D. The goal is simple: let the industry lead, let the government enable.

And it’s working. Companies like Apple and Uber are scaling not just low-cost operations, but full-stack product innovation from Hyderabad. The old belief that GCCs in India handle only support functions is being challenged by on-the-ground developments in the state turning it into an outdated myth.

“GCCs today are capturing value, not just executing processes,” Ranjan emphasised. And with the blurred lines between GCCs and ER&D centres, Hyderabad is fast becoming the lab where global products are born, not just built.

Bridging cultures, rewiring mindsets

Ranjan didn’t shy away from softer but equally critical challenges, particularly cultural disconnects between Western HQs and Indian teams.

“In the U.S., collaboration is ingrained from childhood. In India, we’re conditioned to compete, not cooperate,” he said. This isn't just a schooling problem—it’s a systems problem. But Telangana’s solution is again rooted in dialogue, not problems.

By fostering real understanding between stakeholders—from student to CEO—the state is creating a GCC environment that doesn’t just function, but flourishes.

Final thoughts: The Telangana Model

What Telangana is building isn’t just a GCC hub, it’s a blueprint for nation-state innovation. It shows how responsive governance, industry partnerships, and cultural insight can work in concert to create ecosystems where talent doesn’t just exist, it thrives. 

Telangana’s playbook for GCCs isn’t a product of marketing spin or bureaucratic bravado. It’s a case study in responsive governance, intentional collaboration, and quiet confidence.

As Ranjan said with characteristic humility:

“The outcomes we’re seeing—lower attrition, faster onboarding, higher innovation weren’t always planned. They emerged because we listened.”

And perhaps that’s the ultimate leadership lesson from Telangana’s GCC revolution: listen first, act fast, and trust your ecosystem.