The GCC at an inflection point: Why India’s role in global strategy is changing

In the world of global business, few trends have been as transformative as the emergence of India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) as strategic talent hubs. Once relegated to the margins of execution support, these centres are now moving into the heart of innovation, decision-making, and business transformation. In an in-depth conversation with Mitalee Dabral, Country HR Leader at Wayfair India, we explore the deeper shifts propelling this evolution — and what it means for talent, leadership, and the future of work in India.

A decade ago, the term “GCC” might have conjured up images of back-office support. Today, India houses nearly 3,000 GCCs, a testament to the country’s rise as the GCC Capital of the World. According to Dabral, this transformation is no accident but the result of a uniquely convergent ecosystem: rich talent availability, robust digital literacy, cost-effectiveness, and a strong foundation in emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and data engineering.

“India is no longer just about scale. It’s about the depth of specialisation across industries,” says Dabral. “We’re seeing Tier-2 cities emerge as dynamic nodes in this network — with expanding workforces, lower attrition, and affordable infrastructure.”

But beyond the numbers lies a structural shift: a maturing support system made up of expert service providers, streamlined talent acquisition models, and collaborative practices that fuel innovation. GCCs in India are no longer the ‘junior partners’; they are becoming integral to shaping global business strategies.

Reimagining Talent Acquisition in the AI Age

At Wayfair India, the pivot toward strategic value starts with a reinvention of talent acquisition. Dabral outlines a digital-first approach designed to attract niche tech talent in areas critical to innovation.

“AI-powered sourcing tools, virtual assessments, online hackathons — these aren’t just gimmicks. They are strategic levers,” she notes. “They allow us to tap into unconventional talent pools and identify skills that are not visible in a conventional CV.”

The company’s engagement with academic institutions and tech communities is equally telling. These partnerships don’t just feed the pipeline; they shape it. By co-creating learning paths and identifying new areas of capability, Wayfair positions itself as an employer of choice for forward-looking technologists.

Crucially, the same intensity applies to internal talent. Structured learning, mentorship programmes, and future-facing certifications are baked into the company’s upskilling ethos. In a high-growth, high-change environment, learning isn’t episodic — it’s constant.

One of the defining shifts across GCCs, Dabral argues, is the move away from functional silos toward product- and customer-centric team structures. The goal? End-to-end ownership of global functions, with local teams driving outcomes rather than executing tasks.

“Organisations must design for agility. Cross-functional squads aligned around customer journeys, not departments, are key to this transition,” she explains.

Wayfair, for instance, invests in domain-specific Centres of Excellence (CoEs) — in areas like data science, cybersecurity, and design thinking — that do more than execute. These CoEs serve as knowledge hubs, building global consistency while tailoring impact locally. It's a sophisticated balance of autonomy and alignment, allowing Indian teams to lead at scale.

However, unlocking strategic value hasn’t come without its challenges. Dabral is candid about the perception gap GCCs have had to overcome — particularly the view that they are execution centres rather than strategic co-creators.

“Changing that mindset has been one of the toughest challenges,” she admits. “It required sustained delivery, proactive ownership, and, most importantly, visibility.”

The solution lay in building strong local leadership and creating channels for direct engagement between Indian teams and global stakeholders. By fostering cross-cultural collaboration and championing thought leadership, Wayfair India has enabled its teams to move from ‘doing’ to ‘leading’.

The formula is simple but hard-earned: credibility follows impact, and impact follows ownership.

Inclusion at Scale: More Than a Buzzword

As GCCs scale, inclusion can become a casualty unless deliberately built into the growth model. Dabral sees this not as a compliance issue, but as a strategic imperative. At Wayfair India, the inclusion agenda is hardwired into the recruitment, development, and retention strategy.

“We monitor our recruitment funnel for gender diversity at every stage — not just the final hiring metrics,” says Dabral. “One of the most effective tactics has been engagement calls with senior women leaders during the hiring process. These have dramatically improved our conversion rates.”

Among the initiatives she cites is the Wayfair Returnship Programme, designed to help women re-enter the workforce after a career break through mentorship, hands-on projects, and upskilling. Events like the Career Pathways initiative, done in collaboration with myAvtar, have also served as vital platforms for senior women technologists to re-engage with the industry.

Further, employee resource groups such as “Women in Tech” create spaces for mentorship, community, and leadership development — while global leader interactions provide aspirational role models. The cumulative effect is a culture where inclusivity is not episodic, but embedded.

What Lies Ahead: Three Critical Trends

Looking ahead, Dabral is clear-eyed about the transformative trends that will shape the GCC landscape in India over the next three to five years.

1. Product and Innovation Ownership - GCCs are evolving into strategic nodes for research and development. This means full-cycle product ownership — from customer experience design to R&D and deployment. “It’s no longer about following playbooks; it’s about writing them,” she says.

2. AI-Led Enterprise Transformation - As AI and automation become central to business models, Indian GCCs will be at the forefront of operationalising these technologies. This entails more than coding — it demands a new form of literacy: one that includes governance, ethics, and scalable deployment.

3. Agile and Borderless Talent Models - Traditional workforce models are eroding. Dabral foresees a shift toward gig models, internal talent marketplaces, and hybrid working environments where cross-functional squads operate with autonomy. Continuous upskilling will be the currency of value, and leadership will be defined not by hierarchy, but by adaptability.

If she were to reimagine the GCC model from scratch, Dabral says she would prioritise flexibility, agility, and employee-centricity above all else.

“We need to build systems where careers are fluid, not linear. Where teams are cross-functional by design. Where learning is part of the workflow, not an afterthought,” she asserts.

Leadership development, she emphasises, would be non-negotiable. Empowering managers to lead change, drive inclusion, and cultivate resilience would be at the centre of the blueprint.