When Genpact’s global growth strategy is discussed, much of the focus tends to land on its cutting-edge AI offerings and global delivery scale. But for Chief Growth Officer Riju Vashisht, the firm’s roots as a captive Global Capability Centre continue to inform its DNA — and guide its approach to transformation today.
“Our origin as GE Capital’s Global Capability Centre defined who we are today,” Vashisht said in an interview with People Matters. The experience, she explained, ingrained a culture of process discipline, data-backed decision-making and operational excellence — “we were process geeks long before AI made process-intelligence fashionable.” For her, that legacy remains a powerful asset even as Genpact pivots to an AI-first model.
That heritage of process rigour — and clients’ trust in disciplined execution — is now being married with advanced technology and AI fluency. Vashisht noted that while technology has evolved, “technology, no matter how advanced, is only as powerful as the process foundation it rests on.”
That belief has shaped how Genpact builds solutions for clients: deep domain knowledge layered with process rigor, enhanced by data, design and AI. Vashisht said their journey demonstrates how Global Capability Centres can evolve from back-office execution hubs into global players powering transformation for multinational firms.
New talent needs, evolving leadership
The rapid evolution of GCCs into strategic innovation hubs demands a different kind of talent and leadership, Vashisht said. The new workforce must combine mastery of process with creativity, AI literacy, cross-functional collaboration and business insight. To build that, Genpact runs internal learning platforms such as GigaAcademy and Genome that upskill people into roles such as “AI Builders” and “AI Users”. Builders design solutions; Users apply them in real business contexts under human supervision.
Leadership too needs rethinking. According to Vashisht, tomorrow’s leaders must be enablers — comfortable with ambiguity, adept at coaching AI-augmented teams, and focused on driving measurable business impact. She emphasizes that the first requirement for leadership in the AI era is not hierarchy, but the ability to shape culture, nurture talent and create value.
For Vashisht, the next chapter in enterprise operations lies in agentic AI: systems where intelligent agents orchestrate workflows, make contextual decisions and collaborate with humans in real time. Genpact, she said, is preparing for that by building Service-as-Agentic-Solutions — offerings where AI and humans co-power business outcomes.
Today, Genpact has around 16,000 “AI Users” and 5,600 “AI Builders”, with the ambition to make AI fluency universal across its workforce. Its Genome platform, backed by an AI learning co-pilot named AI Guru, delivers personalised upskilling paths. Vashisht believes these efforts will help people step into roles that don’t currently exist: designers of workflows, human-AI orchestrators, change catalysts and strategic problem-solvers.
BOT transitions: People-centric transformation
When Genpact supports clients through Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) transitions, the stakes are often portrayed in commercial terms. Vashisht argues the real challenge — and opportunity — is human. Successful transitions, she said, require transparent governance, structured knowledge transfer, reskilling and stable processes, all grounded in respect for people.
Genpact uses AI-assisted tools, such as Scout agents, to capture process knowledge and speed up ramp-up. It ties commercial incentives to business outcomes rather than transactional metrics. The result, Vashisht said, is smoother transition — and a workforce that feels part of the journey.
One persistent issue across Indian GCCs is what Vashisht calls the “missing middle”: a strong junior talent pool but weak mid-level leadership. She argues the solution lies in continuous, hands-on development rather than episodic promotions. At Genpact, rotational assignments, applied learning sprints and AI-driven capability mapping help employees grow both technical and commercial competence, making them ready to manage outcomes, not just tasks.
Scaling such development into Tier-2 cities, she said, is vital. As enterprises look beyond metro hubs, building leadership in emerging centres will decide whether India’s GCC advantage endures.
Talent sustainability beyond cost arbitrage
With rising attrition and wage inflation in traditional GCC hubs, Vashisht believes sustainability depends not on volume but on meaning, mobility and learning. Genpact encourages employees to spend eight to nine hours per month on structured learning, with tailored AI-driven learning journeys to match career trajectories. AI tools also flag early attrition risks, allowing for timely interventions.
“For us, it’s not perks but purpose and progress that retain people,” she said. Engaging people in mission-critical, future-facing work — not routine tasks — is what creates loyalty and lowers turnover.
Vashisht sees future growth emerging from beyond metro ghettos. Cities such as Indore, Jaipur or Coimbatore, she believes, are well-placed to become next-gen GCC hubs, supported by hybrid delivery models and AI orchestration. As AI reduces the need for physical co-location, distributed intelligence — where talent drives output under tech-enabled collaboration — could reshape the geography of outsourcing.
She called this the next phase of India’s GCC story: one where innovation is not metro-bound, but talent-bound.
The GCC playbook for Indian enterprises in the AI era
Asked what Indian companies outside the GCC ecosystem could learn, Vashisht distilled three core principles: build process intelligence first; treat learning as a business system; and make culture operational, measurable and scalable. “Technology accelerates change,” she said, “but culture sustains it.” For organisations hoping to ride the AI wave, she argues, success will come to those that couple domain expertise, process discipline and a culture of learning.
In her view, Genpact’s evolution offers a model — not a prescription — for how businesses can scale with diligence, innovate with agility and build systems where people and machines work in tandem to deliver sustained value.