HCLTech names a GCC head, follows moves by Cognizant, Wipro

HCLTech

India’s third-largest information technology player, HCLTech, on May 19, announced the appointment of Kiran Cherukuri as Global Capability Centre (GCC) head.

In his new role, Cherukuri will be responsible for scaling HCLTech’s GCC practice by bringing offerings that leverage HCLTech’s services and technology portfolio, apart from corporate function capabilities.

To date, HCLTech has partnered with over 200 GCCs in India.

The development comes a week after peer Wipro appointed Sandeep Dhar as the head of its GCC practice, while Cognizant chose Sailaja Josyula to lead its captive service line, on April 1.

“We're already present in more than 200 GCCs across the Indian landscape and we're going to double down our focus on GCCs,” C Vijayakumar, CEO & Managing Director, HCLTech, had said while addressing a press conference after declaring the Q4 results last month.

A GCC is a captive unit set up by a company to carry out information technology (IT) and related business functions. These centres have gained significance in recent years, as highlighted by the Economic Survey 2024, set to contribute roughly 3.5 percent of India’s GDP by 2030, generating an estimated revenue of $121 billion by then.

Meanwhile, Rahul Singh, Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Functions, HCLTech, said the Noida-headquartered firm plans to double down on this fast-growing segment with a sharp focus on India. “I am confident that Kiran's rich experience, deep domain expertise and ecosystem acumen will enable us to build on our proven leadership in the GCC space."

Cherukuri brings over three decades of experience across leading technology companies and entrepreneurial ventures. Among his previous stints, Kiran worked with HCLTech for over 14 years, contributing significantly to Digital Foundation Services, Engineering and R&D Services, Industry Solutions and Talent Solutions.

He successfully set up global delivery centers and managed business development, alliances and marketing. Kiran holds a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management.

Moneycontrol had previously reported that IT companies are increasingly establishing dedicated GCC Strategic Business Units (SBUs) to capitalise on the surge in demand.