Indian GCC leadership roles up 30% to 6,500; returning NRI professionals taking on key positions

The past five years have seen a sharp decline in long-term expat leadership, which now constitutes less than 10 percent of senior positions.

The number of global roles operated from India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) has surged 30 percent to over 6,500 in 2024 in three years, and a dramatic jump from just 115 such roles in 2015.

Another prominent highlight is in the composition of leadership: returning NRI professionals now occupy a growing share of top roles. These returnees bring the dual advantage of global experience and have an understanding of the local market.

Moreover, the past five years have seen a sharp decline in long-term expat leadership, which now constitutes less than 10 percent of senior positions, data from management consulting firm Zinnov shows. These positions are mostly limited to highly regulated sectors requiring close headquarters (HQ) oversight.

A GCC is a captive unit set up by a company to carry out information technology (IT) and related business functions. GCCs have seen massive growth in India, and the sector is poised to contribute 3.5 per cent to India’s GDP by 2030. GCCs are set to employ over 21 lakh professionals, in around 1800 GCC units, by the end of 202,5 from 15 lakhs in 2020.

Meanwhile, expat roles are largely short stints currently, spanning anywhere between 3 and 6 months, with the objective of setting up new centres and enabling knowledge transfer.

“This reflects the rising maturity of the India leadership ecosystem, driven by a strong talent pool, increased trust from global HQs, and growing exposure to global charters,” Namita Adavi, Partner, Zinnov, told Moneycontrol.

Returnees take charge

Although a majority of senior GCC roles are now occupied by India-based leaders, a significant portion is led by globally experienced returnees, especially in functions that demand enterprise familiarity, cross-border stakeholder management, and innovation leadership.

A prominent example is Prabhuram (PD) Duraiswami, who serves as the Global Head of Referential Services and India Head at CME Group.

“In recent years, we have seen a rise in NRIs and globally experienced professionals returning to take on senior leadership roles in India-based GCCs, particularly during new centre set-ups or expansions, with sectors like energy, banking, and retail leading the way,” Arindam Sen, partner and GCC sector leader at EY India, told Moneycontrol.

As the Indian talent market matures, the presence of long-term expats in GCC leadership has dropped sharply.

"Expats still bring deep functional expertise, but the model has shifted to short-term interventions rather than sustained leadership,” Sen added.

Localising for speed, scale

The shift from expat to local leadership is not just about cost, but more to do with capability and continuity.

With GCCs owning end-to-end products, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-led innovation, and digital transformation mandates, the need for leaders who can balance global context with local agility has become mission-critical, experts said.

According to a head of a major GCC in Hyderabad, many returning professionals, often with US or European citizenship, are open to moving firms and taking up leadership roles across sectors.

“They can travel anytime to India because they have a US or European passport. That’s a big advantage for them,” the source said. Further adding that GCCs are, in some cases, willing to pay US-equivalent salaries directly converted into rupees.

But the long-term focus is clear: reduce reliance on external leadership and build a deep local bench.

GCCs need to focus on building autonomous local leadership with profit and loss (P&L) ownership, Sen further explained. “This shift is essential for long-term efficiency, sustainability, and impact.”

The Trust Deficit

Nevertheless, not all returning leaders are finding the job they expected.

Snehal Kulkarni, a returning NRI and seasoned GCC transformation leader who has previously held global mandates in AI, infra, and strategy, says GCCs don’t have a talent problem, they have a trust problem.

Hundreds of leaders returned to India in 2023-24 from the US, UK, and Asia Pacific, ready to lead from the frontlines, AI-native, infra-proven, and strategy-led. However, many found hiring on hold, leadership roles stalled, and a lack of clarity around how to truly leverage their experience.

“GCCs say they want innovation but reward stability. They speak of scale but hesitate to invest in trust,” Kulkarni said in a post.

The result? Mid-level attrition is creeping up quietly, while high-potential returnees are left benched, not due to lack of skill, but due to lack of imagination in leadership design.

“You solve this by redefining what leadership means in a GCC. Designing for trust, not just titles. Giving returning leaders a seat at the table before the job is even posted,” he further wrote.

Kulkarni argues that GCCs should stop treating returning leaders as ‘hiring backlog’ and instead, make strategic bets before the job is even posted.

Nonetheless, this leadership evolution is a turning point for the Indian GCC landscape. Increasingly, people leading GCCs are not flying in, but moving back, settling in, and taking charge.