GCCs: Defining global product roadmaps from India

A rapid revolution is reshaping the way multinational enterprises develop and deliver new offerings, and at its core are India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs). 

This is evidenced from the significant growth seen by GCCs – rising from 1,430 in FY2019 to 1,700 in FY2024, according to NASSCOM. Positioned at the intersection of technology expertise, agile processes, and market insights, they have now embedded themselves into every step of the product lifecycle—from ideation, design and development to global launch. Indian GCCs are proving that game-changing innovation isn’t exclusive to corporate headquarters. Instead, it’s emerging from an environment where talent, fresh perspectives, and rapid experimentation converge to redefine what global product leadership looks like.

From support hubs to strategic product owners

Historically, the role of GCCs in India has been rooted in execution; they managed critical operations, implemented global standards, and supported product engineering tasks at scale. But as global enterprises matured, they recognized India’s vast pool of highly skilled talent and its thriving tech ecosystem. This, paired with strong process governance and the ‘can-do’mindset, allowed GCCs to evolve into strategic partnerships rather than mere implementers. 

These centres today don’t just assemble components but craft the architectural vision of global products. They’re involved in early-stage product ideation, design, and strategic decision-making. Many GCCs now hold end-to-end product mandates, including product management roles traditionally confined to global centres.

Leveraging India’s innovation ecosystem

India’s ecosystem today features vibrant startup communities, deep tech accelerators, and a robust talent pipeline. Together they offer a fertile ground for a disruptive mindset. Unlike a decade ago when India-based teams would simply follow specifications handed down from the HQs abroad, GCCs today proactively identify new market opportunities, leverage emerging technologies, and integrate third-party innovations into their solutions. In fact, over 78% of new centres have prioritized digital capabilities, focussing on areas such as AI, machine learning and cloud computing.  

They work seamlessly with local startups, design studios, and academic institutions to co-innovate and craft fresh perspectives. This synergy with the local innovation ecosystem is giving global enterprises a competitive advantage.

For instance, a GCC could partner with a cutting-edge AI startup in Bengaluru to enhance a global financial product’s fraud detection capabilities, or a healthcare GCC could tap into med-tech incubators in Hyderabad to conceptualize a next-generation patient engagement platform. By bridging local innovation with global strategic needs, GCCs fuel a product pipeline that’s both agile and market-leading. 

Building global product leaders in India

What’s also been contributing to the rise of GCCs in India is the cultivation of product leadership. A product owner’s role goes beyond coding or project management, it entails shaping visions, aligning stakeholders, and understanding market dynamics. Many GCCs have recognized this and are heavily investing in building well-rounded product leadership capabilities. For employees, it means a shift from task-based execution to a more strategic, high-impact involvement—giving them a direct stake in shaping global product roadmaps and the confidence to drive innovation at scale. This is enabled by:

• Rotational programs: High potential employees rotate across functions — engineering, design, marketing, and customer success — gaining end-to-end exposure to the product’s lifecycle, helping foster holistic thinking

• Customer-centric training: Teams are encouraged to engage directly with end-users and customers through feedback loops and pilot programs. By truly understanding real customer pain points, GCCs can form more relevant and impactful solutions. 

• Structured mentorship: Seasoned product managers at the HQ mentor emerging leaders in India, sharing best practices and guiding them through complex product decisions. These relationships often extend beyond formal training, shaping long-term career paths.

• Outcome-oriented culture: Instead of measuring success only in terms of project deliverables, many GCCs are pivoting toward metrics like product adoption, customer satisfaction, and revenue impact. This shift in focus emphasizes a true product ownership mindset.

Together, the measures aim to form a cadre of product visionaries who understand global markets and can navigate cultural nuances while possessing the technical prowess to innovate at scale, right from India.

Harnessing digital and cloud-first architectures

A strong technology backbone also enables the growing importance of GCCs in product ownership. Embracing cloud-based infrastructures, DevSecOps, and leveraging India’s advanced engineering prowess, these centres can accelerate time-to-market for new product features, rapidly scale deployments, and ensure a globally unified customer experience. 

Since teams in India often coordinate closely with colleagues across multiple time zones, advanced collaboration technologies and agile development practices have become indispensable. With product improvements deployed, tested, and refined in continuous, rapid cycles, organizations stay nimble and quickly incorporate user feedback. GCCs that master these technologies can maintain global alignment while still tailoring solutions to local nuances. 

Alternatively, by blending data analytics and business intelligence tools, GCCs gain deep insights into how products are being used globally. The data-driven approach guides them to make more informed decisions on feature rollouts, user experience enhancements, and future product strategies — further reinforcing their role as end-to-end product owners. 

Shaping the future of global products

The big question is - where do we go from here? As digital transformation accelerates, GCCs in India are poised to play an even greater role in shaping global product strategies. They will increasingly serve as co-innovators, working alongside HQ teams to conceptualize breakthrough products and then shepherd them through every stage of development and deployment.

Beyond pure tech innovation, GCCs are also well positioned to balance global consistency with local adaption. By drawing on insights from India’s diverse market, they can tweak products to resonate with different regional customer segments. We may also see a greater focus on solving large-scale, high-impact challenges such as sustainability and responsible AI. GCCs with their access to a wide pool of expertise and emerging technologies are ideally placed to pioneer such initiatives. 

In essence, we’re witnessing the pivot from India-based teams taking directives to India-based teams setting the directive. With proven expertise, advanced technology infrastructures, and a culture of bold experimentation, GCCs now have the confidence and the capacity to mould the future of business on a global scale. This elevation in the role —from functional executor to product owner — is a testament to the trust and credibility that GCCs in India have earned over time.