What Happens in Year Three of Your GCC

This article explores practical approaches to building and operating Global Capability Centers in India. The insights are drawn from over 55 years of experience helping US companies establish, staff, and run India operations they actually own.

For companies evaluating whether an India GCC is the right move, the decision often comes down to three factors: the depth of talent available for their specific roles, the cost structure over a multi-year horizon, and the operational complexity of running a center across two countries and legal systems.

The GCC model has evolved significantly from the early days of captive centers. Today, companies have multiple structural options, from full Build-Operate-Transfer arrangements to Company-Owned Partner-Operated models that provide entity ownership from day one.

What has not changed is the fundamental value proposition: building a team that learns your business, accumulates institutional knowledge, and gets better over time. That is the compounding return that traditional staffing can never replicate.