India’s Global Capability Centre story has never really been about a single moment. It has been a series of quiet, compounding shifts – each one moving the needle a little further from where it began. What started as a model built on cost arbitrage has, over two decades, become something that global enterprises now depend on for their most consequential decisions.
And yet, the conversation around GCCs has often struggled to keep pace with the reality on the ground. That is the gap the ET Edge GCC Summit has spent eleven editions closing. Now, in June 2026, the 12th Edition of the ET Edge GCC Summit 2026 co-powered by Avante Spaces returns – this time to Pune to chart the way forward.
Why Pune, Why Now?
Pune has long carried the weight of a manufacturing and engineering city, defined by its automotive legacy, and academic institutions. With more than 120 GCCs now operating across sectors including BFSI, automotive, IT services, pharma, and digital technology, the city has built a GCC ecosystem that is not only growing in scale but maturing in the nature of work it delivers.
Maharashtra’s government has set a target to establish 400 new GCCs by 2030, backed by an estimated investment of approximately ?50,600 crore and the creation of nearly four lakh high-skilled jobs. The incentives – capital subsidies, rental support, payroll benefits, infrastructure investment – signal a government that understands what is at stake. Pune, as one of the state’s primary GCC destinations, sits at the centre of this ambition.
The Inflection Point: Moving from Capability to Command
The sector has passed through its first major transformation – from cost centre to capability hub. The next shift is already underway, and it is arguably more significant. GCCs are being asked to move from executing mandates to owning them. From delivering outcomes to defining them. From being embedded in global strategy to driving it.
The themes that will shape the conversation in Pune reflect exactly this transition:
- How Generative AI and advanced analytics are redefining enterprise decision-making, productivity, and competitive advantage
- What it takes to build agile, skills-first, globally integrated workforces for the next decade of GCC growth
- How GCCs are strengthening cyber resilience and navigating governance in an increasingly complex digital environment
- The mainstreaming of ESG – from a parallel agenda to a core part of how GCCs operate and report
- What it truly means for a GCC to move beyond execution and take ownership of enterprise-wide mandates and outcomes
The nature of the conversation has changed. It is no longer about whether India can deliver at scale – that answer is well established. The question now is: How does India lead?
Recognising India’s Most Impactful GCC Leaders
A highlight of the 12th Edition of the ET Edge GCC Summit 2026, co-powered by Avante Spaces, will once again be the recognition of GCCs and leaders who have demonstrated impact at scale. The ‘Impactful GCCs of India’ programme is not about operational efficiency alone. It honours organisations that have moved beyond the delivery mandate to show measurable progress in innovation, AI leadership, talent development, governance, and strategic enterprise transformation.
In a sector that is often assessed by headcount and cost metrics, this recognition asks a different set of questions – and in doing so, helps define what enterprise leadership from India actually looks like.
The Next Phase of India’s GCC Journey
India’s GCC market is poised to cross $110 billion by 2030, but the more compelling narrative lies beneath the number. GCCs today sit at the very centre of enterprise strategy. They influence product roadmaps, cybersecurity architecture, automation choices, AI deployment, and large parts of global operating models. The talent that builds these outcomes is here. The policy environment that supports it is strengthening. And the cities – Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune – are each developing the infrastructure to sustain it.
The 12th Edition of the ET Edge GCC Summit 2026, co-powered by Avante Spaces enters the picture right at this turning point. Eleven editions have tracked how India built its GCC capability. This one begins to ask what India will do with the command it has earned.