How India’s GCCs Are Reinventing Value: The Rise of Non‑IT Capabilities

India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have matured beyond cost‑arbitrage hubs. The next phase is defined by a surge in non‑IT roles—finance, analytics, marketing, operations and commercial services. India’s GCC ecosystem is now driving strategic impact for global headquarters using diverse, value‑creating capabilities.

📌 Quick Answer: What are non-IT roles in India GCCs?

• Non-IT GCC roles include finance, analytics, marketing, operations, and compliance.
  
• They represent the next wave of GCC growth in India (2025–26).
  
• Companies scale non-IT GCCs for strategic value, not just cost efficiency.
  
• A four-stage framework (Shared Services → Analytics → Leadership → Innovation) helps enterprises expand beyond IT.
  
• With the right partner for capability centres in India and global talent solutions, US firms can build non-IT GCCs that drive global growth.

The Transformation: From Back‑Office to Brain Trust

India now hosts over 1,700 GCCs employing more than 1.7 million professionals across functions. Over the last five years, GCCs have consistently delivered double‑digit value growth to parent firms. This growth reflects a conscious shift: GCCs are no longer just outsourcing hubs—they are evolving into innovation engines. A major driver of this evolution is the rise of non‑IT talent taking on high‑impact functions.

Related reading: India’s Quiet Transformation: From Cost Centres to Core Systems

Why Non‑IT Functions Are Leading the Next Wave

1. Analytics, AI, and Data Science Driving Global Insights

Combined data and product roles now account for a significant share of GCC job openings. Companies across sectors are expanding analytics and data science teams to build predictive models, implement automation, and lead digital transformation. In retail, healthcare, and consumer sectors, AI‑powered analytics and predictive modeling have become core to decision‑making and market expansion.

Related blog: AI-Driven Mentorship & Retention: A Strategic Advantage for Global Teams

2. Finance, Compliance and Shared Services Maturing at Scale

Finance GCCs in India now manage complex global functions—FP&A, treasury management, tax, and compliance—alongside HR, payroll, and legal operations. These roles are increasingly strategic, integrating financial analytics with global reporting and regulatory adherence.

Related service: Global Talent Solutions

3. Commercial and Marketing Teams Anchored in India

Pharma, consumer, and retail companies are increasingly placing commercial operations, market analytics, regulatory compliance, and digital marketing support roles in their India‑based GCCs. These teams provide insights and enable faster, data‑driven decision‑making for global headquarters.

Related reading: Beyond Boundaries: Why Global Talent Trumps Local Availability

4. Operations, Supply Chain & Process Excellence

Beyond IT, many GCCs now support global supply chains and operational efficiency initiatives. From logistics coordination to process excellence, non‑IT roles are helping multinational firms co‑innovate, improve efficiency, and reduce time to market.

Related service: Strategy Services

What’s Driving This Non‑IT Shift?

India’s talent pool is expanding beyond software engineering to include highly skilled professionals in finance, analytics, marketing, and supply chain. As global headquarters push for GCCs to serve as strategic extensions rather than execution hubs, demand for cross‑functional, business‑critical roles has grown.

Government incentives in emerging tech hubs and the cost‑efficiency of non‑IT talent further reinforce this momentum. Strategic value now outweighs pure cost savings, with non‑IT roles delivering direct business impact.

Related blog: GCC Hiring Zooms Ahead of IT: What the Latest Trends Reveal

Framework: Scaling Non‑IT Roles in an India GCC

Enterprises scaling non‑IT capabilities in India can follow a four‑stage approach:

Stage 1: Foundation – Shared Services & Central Processing
Begin with finance SSCs, HR, legal, and procurement. Standardize processes and establish global SLAs.

Stage 2: Analytics & Insight Layer
Build data science and business intelligence teams. Integrate marketing, supply chain, and finance data to generate actionable insights.

Stage 3: Leadership & Strategy Roles
Embed GCC‑based leaders in FP&A, product analytics, and market research. Establish rotational programs with HQ to bridge strategy and execution.

Stage 4: Innovation & Commercial Command
Transition to high‑value innovation activities—pricing strategy, market expansion, AI‑driven models, and cross‑functional commercial leadership.

Related reading: How to Build Cross‑Functional Pods in GCCs That Deliver Autonomy

Case Examples & Benchmarks

Cargill is expanding finance, analytics, and data teams in its Bengaluru and Gurugram GCCs, adding 500 jobs to support global operations. In pharma, India now hosts nearly 40% of the global commercial services workforce through GCCs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai.

Across industries, roughly one‑third of GCC job openings are now for analytics and product roles, signaling a strong move beyond traditional IT engineering.

Related blog: India’s GCCs: The Strategic Nexus for U.S. Innovation and Growth in 2025

Bottom Line: India GCCs Are No Longer Just Tech Hubs

India’s strength in IT services gave GCCs their start. Now, non‑IT roles are powering the next growth wave. Finance, analytics, marketing, operations and commercial specialists are turning GCCs into strategic hubs that deliver insight, innovation and leadership for global enterprises.

Ralent helps high‑growth companies and startups identify, hire, and scale non‑IT teams in India’s GCC ecosystem, enabling enterprises to move from cost centers to strategic global hubs.

Related service: Capability Centres

Sources: McKinsey, Gartner, NASSCOM, PwC, ACCA, Zinnov, Times of India, Economic Times, Reuters, ZS Associates

Additional questions

1. Why are non-IT roles becoming central to India’s GCC growth?
Because enterprises now view India not just as a tech hub, but a strategic brain trust. Finance, analytics, marketing, and operations roles bring cross-functional intelligence that directly impacts global decisions and profitability.

2. How do finance and analytics GCCs add strategic value?
They provide real-time insights for global FP&A, risk, and compliance functions. By embedding data analytics into finance, these GCCs improve forecasting accuracy and reduce decision latency for parent organizations.

3. Why are companies expanding marketing and commercial operations in India?
India offers a mix of marketing analytics expertise and cost efficiency. Global brands now run digital campaigns, market research, and performance analytics from India to localize global strategies and accelerate execution.

4. How are non-IT GCCs transforming supply chain and operations?
Through AI-driven logistics, demand forecasting, and process automation, non-IT GCCs are optimizing global operations. These teams blend domain expertise with digital tools to cut costs and improve market responsiveness.

5. What’s driving the talent shift toward non-IT GCCs?
India’s workforce has diversified—finance, marketing, and analytics graduates are entering GCCs in large numbers. Combined with government incentives and corporate trust, it’s expanding beyond IT to full business ownership.

6. How can startups and SMBs build non-IT GCCs effectively?
By adopting phased scaling—starting with shared services, layering analytics, and moving toward leadership and innovation pods. This model builds long-term value, not just cost efficiency.

Further reading

A Quiet Transformation: From Cost Centres to Core Systems

GCC Hiring Zooms Ahead of IT: What the Latest Trends Reveal

How to Build Cross-Functional Pods in GCCs That Deliver Autonomy