GCCs Scout for Leadership from Peers, Not IT Firms

Backend technology centers of the world's largest companies are increasingly hiring senior executives from peers as compared with information technology (IT) services companies, indicating a preference for innovative work, domain knowledge, and better understanding of captive offices.

- Jas Bardia

BENGALURU:

A little over a third—or 36%—of executives with more than eight years of work experience hired by global capacity centers or GCCs came from rivals in the year ended March 2025, according to a report by Xpheno, a Pune-based staffing firm. That's an increase from 28% in the year March 2023. By comparison, the share of middle and senior executives hired from the IT services sector during the period shrank from 50% to 40%.

IT products and startups account for the remaining hires by GCCs, according to the findings based on a study of the 'top' 120 GCCs in India that employ 1.35 million people—or over three-fourths of the total active workforce of such centers.

The preference for senior executives from within the GCCs marks a significant shift when more global roles of Fortune companies are shifting to India.