There's a quiet revolution happening in the world of Global Capability Centres (GCCs). For years, GCCs have focused mainly on technology, finance, HR, and operations - functions that made sense offshore for efficiency and scale. But now, the lens is widening. We're seeing the rise of legal, risk, compliance, and other strategic functions that have historically stayed closer to headquarters. These are the next frontiers. Already, 10% of India's 1,700+ GCCs are focused on legal, and that number is growing.
It's a clear signal: the GCC playbook is being rewritten.
India is no longer just powering operations. It's shaping global strategy. And the transformation from Global Capability Centres (GCCs) to Global Value Centres (GVCs) is well underway.
India's GCC Engine Is Scaling Up
India is home to over 1,700 GCCs, employing 1.9 million professionals. By 2030, that number is projected to grow to 2,100–2,300 centres, with a workforce of 2.5–2.9 million.
What's even more significant is the kind of roles moving to India. In the next five years, 20,000 to 30,000 global roles are expected to shift here—not just junior or delivery roles, but director, VP, and even CXO-level positions. Legal leaders, compliance heads, and risk officers based out of India? That's not far off, it's already beginning.
Some companies are even taking the transformation journey a notch up - considering India not just as a support arm, but as a potential second headquarters.
The Value Conversation Is Taking Over
Gunjan Samtani of Goldman Sachs put it clearly that 56% of their GCC revenue now comes from R&D. That tells you everything about how roles here are evolving from execution to insight, and from support to strategy.
Many GCC heads are now aiming for a seat at the CXO table. Some are even driving the idea of setting up India as a second headquarter taking the transformation ambition a notch above.
Innovation, Not just Efficiency
As the conversation moves from capability to value, innovation becomes the key. At the Bangalore summit, one big insight stood out - GCCs are now being used to incubate and test innovation in controlled environments, separate from daily delivery.
This allows for faster piloting of ideas, cultural embedding of innovation mindsets, and eventually, scaled global rollout. But it's not just about digital tools or automation.
We're now seeing GenAI used not just to drive process efficiency, but to unlock customer insights, co-create business models, and proactively improve relationships. It's about solving problems before they arise. That's the true GVC play.
Legal's Moment Is Here
Compared to tech or finance, legal and compliance has been a late entrant in the GCC story but that's changing fast. The push toward India isn't just about saving on legal costs. It's about positioning legal teams to:
- Predict risk, not just manage it
- Improve compliance and data privacy practices
- Streamline contracting and vendor governance
- Play a proactive role in shaping global business strategy
There's a growing realisation that automation only takes you so far. One global risk leader at the summit put it simply: "What matters now is predictive insight." That same lens applies to legal and compliance matters too.
What's Next?
The opportunity is two-fold:
- Ensure functions like legal and risk are part of the 20K–30K global roles pie.
- Show how legal can power value creation, not just through compliance, but through insight, foresight, and innovation.
At Counselect, this is exactly what we do.
We've been partnering with GCCs to shape the legal and compliance narrative, identify the right opportunities across the value chain, and design and execute new verticals that weren't traditionally part of the GCC mix. From legal to compliance to privacy to risk - we're helping teams not just move to India, but thrive here as innovation-first, insight-driven functions.
If you're a GCC leader thinking, "Where does legal fit into our future?" That's the conversation we're ready to have.
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