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Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India are no longer viewed as low-cost execution arms of multinational corporations. Increasingly, they are positioned as strategic hubs driving global innovation and transformation.
Sensing an opportunity in this shift, Edelman India has rolled out GCC Advisory Services. This offering is designed to help these centres sharpen their brand positioning, strengthen internal culture, and build credibility with stakeholders.
India is currently home to more than 1,700 GCCs employing over 1.9 million professionals, according to Edelman. By 2030, that number is projected to cross 2,100, adding 360,000 new jobs across sectors including fintech, biotech, retail, telecom, mobility and energy. With this scale of expansion, industry analysts argue that reputation management and differentiated storytelling are becoming as critical as operational performance.
“GCCs in India are shaping innovation agendas, driving digital transformation, and influencing how global businesses are building skills to power growth,” said Bhavna Jagtiani, CEO of Edelman India. “Over the last year, our team of specialists have been advising GCCs across sectors — from fintech and biotech to energy and retail. Through our full suite of our cross-functional expertise, we are able to lead these centres in building brand reputation in a dynamic environment, attracting talent, and telling their story focused on innovation and growth.”
The reputation imperative
Edelman’s new advisory practice positions itself around three broad imperatives: building an employer brand to compete for scarce talent, aligning internal narratives that bridge global values with local ambition, and shaping “made in India for the world” stories that communicate innovation leadership.
The consultancy has worked with GCCs in multiple sectors on reputation and communications initiatives. These engagements, according to Edelman, have helped centres clarify their strategic role, improve leadership visibility, and craft messaging that highlights their contribution to global innovation mandates.
The shift in positioning is partly driven by the competitive market for talent. With technology, data and innovation functions increasingly based in India, global corporations require GCCs to project a distinct employer value proposition. This is where Edelman sees communications intersecting with business strategy.
Service architecture
Edelman’s GCC Advisory Services claims to integrate data-led strategy with execution across audits, branding, leadership visibility and stakeholder engagement. The firm describes the package as a mix of workplace advisory, diagnostics, narrative development, executive amplification, talent marketing and public affairs.
The workplace advisory component covers onboarding, internal communications, employee engagement, and leadership alignment — all aimed at reinforcing culture. Insight and diagnostics include perception audits to understand how a GCC is viewed by employees, talent pools, media and the wider market.
Narrative and positioning efforts focus on creating India-specific messaging frameworks, brand storytelling, and identity systems tailored to the GCC’s innovation agenda. Leadership amplification spans executive visibility through speaker platforms, digital profiling, and external engagement.
Employer brand and talent marketing are geared towards advocacy campaigns and targeted outreach to attract engineering and innovation talent. Finally, stakeholder outreach covers ecosystem mapping, policy engagement, and partnerships with universities and campuses. Together, these elements are designed to help GCCs establish a stronger voice within the Indian ecosystem and among global stakeholders.
Shifting expectations
The rise of GCCs has altered expectations of their role within multinationals. Once seen as cost-saving back offices, many are now tasked with leading digital transformation, designing new products, and shaping business models. This shift requires them to build identities that go beyond operational efficiency.
Edelman’s pitch is that communications and reputation management can accelerate this repositioning. The firm’s approach draws on its broader capabilities in research, financial communications and lifestyle marketing through group companies Edelman Data x Intelligence, Edelman Smithfield, and UEG.
The focus on perception audits and narrative development reflects a recognition that GCCs are competing not only for talent but also for visibility within their parent organisations. Clear positioning, proponents argue, can help these centres secure greater influence in global decision-making.
Edelman is not new to the GCC advisory space, having delivered projects across fintech, biotech, energy, mobility, telecom and retail. However, the formal launch of a dedicated service reflects the scale and maturity of India’s GCC landscape.
The firm employs over 250 professionals across seven Indian locations and has a representative network covering 200 cities. Founded in 1952, Edelman remains independently run and continues to expand its portfolio of specialised advisory offerings.
For the GCC sector, the timing is significant. India’s workforce advantage and digital capabilities make it an attractive base for global companies, but differentiation is increasingly determined by culture, brand reputation, and stakeholder trust. Edelman’s move underscores the recognition that communications strategy is no longer an afterthought in this ecosystem.
As GCCs compete for leadership roles in global innovation mandates, the way they tell their stories — both internally and externally — is becoming as critical as the work they deliver. Whether Edelman’s advisory services can create measurable outcomes in this space will depend on execution, but the intent signals a clear acknowledgement: reputation is now a core part of the GCC growth playbook.
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