The GCC Summit 2026 – “From Centres to Command: GCCs Powering the Intelligent Enterprise”, hosted by Team Marksmen Network, concluded successfully at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace. The summit brought together 180+ delegates and 30+ speakers, including global enterprise leaders, policymakers, GCC heads, and technology experts, to examine how Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are evolving into strategic hubs driving innovation, digital transformation, and intelligent supply chains for global organisations.
The summit was supported by Presenting Partner – LEAP India Ltd., and Associate Partners – ERO Power, Black Gold Recycling, and Cognitud.
The day began with a welcome address by Sharad Gupta, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Team Marksmen Network, who highlighted the expanding role of GCCs in shaping enterprise strategy, digital platforms, and global innovation ecosystems.
The opening remarks were delivered by Sunu Mathew, Managing Director and CEO of LEAP India Ltd., who spoke about how GCCs are redefining global supply chain intelligence. He discussed how organisations are transitioning from traditional operational support models to AI-enabled command centres powered by predictive analytics, digital control towers, and resilient supply networks capable of navigating geopolitical and economic disruptions.
The summit’s first major discussion, the Power Panel titled “GCCs at the Helm — From Delivery Centres to Enterprise Innovation Engines & Global Supply Chain Command Centres,” explored how GCC leaders are increasingly influencing enterprise strategy and platform ownership across global organisations. The session was moderated by Sirisha Kommireddi, Vice President – GCC Practice at Covasant and Advisory Board member at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology.
The panel featured Swaminathan Babu, GCC Global CoE Lead – FP&A Product Operations at Reckitt; Saurabh Kumar, Senior Director – Global Shared Services & India Operations at GE Appliances; a senior leader from L’Oréal; and Hrishi Gandhi of LEAP India. The speakers discussed the transition from service-based delivery models toward outcome-driven enterprise mandates, with GCCs increasingly owning global platforms, intellectual property, and strategic innovation initiatives.
Following a networking break, the Firepower Fireside session titled “The AI Reality Check: From Experimentation to Enterprise Impact” examined the realities of scaling artificial intelligence initiatives within global enterprises. The session featured Valli Bollavaram of Swiss Re and a senior AI leader from Marsh McLennan. Moderated by Karan Karayi, Editor-in-Chief at Team Marksmen Network, the discussion explored why many AI pilots fail to deliver enterprise value and how organisations can industrialise AI across GCC-led ecosystems while balancing speed, governance, and trust.
The Industry Spotlight session featured Dr. Srinivas Telukunta, Global Director – AI Solutions & Platforms and Head of Generative AI & AI Agent Programs at PepsiCo, who shared insights on how GCCs in India are increasingly becoming owners of global platforms, products, and intellectual property. This was followed by a sustainability-focused session by Shambhavi Srivastava, Head – Government Affairs & Corporate Alliances at Black Gold Recycling, who spoke about integrated solutions for e-waste, lithium-ion battery, and plastic waste recycling.
The Command Dialogue session on “The New GCC Risk Mandate” featured Kuldeep Chilukuri, Vice President – Global Risk & Compliance Transformation at HSBC. Chaired by Karan Karayi, the session explored how GCCs are increasingly responsible for enterprise-wide governance, compliance transformation, and risk management frameworks.
Following the networking lunch, the afternoon sessions opened with a special leadership address by Chiranjoy Chowdhuri, Global Head of AI and Data at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, who examined why India is well positioned to lead the global GCC ecosystem by 2030, driven by talent, advanced digital capabilities, and expanding global mandates.
The session titled “Breaking the Leadership Hiring Loop” featured perspectives from Nilanjana Som Bhowmick of Cognitud, who spoke about evolving leadership hiring dynamics and capability development strategies for future GCC leadership.
Another key discussion, Power Panel II “Beyond Cost & Scale: Competing in the Global GCC Talent Wars,” examined the growing competition for specialised talent among global capability centres. The panel featured Mario David from JPMorgan Chase, Sitesh Chandra Mohanty, Dr. Aparna Reddy from dsm-firmenich, Deepak Sachdeva from Apex Group, and Ravish Saily from Syngenta. The discussion was moderated by Elton Ron Nathan, Head – L&OD at Apollo Health & Lifestyle Limited, and explored employer branding, leadership retention, and strategies for building AI-enabled workforces.
The summit also featured a specialised panel on Pharma GCCs as Enterprise Innovation Engines, focusing on the role of global capability centres in driving intelligent enterprise platforms within the pharmaceutical sector. The discussion included Tilak Banerjee from Takeda, Makarand Kulkarni from Opella, and Vidhan Kedia from AbbVie, and was moderated by Anil Arora, former President and Global Head of Operations in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Future Council session titled “What Global Enterprises Will Demand from GCCs by 2030” featured insights from Avinash Samrit of Clean Harbors and Radhika Chennakeshavula of Silicon Labs. Moderated by Karan Karayi, the discussion focused on aligning workforce analytics, continuous AI-enabled learning, and enterprise performance metrics with business outcomes.
The summit concluded with a special guest address by Auszad Shaik, Vice President – Logistics & Supply Chain at the Government of Telangana, who spoke about Hyderabad’s growing prominence as a strategic global hub for GCCs and supply chain innovation.
A felicitation ceremony recognised organisations that have demonstrated leadership within the GCC ecosystem, including Reckitt, Marsh, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Apex Fund Services LLP, Syngenta Global Capability Centre Private Limited, Clean Harbors, Silicon Labs, Takeda, and Apollo Health & Lifestyle Limited.
The summit concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks, reaffirming the increasing importance of India’s GCC ecosystem in shaping the future of intelligent enterprises and global innovation.
