Case Studies

Independent Consultant to an European specialty materials company: Enabling a Confident GCC Entry in India

Context: A global specialty materials company, was evaluating India as a location for a new Global Capability Center (GCC). Leadership needed to make decisions around market entry, compliance, and talent while mitigating execution risk.

Approach: As an independent consultant, I worked directly with the client’s global leadership to translate their strategic intent into a practical execution roadmap. This included addressing cultural alignment, providing local market intelligence, and connecting them with a trusted network of partners in real estate, tax, HR, and talent acquisition.

Impact: The client gained clarity and confidence in India as a strategic hub, moving forward with speed and alignment. The GCC journey was de-risked and supported by a reliable execution ecosystem—establishing a foundation for sustainable growth.

Key Metrics:

• Accelerated GCC market entry roadmap by ~6 months through early ecosystem connects.

• Defined a 3-year scalability roadmap aligned with global IT and business priorities.

• Reduced execution risk by ensuring cultural readiness in global leadership, and operational, compliance, and governance readiness from Day 1.

• Involved in hiring of GCC Leadership and key positions.

As Manager of Global Delivery Centres with a leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling: Transforming an India Service Team into a Global GCC

Context: This client had a small IT service team in India. As part of their global IT transformation strategy, leadership sought to evolve this into a true GCC—with the scale, capability, and cultural integration to operate as an extension of the global IT organization.

Approach: As an employee leader, I was responsible for building the GCC from the ground up. This included selecting the right office location, designing the expansion roadmap, and scaling the center from 30+ people to nearly 150. The transformation also required aligning the India GCC with the client’s global IT vision, ensuring that the center was not a peripheral support unit but an integrated partner in global delivery. Later, I also led the setup of their GCC in Poland, bringing consistency and alignment across regions while expanding the combined headcount to nearly 200.

Impact: The India and Poland GCCs became critical to the client’s IT operations, delivering scale, cost-efficiency, and innovation. The transformation positioned the GCCs as trusted, integrated extensions of the global IT function, not back-office support.

Key Metrics:

• Grew headcount from ~30 to ~200 FTEs in 3.5 years.

• Maintained a <10% attrition rate year-on-year.

• Achieved payback on investments within the first year of Operations.

• Expanded service portfolio from basic IT support to 20+ global IT extended teams.

• Scaled GCC operations in Pune and Krakow into strategic innovation hubs, contributing to a 25% cost reduction while achieving 35% faster delivery cycles through process reengineering and optimized outsourcing model.

• Owned P&L responsibilities, delivering year-on-year cost savings of $2M+ through resource optimization and automation.

• Led digital transformation projects, including AI-powered process automation and ESG-compliant IT systems, aligning global IT strategy with Alfa Laval’s business vision.

• Built strategic vendor partnerships to co-develop digital solutions, enhancing IT service quality and innovation outcomes.

Consultant & Director: From Program Delivery to Center Leadership

Context: A global specialty materials company, was evaluating India as a location for a new Global Capability Center (GCC). Leadership needed to make decisions around market entry, compliance, and talent while mitigating execution risk.

Approach: As an independent consultant, I worked directly with the client’s global leadership to translate their strategic intent into a practical execution roadmap. This included addressing cultural alignment, providing local market intelligence, and connecting them with a trusted network of partners in real estate, tax, HR, and talent acquisition.

Impact: The client gained clarity and confidence in India as a strategic hub, moving forward with speed and alignment. The GCC journey was de-risked and supported by a reliable execution ecosystem—establishing a foundation for sustainable growth.

Key Metrics:

• Accelerated GCC market entry roadmap by ~6 months through early ecosystem connects.

• Defined a 3-year scalability roadmap aligned with global IT and business priorities.

• Reduced execution risk by ensuring cultural readiness in global leadership, and operational, compliance, and governance readiness from Day 1.

• Involved in hiring of GCC Leadership and key positions.