Nagpur Poised to Become India's Premier Global Capability Centre Hub
Nagpur is swiftly emerging as a formidable contender to become Bharat's next Global Capability Centre hub, with robust policy support, abundant talent availability, and a steadily strengthening ecosystem propelling the city into the national spotlight, according to industry experts at the Advantage Vidarbha 2026 conference. The city is increasingly viewed as a front-runner among Tier-2 cities to drive the next significant phase of GCC expansion, thanks to its strategic location, as corporations actively look beyond traditional metropolitan centers for scalable and sustainable growth opportunities.
Policy Framework and Strategic Positioning
Former PMO advisory director and Leader of Banking & Financial Services Industry & GCCs at PwC India, Dr Prasad Pradhan, emphasized during a panel discussion that India already hosts over 1,800 GCCs. He highlighted that Maharashtra's newly introduced GCC policy explicitly identifies Tier-2 cities as the next growth engine for the sector. The policy strategically divides the state into two zones: Zone 1 encompasses Mumbai and Pune, while Zone 2 covers the remainder of Maharashtra, including Nagpur.
With Zone 1 cities facing substantial capacity constraints and saturation, the focus is decisively shifting to cities like Nagpur, which offer remarkable scale, affordability, and ample room for long-term expansion. "Strong political will is absolutely critical for this transformation, and that essential support is clearly visible here in Nagpur," Dr Pradhan stated. He further added that Nagpur's rapid emergence as a prominent education hub will be central to sustaining and accelerating GCC growth in the region.
Evolution Beyond Cost to Capability Excellence
Industry leaders unanimously stressed that the next wave of Global Capability Centres will be fundamentally defined by capability rather than cost considerations alone. Rajesh Puvvada, Senior Vice-President APAC Tech CAO at Northern Trust, articulated that GCCs must transcend mere execution roles to become genuine centers of excellence. This evolution requires substantial investment in intellectual property creation, securing board-level sponsorship, and driving AI-driven value creation initiatives.
Puvvada noted that leadership agility, combined with an organizational culture that actively encourages experimentation, enables quick recovery from setbacks, and supports a robust business model, will be paramount to achieving lasting success in this competitive landscape.
Real-World Implementation and Talent Insights
Sharing practical operational experience, Vikas Sharma, Co-founder and CTO of Konverge AI, discussed establishing one of the company's inaugural GCCs in Nagpur. The firm, headquartered in the United States with its primary India base in Bengaluru, inaugurated its Nagpur GCC last year after being thoroughly impressed by the ownership and exceptional performance demonstrated by locally hired teams.
Sharma observed that the flexibility, rapid learning ability, and genuine intent displayed by Nagpur's talent pool closely matched the qualities found in larger, established technology hubs. However, Ketan Paithankar, Co-founder of Konverge AI, issued a cautionary note, emphasizing that the real challenge lies in building niche capabilities at scale. "Infrastructure and land availability are not the primary concerns. The critical issue revolves around creating substantial depth in specific skill sets and effectively competing with cities like Indore for highly specialized talent," Paithankar explained.
Strategic Innovation and Future Determinants
Echoing this sentiment, Chetan Samadhiya, Director at PwC India, highlighted that GCCs are increasingly engaged in planning, designing, and innovating directly from India, rather than merely executing predefined global mandates. The expert panel reached a consensus that the real-time availability of industry-ready talent, coupled with effective and timely execution of supportive policies, will ultimately determine Nagpur's success as a premier GCC destination.
The collective insights from Advantage Vidarbha 2026 underscore Nagpur's transformative potential, positioning it not just as an alternative location, but as a strategic hub capable of driving the next generation of global capability centers through innovation, talent development, and proactive policy implementation.
