Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional journey, particularly focusing on how your experience across consulting, offshoring, and shared services has shaped your leadership approach in building and scaling global capability centers?

I have spent nearly two decades immersed in the outsourcing and offshoring space as it has evolved into what we now recognize as Global Business Services and Global Capability Centers. My professional journey has included building GCCs from the ground up at Novo Nordisk, where I helped grow a small startup team into a 2,000-person organization. I have also led strategic separations at GSK and Haleon, and guided a wide range of clients at ANSR as they developed their own offshore strategies. 

This progression from hands-on execution to site leadership and then to strategic advisory has shaped my view that success in the GCC space rests on three main pillars. First, it is crucial to secure strong executive sponsorship when expanding the scope of operations. Second, building scalable operational frameworks is essential for sustainable growth. And third, fostering a high-performance culture ensures you not only attract but also retain top talent.

My approach is to position GCCs as strategic mini-headquarters instead of just cost centers. I've seen this mindset deliver results, for example, by launching new capabilities like RPA Centers of Excellence and commercial analytics teams that drive innovation across the enterprise. While the technologies and focus areas continue to shift—think of the growing influence of artificial intelligence and machine learning—the core narrative and strategic foundation remain the same. My experience as an advisor is all about helping organizations embed this vision and make it a reality.

Q2. How do you see the role of GCCs evolving beyond cost and efficiency toward becoming strategic hubs for innovation, analytics, and digital transformation?

We are seeing GCCs evolve beyond their traditional roles as back-office support centers. More and more, they are becoming innovation labs and centers of excellence that drive strategic differentiation for their organizations. Instead of simply following established processes, many GCCs are now responsible for product development, advanced analytics, and pioneering new technology initiatives. 

This transition means that GCCs are becoming true capability hubs, generating intellectual property and helping their organizations build real competitive advantages. The most mature GCCs are even influencing global strategic roadmaps and serving as testbeds for major enterprise-wide transformations.

Q3. With enterprises increasingly expecting GCCs to demonstrate measurable business impact, what frameworks or metrics do you believe best capture operational excellence and value creation?

While traditional service level agreements are still relevant, I believe truly effective frameworks go much further. They incorporate business outcome metrics, such as how the GCC influences revenue or reduces time to market, as well as innovation indices like patents filed and proof-of-concepts deployed. Value realization scorecards are another valuable tool, because they directly link GCC activities to the organization's profit and loss impact. 

A balanced scorecard approach, which brings together operational KPIs and strategic contribution metrics—such as the percentage of global innovation that originates in the GCC or the number of business problems solved—offers a much more complete view. Leading organizations also track the progression of their GCC’s capabilities and pay close attention to how much influence the center has in shaping enterprise decisions, which is often reflected by its participation in strategic forums.

Q4. As AI, automation, and analytics become central to shared services, what challenges do you face in integrating these technologies into large-scale operations while ensuring agility and compliance?

Integrating AI, automation, and analytics into large-scale operations brings both opportunities and challenges. On the technical side, legacy system compatibility and navigating data governance requirements across different regions are real hurdles. But the human aspect is just as important. Managing change at scale, ensuring that the workforce is reskilled, and maintaining uninterrupted service during major transitions are all critical. 

There is also a significant cultural shift involved as organizations move from manual processes to ways of working that are supported by AI. Getting executive support for experimentation is vital, as is finding the right balance between standardizing for efficiency and customizing for local business needs. All of these factors add complexity, and success relies on a blend of technical expertise and empathetic leadership.

Q5. What strategies have proven effective in developing and retaining top talent in GCC environments — particularly as roles shift from delivery execution to transformation leadership?

Effective strategies for developing and retaining top talent in GCCs start with making career progression clear and accessible. Providing opportunities for professionals to move from execution roles to strategic leadership positions, as well as offering global rotation programs, helps broaden their experience and perspective. Leadership development should focus not only on functional expertise but also on building strong business acumen and a growth mindset. 

From my experience, fostering an entrepreneurial culture—where teams feel empowered to take ownership of outcomes, not just individual tasks—can significantly improve retention and help attract top talent. The most forward-looking GCCs also invest in dual career tracks, supporting both technical and managerial growth, sponsor employees to gain external certifications in new technologies, and set aside time specifically for innovation. These steps send a strong signal that growth and transformation are valued at every level of the organization, not just in operational delivery.

Q6. How do you anticipate global operating models will change over the next few years, especially with decentralization, hybrid work, and cross-border collaboration shaping the future of shared services? 

Looking ahead, I see global operating models continuing to change quickly. Centralized structures are being replaced by distributed teams, and hybrid work is here to stay. Talent is no longer concentrated in just a few locations but is spread across multiple geographies. GCCs are starting to function as interconnected global networks, making use of cloud infrastructure and digital workspaces to enable seamless collaboration across time zones. 

We'll also see more specialization by location as organizations tap into local talent ecosystems. There will be a stronger focus on outcome-based contracting, which offers greater flexibility and scalability than models based purely on headcount. These trends will fundamentally reshape how shared services deliver value around the world.

Q7. From an investor or leadership perspective, what signals or indicators would you look for to assess a GCC’s maturity, resilience, and ability to drive long-term strategic value for the enterprise?

When I assess a GCC’s maturity and its ability to create long-term value, there are several signals I look for. One is whether the GCC has expanded its mandate beyond cost reduction. True maturity is reflected when GCC leaders are participating in enterprise decision-making at the highest levels, when they are generating and owning intellectual property, and when the center is attracting top talent from leading global competitors, not just local markets.

On the financial side, signs of maturity include increased investment allocation, a shift from cost center status to profit and loss ownership for specific business functions, and the ability to commercialize capabilities outside the organization. Organizational resilience can be measured by how effectively the GCC responds to crises, how quickly it can pivot its capabilities, and the degree to which it helps shape global standards and best practices across the enterprise network.