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The Indian #GCC cohort has consistently added headcounts over the last 5 years, moving from 1.3 million in FY2021 to a projected 1.8 million by the end of FY 2025. The nearly 500,000 net additions and attrition-linked replacement hiring of over 800,000 add up to a gross hiring activity of almost 1.3 million by GCCs in India during the 5 years. It is important to note that the GCCs cohort is set to overtake the IT Services cohort on annual net additions this fiscal year, making it 2 years in a row. Fiscal - Headcount (Net Additions) FY2021 - 1.30 Million (30,000) FY2022 - 1.45 Million (150,000) FY2023 - 1.60 Million (150,000) FY2024 - 1.66 Million (60,000) FY2025 - 1.80 Million (140,000) The outlook for the GCC cohort's net headcount addition in FY 2026 is a potential 160,000 - 180,000, taking the collective headcount closer to the 2 million mark. The year ahead holds potential for a stronger lineup of 80+ new GCC additions? Key factors driving the higher momentum in the year ahead are: - Increase in number of States offering sops & incentives to attract GCCs - Entry of PE houses setting up mid-size GCCs for their portfolio companies - Change in scope of GCC, moving skill sets up the value chain - IT Services companies strengthening pitches for ODCs with Global brands - Increased Interest from Oil & Gas, Semicon, Pharma, & Life Sciences sectors Talent Value Shift These factors will collectively GCC drive gross hiring and net additions, as well as a value shift in skill set levels of specialist talent hired. The year ahead will be a threshold year when a conscious and visible shift in value of talent deployed to GCCs can be experienced.

You are a greenfield GCC; would you be fine starting with rebadging over hiring a fresh set of people of your choice? Why not? After all, more than 50% of hires for any greenfield GCCs are from IT Services companies! Picture this: you are asked to rebadge 400 odd resources who bring in continuation to the work that's been done for years, and the remaining you want to hire from the market; what are the cultural challenges of integrating them? Yes, from a POC point of view, you get speed and scale for the greenfield GCC, but given a choice, would you be able to do it differently? Would the new GCC head, who is also new to the organisation, be able to influence headquarters ? What are the Pros and Cons? Listen in to our latest GCC Talent podcast and let us know.

“The new retirement is no retirement”? If you had a CEO who is retiring in 2 years and the successor, the COO, has 2 years to retire after taking charge, would you instead look for a successor who has a longer trajectory? But we know that's not how things work! In the working world, telling 'leaders' they are off their 'prime' and asking them to move on is tricky unless you are a listed company with shareholder pressure.. Beyond the awkwardness of telling them their time is off, one feels obligated to their tenure and past track record, to the extent of even sounding ungrateful if you say it's time to move on. The context of current bad scorecards and the past glories aren’t easy to handle, even by the best of the best. The last time I tried doing that, one of my leaders sent me a text saying, "I gave birth to this business, and I feel used now". Some promoter-driven companies take the in-between path of even keeping retired employees as consultants in the name of mentoring their successors. One can argue that age is just a number and performance is cyclical, and there are still people over 60 running their firms successfully; hence, the suggestion that ageing CXOs should make way for younger leaders is absurd. 10% of S&P 500 CEOs are in the 65-69 age group, and about 5% of Russel 3000 CEOs are 70 or older. This despite 11 % of S&P 500 CEOs retiring over the last five years. Conversely, younger age groups have become less represented in the same cohort of the CEO population. For example, among these larger companies, the number of CEOs aged 50-59 declined in the last six years. In a town hall, a younger colleague once asked the global CEO why new, junior entrants are given just a few months to prove their mettle, whereas leaders get a much longer rope even if they aren’t performing. The CEO responded that some of them have earned their stripes, and, in leadership roles, one has to direct a bigger ship and, hence, the longer rope is justified. Just like in sports, the corporate world thrives on the recency effect, and eventually, our scorecard decides if we can leave on our terms or those of our employers. Leaders past their prime who are reluctant to leave on their own may find themselves in parking roles. Some of us take these not-so-benevolent hints from our employers and leave, but this famous quote inspires some of us: “Why hurry over beautiful things? Why not linger and enjoy them?

Every day, I get a request from at least one CXO seeking a job change. My column in today's Hindu Business Line reflects those interactions. What would you advise CXOs looking for job changes? Stay connected with search firms or your alumni, or be visible on Social Media? Most times, it might be all of the above. It also depends on how much time you have! Over the last 12 months, 45,000 senior leaders with a median tenure of 2.8 years changed jobs in India, which is a clear indicator of the opportunities in roles like GM, Director, and VP. The IT sector alone saw 4,600 such leaders moving to another employer in the same period. Moreover, nearly 100 new GCCs have come to India in the last two years and have recruited more than 1,200 leaders to their newly formed entities. Last financial year, more than 150 Indian companies went the IPO route, and the estimation is even higher for this financial year. So, how easy or difficult is it to find a job in a leadership role? Is there a playbook? Online Platforms It is common knowledge that leadership hiring can stretch from six months to one year. So, if a leader is working in a volatile organisation or has clear signs of a push coming their way, one has no choice but to look into open roles on platforms. At any given time, over 1,000-1,200 leaders with a salary above ₹1 crore per annum are looking for jobs on various online job platforms. This is a go-to talent pool for recruiters and enterprises that don’t have the time to court passive talent. Executive Search Firms Most often, Search companies secure job openings with their clients and then look for leaders who are likely fit. The logic is that you will get a call if you are good enough or fit the skill, salary, and location criteria. However, one cannot deny that cementing relationships with various search firms is a great insurance for repeat opportunities in a long career. Alumni network I am sure that in your career as a leader, if not all, some of the moves would be due to a recommendation from someone who has worked with you. In a technology and social media-connected world, there is no excuse for not making the time and effort to stay in touch with your alumni. After all, what people talk about you when you aren’t in the room is who you really are. You may not want to be labelled as someone who reaches out only when you need a new job desperately. Sophisticated or Subtle You can be on a pedestal and conduct events, write blogs, broadcast podcasts or be more personal by connecting one-to-one with your ecosystem. A New Year wish, a festival greeting, or a birthday wish to a select few is not ideal! One lunch or coffee a year with some of these well-networked professionals is better! Leadership roles are the most vulnerable during times of crisis, and it will cause no harm in building some serious relationships in our alumni group. Else, you have to swear by the famous book by Cal Newport, “So good that they can’t ignore you?”