Publicis Sapient, a US-based digital technology services firm, is expanding its India operations with a focus on global capability centres (GCCs). Its new line of services aim to help enterprises unlock the full value of their GCCs by boosting innovation, agility and delivering measurable business impact. Sanjay Menon, MD and EVP, Publicis Sapient India, speaks to Sudhir Chowdhary on the India opportunity, evolving role of GCCs and talent dynamics in this space. Excerpts:
How do you see GCCs evolving over the next 3-5 years?
India’s GCC industry is entering a different chapter. For years, these centres were mostly built for operational scale & cost efficiency. But now, we see a marked shift, not just in size, but in intent.
Today’s GCCs are set up to drive innovation, not just delivery. With deep talent, mature leadership, and policy support, India is becoming a centre for end-to-end ownership. Nearly 90% of GCCs now run high-value functions like product development, engineering and R&D.
There is a growing intent to build fully strategic extensions of the mothership into India, where talent that has long delivered global successes is now equally ready to solve complex challenges for both global and domestic markets. We refer to this as the innovation arbitrage era, where India delivers not just savings, but strategic upside.
Tell us more about your India operations and key focus areas.
India sits right at the centre of our global strategy. There is a convergence happening here, a combination of talent depth, business ambition and digital opportunity, that makes this market important to us.
We see momentum across three major fronts. Private sector: especially in BFSI, health, and energy, is driving some of the most progressive digital transformation conversations. Public sector is undergoing change, through government-led digitisation. And GCC space, which is evolving faster than most realise. Clients are not building just for cost, but for scale, speed, and innovation. And because we’ve built a globally integrated leadership and delivery model out of India ourselves, we’re in a strong position to help them shape similar models of their own.
Which industries have heightened demand for digital transformation journeys?
We’re seeing strong demand across sectors from energy to hospitality, telecom to retail. But the nature of transformation looks different in each case. With some clients, it’s about launching new digital businesses. In other cases, it’s about reimagining what already exists. In energy, the work involves rethinking monetisation models and redesigning frontline customer experiences.
Our SPEED framework: Strategy, Product, Engineering, Experience, and Data, helps us bring an integrated approach to transformation. Whether it is through building new capabilities or scaling existing ones through GCCs, our focus is to create long-term business value.
Companies are also struggling with tech debt…
Tech debt has always existed, but it is now becoming one of the biggest blockers to business agility. The approach to managing it incrementally no longer works. What is needed is a reframe. Instead of trying to patch legacy systems, we help clients understand what is truly relevant in those systems and what can be retired.
How can tech firms, especially GCCs, improve talent management?
Talent retention is not about perks or policies, but intent. What kind of environment are you building? Why would someone stay? What experience are you creating? Sustained innovation is not possible without the right culture and culture is not something you bolt on later. It’s part of the core operating model. People stay when they feel challenged, recognised, and aligned with a larger purpose. In a GCC context, it gives teams the space to take ownership, drive outcomes, and grow continuously.