The Leadership Federation Concludes 9th GCC Leadership Conclave in Bengaluru, Bringing Together Leaders Shaping GCCs

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 16: The Leadership Federation concluded the 9th Edition of the GCC Leadership Conclave on 9–10 September 2026 at The Leela Bhartiya City, Bengaluru, convening senior global capability centre (GCC) leaders, CXOs, enterprise decision-makers, technology and transformation experts, and ecosystem partners for two days of strategic sessions and networking. The event focused on the evolution of GCCs from delivery and support centres into AI-led engines of innovation, engineering, digital transformation and global business value creation.

"The conclave reinforced Bengaluru's position as a critical hub for India's GCC ecosystem and highlighted the increasing importance of Indian GCCs in driving innovation and enterprise transformation worldwide," event organisers said.

Event highlights and themes

Organisers positioned Bengaluru as the natural host for discussions about the future of GCCs, citing the city's role in India’s technology and GCC ecosystem. Panels, keynote sessions, fireside conversations and CXO interactions explored themes including AI and intelligent automation, future-ready talent, digital engineering, cybersecurity, enterprise transformation and workplace innovation. A recurring theme was the need for GCCs to move beyond technology adoption to generate measurable business value through AI, data, automation and intelligent operations, while emphasising leadership, talent, culture and collaboration.

Awards recognising GCC leadership and innovation

A major focal point of the conclave was the GCC Leadership & Innovation Awards 2026, which honoured leaders and organisations across technology, people, operations and strategy. Winners included established firms, service providers and individual leaders whose work was highlighted for shaping the GCC landscape.

• Global Capability Excellence Award — CBIZ
• Enterprise Leadership Excellence Award — Swayta Murarka
• Technology-to-Value Leadership Award — Rupavahini Selvaraj
• Responsible Intelligence Leadership Award — Sridevi Vadapalli
• Engineering Innovation Leadership Award — Srikanth Nagaraj
• GCC Value Architect Award — Kaustubh Deshpande
• GCC Growth Architect Award — Pancham Taneja
• Digital Transformation & Automation Leadership Award — Ashok Lingarajappa
• GCC Transformation & Scale Leadership Award — Rajeev Kapoor
• Healthcare GCC Transformation Leader Award — Pawan Sachdev
• The AI Engineering Catalyst Award — Biju Kalleppilli
• GCC Innovation & Digital Leadership Award — Vishal Srirama
• Enterprise AI Innovation Leader Award — Tavant Technologies
• Women Leader in GCC Excellence — Ruchi Roy
• Outstanding Digital Innovation Company of the Year — Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance
• Agentic AI Innovation Company of the Year — ideyaLabs
• AI-Led Digital Transformation Services Company of the Year — Zensar

Partners and ecosystem support

The conclave was supported by a cross-section of ecosystem partners. Gold partners included Orane Consulting and Axentia.AI; Brilyant served as CXO Round Table Partner; Tavant Technologies was the Digital Transformation Partner; Regalia Business Parks by Hiranandani was the GCC Real Estate Partner. Silver partners included Simple.AI, CBIZ India, Hosted.AI and Accion Labs. Alliance University served as GCC Strategic Knowledge Partner and Spectrum Talent Management as GCC Staffing & Talent Partner.

Outlook

Organisers and participating leaders signalled intent to accelerate AI-driven transformation within GCCs, with continued emphasis on talent, governance and measurable business outcomes. The conclave’s blend of strategy sessions and awards aims to sustain momentum as GCCs reposition themselves as strategic centres of innovation and enterprise value — a shift organisers say will continue to play out across technology, operations and people strategies in the year ahead.