What Are the Different Models of GCCs?

India hosts more than 1,760 GCCs. The model choice determines how fast the organisation is operational, how much capital is committed before the first hire, and who carries accountability when execution becomes complicated.

India’s GCC market is the largest concentration of multinational capability centre operations in the world. More than 1,760 centres employ 1.9 million professionals today, with projections pointing to 2,500-plus GCCs contributing USD 105 billion to the global economy by 2030. A new GCC is established in India every three days. The question most consequential to how well that commitment is realised is not where to locate. It is which operating model to adopt.

City selection receives most of the attention in GCC planning conversations. Bengaluru or Hyderabad. Pune or Chennai. Tier-1 or Tier-2. These are legitimate considerations. They come second. The model choice determines the timeline to operational readiness, the capital required before the first hire, and the identity of the party accountable when execution encounters the complexity that large-scale India expansion reliably generates.

“India remains the world’s most compelling GCC destination because of its talent depth and ability to scale complex operations. However, as GCCs become more strategic, enterprises need a fundamentally different operating approach.”
Karan Chopra, Chairman and CEO, Table Space

This piece is for global strategy leads, CFOs, and heads of real estate at multinationals evaluating India as a GCC destination and determining which operating model fits their mandate and their risk profile.

Model 1: The Captive Build

The captive model is the traditional route. The enterprise establishes and operates the GCC entirely under its own management. The lease is secured directly, a design firm is commissioned, construction is managed internally, an India leadership team is recruited, and the full HR, payroll, compliance, and IT infrastructure is built from the ground up.

This model gives the organisation maximum control and full operational ownership from day one. It is the appropriate structure when the enterprise already has established India operations and an internal real estate capability, when GCC headcount is above 500 and stable across a five to seven year horizon, or when the board’s preference is unambiguous full physical and operational ownership.

A captive build typically runs nine to eighteen months from entity registration to first occupancy, with a security deposit of six to twelve months’ rent committed before the office is operational and fitout capital deployed before a single employee joins. For a first-time entrant to India, this is frequently the model that delays the business mandate by twelve months while the organisation builds the capability required to run the office, rather than the operation the office was built to house.

Model 2: The Managed GCC

The managed model transfers operational complexity to a single provider. The provider holds accountability for the full workspace lifecycle – site identification, lease negotiation, design, construction, IT infrastructure, and post-handover operations. The enterprise concentrates its leadership bandwidth on talent, technology, and the business mandate the GCC was established to deliver.

Under this model, a fully functional, compliant GCC workspace is operational in approximately 90 days by Table Space standards. The capital commitment drops from six to twelve months’ deposit plus fitout capital to one to two months’ deposit, with all remaining costs folded into a single monthly fee. The enterprise retains full control of the floor plan, brand environment, network architecture, and security configuration.

Table Space has delivered this model across sectors and seat counts – from 200-seat incubation spaces scaling to multi-thousand-seat operations, to large-format GCC expansions running to hundreds of thousands of square feet across Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Chennai simultaneously. The compliance brief, headcount flexibility, and delivery timeline are all held under one contract.

The managed model is the structurally appropriate default for GCCs entering India for the first time within a board-approved timeline, scaling from an existing India base without building a dedicated real estate function, operating under active compliance requirements where dedicated infrastructure is non-negotiable from day one, or running headcount projections likely to shift within 12 to 24 months of setup. For enterprises that need to validate India before committing to a full fitout programme, Table Space’s ready-to-move-in suites provide immediate, enterprise-configured occupancy within the same provider relationship, extendable into a fully bespoke workspace as the mandate is confirmed.

Table Space’s Global Connect offering provides a further layer of GCC enablement for multinationals building their India capability centre from the ground up – covering entity registration, banking, HR and payroll setup, compliance configuration, and workspace delivery under a single integrated framework. It is designed for enterprises that need their India operation to be fully functional before internal India leadership is fully in place.

Model 3: Build-Operate-Transfer

The build-operate-transfer model is a structured middle path. A third-party provider establishes the GCC – including entity registration, banking, compliance, HR, payroll, IT, and workspace delivery – and operates it for an agreed period, typically around 36 months, before transferring full ownership and operational control to the enterprise under a pre-agreed transition plan.

This model is designed for organisations that require the speed and lower risk profile of a managed setup alongside a defined intention to own the operation outright at a future point. Table Space structures BOT engagements with the transfer timeline, governance framework, and people handover protocol defined in the original contract, not as a future negotiation conducted under time pressure when the transfer date approaches.

The build-operate-transfer model is appropriate when the organisation wants to validate India operations before committing to full internal ownership, when India leadership hiring is underway but not complete at the time of setup, when the board requires a defined path to captive ownership while managing near-term execution risk, or when the organisation needs dedicated talent pods or engineering teams operational quickly with the intention to internalise those functions across a defined horizon.

How the Three Models Compare

The Right Model for the Right Organisation

The captive build is the right default for large, stable operations with existing India capability and a long-term ownership preference. The managed model is the right default for first-time entrants, fast-scaling GCCs, and compliance-driven organisations that need to be operational within a constrained timeline. The build-operate-transfer model fits organisations that want the speed and risk mitigation of a managed setup with a formally contracted path to ownership.

Most GCCs entering India in 2026 are choosing the managed or build-operate-transfer route for the first phase, then reassessing ownership structure once the India operation is validated and the leadership team is fully in place. That sequence reflects rational risk management applied to a market that rewards speed and punishes structural misalignment between the operating model and the organisation’s actual readiness.

Frequently Asked Questions