GCCs in Life Sciences: Building Global Leadership in India

The emergence of India as a hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) across the industry spectrum is not a matter of chance. It is the result of decades of investment in building people's capability and infrastructure, along with an integration into the free markets, starting with the economic opening up in the early nineties.

Accenture defines a Global Capability Centre (GCC) as “a strategic unit that supports an organization's global operations through technology, talent, and innovation.” It adds that “Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are designed to leverage global talent pools and technological advancements to enhance organizational capabilities and drive business transformation.”

GCCs in Life Sciences and Healthcare

One of the sectors witnessing incredible traction in the growth and contribution of GCCs is the life sciences and healthcare industry. The early success of GCCs in delivering a cost advantage through processes such as medical writing and data management has led to greater confidence in global organizations to leverage the GCC in moving up the food chain. GCCs in life sciences and healthcare are taking the global lead for the parent company in handling regulatory affairs, the design and management of clinical trials, research and development, advanced data analytics and biostatistics, innovations in digital health such as wearable tech, and leveraging the power of AI.

These developments are creating a happy challenge for executive search firms such as Ushankk; the challenge of moving from providing people for middle management roles to identifying and providing leaders of the future. More than operational performance, which is now a base-level requirement, the new leaders are expected to be able to steer strategy, work with global teams, lead discussions with regulators and engage with global clients.

Early success driving growth

Good returns from an initiative are always an encouragement for expanding it.

Many corporations have followed the tried and trusted toe-dipping strategy while creating their GCCs. The initial forays were in outsourcing a limited set of services, which might have been classified as non-core, so that disappointing outcomes did not create a drag on the business. These were typically outsourcing engagements with third-party providers. Success would have encouraged them to expand the scope of work and include “core” business processes, usually with the vendor. This could lead to the corporation taking the next logical step of establishing a GCC in India, following their established process of evaluating the business value creation as a result of the initiative. Once established, it would grow to the extent that it could create value.

Success factors

There are several factors that have contributed to the early, as well as continuing, success of outsourcing arrangements, as well as GCCs.

Talent pool

A large pool of young, employable, English-proficient talent was among the initial drivers of outsourcing, and it continues to be even as the recent decade has witnessed a rise of GCCs. With a well-established education system, India also produces a large number of graduates in medicine, pharmacology and other related disciplines.

Innovations in Information and communications technology (ICT)

Since the commercial availability of the internet and mobile telephony, “anytime, anywhere” are no longer buzzwords seen only on corporate logos. They are a reality. Many types of work that require connectivity and computing power can be done from anywhere in the world.

All-inclusive centres

According to Agilisium, a premier data innovation partner for leading pharmaceutical, biotech and medical devices companies, GCCs are “speeding up the time it takes to bring new therapies to market. By centralizing essential functions like drug discovery, clinical development, and commercial operations, GCCs help life sciences companies navigate complex regulations and meet global healthcare needs more effectively.”

Large, diverse population pool

According to Pharmabiz.com, “the country’s large and diverse population provides an extensive patient pool for clinical trials…crucial for testing the efficacy and safety of new drugs across different genetic backgrounds and demographic groups.” This often drives the decisions of corporations looking to move clinical trials to the GCC.

The evolving face of talent in Life sciences and healthcare GCCs

The functions that we see as playing increasingly important roles in GCCs in this sector:

• Regulatory Affairs Management
• Clinical Development & Operations
• Digital Innovation
• Quality and Compliance
• Business leader, also the GCC Site Head (cross-functional)

Talent for GCCs and the role of executive search firms

Executive search firms like Ushankk, with a track record in the industry, are going beyond their traditional domain of providing resources to the life sciences and healthcare GCCs. They are becoming strategic partners for GCCs and helping them identify, benchmark, evaluate, nurture, onboard and even hand-hold talent. They are also getting involved in succession planning and talent development with a view to global responsibilities being handled by the GCC.

As a company that has worked with leaders, we believe we are at an inflexion point. We see a future where life sciences and healthcare GCCs in India are engines of business growth and innovation. It needs leadership. And it needs the right search partner. Like Ushankk.