Breaking the GCC Echo Chamber Ft. Deepak Visweswaraiah, Pegasystems India

Nitika: Welcome to this episode of Zinnov’s GCCs Unfiltered. Whether you are needing a GCC, building one, or are just plain curious, we bring you the real insights that matter. This is not just about buzzwords or trends. It is about the trade offs, the pivotal moments, and the strategies that drive long lasting value.

We dive into the challenges of the leader, the change in their mindsets, and the tough decisions that they have had to make to drive the future of their organizations. I am Nitika Goel, CMO and Managing Partner at Zinnov, and I am joined by an old friend, the Deepak Visweswaraiah, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Pegasystems India.

I have had the privilege of working with Deepak in the past, and I now call him a friend and a mentor, and I continue to learn from him today. Deepak has been instrumental in leading Pega’s transformation in India, taking its center from a support function to a key driver of AI innovation and digital transformation.

A deep believer in setting the culture right, thinking from an innovation first lens, Deepak is all about getting into the trenches and doing it from the ground up. His journey has been one of scaling operations, pushing the boundaries of technology, and building high performing teams. Today we will explore what he did in the past and what he continues to do to make every organization that he has been a part of successful in their GCC journey.

So thank you so much, Deepak, for being here today. Really excited to have you on the show.

Deepak: Thank you, Nitika. Always a pleasure to spend some time with you. This is a good opportunity to be here. So thank you.

Nitika: Thank you, Deepak. I wanted a quick thirty second thing on what Pega does because that is what we are going to feed.

Deepak: Pega is an AI driven and AI powered platform that drives enterprise transformation. Pega allows our customers to excel in three areas. Customer engagement. Customer service in any contact center scenarios. And intelligent automation for any business process that can be automated. At a very high level, that is what Pega does.

Nitika: We call it GCCs Unfiltered because there are a lot of conversations and a lot of hype around GCCs as we know them today. I would love to hear from you, what do you think is hype and what do you think is reality?

Deepak: The growth of GCCs in India over the last five to seven years has enormously increased. That growth and the rate of growth has caused a sensation in the country. GCC is becoming a segment that people are starting to focus on.

India is uniquely placed to host this because of talent, space, technology adoption, and language. That is what makes it special. The hype is always there from a market and media perspective. But the value is more important as global companies start to put their own centers here, moving away from a services mindset to building products. That is what separates hype from value.

Nitika: You have worked with EMC, NetApp, and today with Pega. How have the value levers changed?

Deepak: The value levers have changed both inside and outside. Inside, we have people who have grown with this evolution. There is a lot more leadership capability in India to lead centers and products. That gives companies the capability to set up a GCC with leadership strength.

Outside, global leaders who want to set up now understand the value an India center can bring. It is not about cost anymore. People have learned over the last 20 years that value matters. How can you be critical to the business?

Nitika: Do you think Indian leaders are ready to be part of that critical workflow? Do we really understand the top three CEO priorities?

Deepak: In pockets, yes. But it is not uniform. The mindset must shift to aligning with company goals, CEO imperatives, and driving value at scale. Not everyone is there. There is room to do more. We are in a transitional phase, halfway there.

Nitika: What does the ecosystem need to help those not there yet move up the chain?

Deepak: Companies like Zinnov play a huge role and have done so for decades. The ecosystem allows learning without repeating mistakes. Infrastructure, talent, and the AI bandwagon give India an edge.

Nitika: Are we caught up in labels like GCC or COE?

Deepak: Labels do not matter. Impact does. The shift away from back-office perceptions is what truly matters.

Nitika: In a company like Pega, where you have grown into a global SVP role, what is the line between HQ and the India GCC?

Deepak: At Pega we have eliminated that line. We do not talk about India per se. It is a global outlook of what works for Pega. We call it a one Pega mindset. We are all working for Pega. Everything is focused on overall strategy. That is how GCCs show value—when decisions impact the company globally.

Nitika: How do you prevent India from becoming a silo when it contributes up to 70 percent of engineering?

Deepak: It is easy to fall into that trap. Fifty to sixty percent of our engineering is in India, but we need to break silos. Like AI agents—if each works in a silo, you get noise. True value comes from alignment with company strategy.

Nitika: In AI, global teams are exploring, customers are still figuring things out, and goalposts keep shifting. What role can an India GCC play?

Deepak: The biggest thing is talent readiness. Not just leveraging AI, but building AI with business context. Agents must understand human elements like empathy and context, not just prompts.

Nitika: How do you teach people to build AI?

Deepak: Do not bolt on features. Build AI into products and platforms so it is available to all users. Drive a company-wide culture with leadership goals, dashboards, and top-down belief.

Nitika: How does that extend to customers?

Deepak: Many global customers now have R&D centers and leadership in India. That creates a two-way exchange. Customers are in our offices every week, co-creating and validating innovation with our teams.

Nitika: One hard truth about GCCs that no one talks about?

Deepak: People avoid talking about what is not good, but honesty builds relationships.

Nitika: If the GCC model did not exist tomorrow at Pega?

Deepak: Everything would break. We do fifty to sixty percent of engineering from India.

Nitika: Advice to your younger self?

Deepak: Do not chase headcount. Chase value and impact.

Nitika: First three hires for a new GCC?

Deepak: Solid engineering leader, supreme technologist, and culture driver. Plus the ecosystem.

Nitika: How to build culture from scratch?

Deepak: Start with curiosity. Define who you are. Hire culture leaders first.

Nitika: How do you avoid fatigue after years in the ecosystem?

Deepak: By enjoying the work. Passion keeps you new and relevant.

Nitika: How do you stay relevant with an AI native team?

Deepak: Keep learning. Know the right questions to ask, even if you do not have all the answers.

Nitika: What does unfiltered success look like for you?

Deepak: At Pega, being a critical business driver and a great place to work. Personally, finding some time to play golf.

Nitika: Thank you, Deepak, for being on Zinnov’s GCC Unfiltered.

Deepak: Thank you, Nitika. Always a pleasure.