Orbia has appointed Bijal Shah as Head of its Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Pune, bringing more than 23 years of leadership experience across technology, operations, financial services and capability centres.

The appointment marks an important leadership development for Orbia’s India operations as global companies increasingly look to their GCCs to contribute beyond operational delivery and play a greater role in technology, innovation and enterprise-wide transformation.

Shah will focus on strengthening the Pune centre’s contribution to Orbia’s global businesses, with priorities spanning talent development, technology capabilities, innovation and operational excellence.

Bijal Shah Brings More Than Two Decades of Leadership Experience

Before joining Orbia, Shah served as India Country Head and Board Director at Genworth Financial, where she oversaw functions spanning technology, operations, finance, human resources and sourcing.

Her experience across multiple business functions provides a foundation for leading a capability centre that must align local operations with global organisational priorities.

Shah’s career combines technology expertise with broader operational and leadership responsibilities. This background is particularly relevant as GCC leadership roles increasingly require professionals who can connect technology execution, workforce strategy and business performance.

In a LinkedIn post announcing her new role, Shah highlighted her intention to build on the existing foundation of Orbia’s India GCC and expand its contribution through talent, technology, innovation and operational excellence.

She also emphasised the importance of moving beyond execution to establish GCCs as sources of ideas, capabilities and competitive advantage for the wider enterprise.

Orbia Strengthens Its India Capability Centre

Orbia is a global company headquartered in Mexico with businesses spanning water infrastructure, precision agriculture, connectivity solutions, polymer products, and advanced materials for the energy transition.

The company has more than 22,000 employees, commercial activities in over 100 countries and operations in more than 50 countries.

Its diversified business portfolio connects it to several important global priorities, including food and water security, connectivity, decarbonisation and the energy transition.

Within this international structure, India’s technology and operational capabilities can help support collaboration across business units and geographies.

Shah’s appointment provides dedicated leadership for Orbia’s Pune GCC as the company seeks to strengthen the centre’s capabilities and its contribution to global operations.

Why GCC Leadership Is Becoming More Strategic

The appointment comes amid a broader transformation in India’s Global Capability Centre ecosystem.

Many multinational companies initially established Indian centres to access skilled professionals, improve efficiency and support global operations. Over time, these centres have taken on broader responsibilities across technology, analytics, digital transformation and business-critical functions.

Today, the strategic value of a GCC increasingly depends on its ability to deliver measurable business outcomes rather than simply execute assigned tasks.

This shift requires leaders who can:

• Build specialised capabilities: Develop teams with the skills required to support evolving global business needs.
• Connect technology with business strategy: Ensure that technology investments and operational priorities contribute to organisational goals.
• Drive innovation: Encourage teams to identify opportunities for improvement and develop new solutions.
• Strengthen global collaboration: Build effective partnerships between India-based teams and international stakeholders.
• Improve operational excellence: Establish processes and operating models that support consistent, scalable performance.

Shah’s cross-functional experience aligns with these broader requirements for modern GCC leadership.

Pune’s Role in India’s GCC Ecosystem

Pune has developed into an important destination for multinational technology and capability operations, supported by its engineering talent, technology ecosystem and established corporate presence.

For global organisations, the city offers access to professionals across technology, operations and business functions, making it a potential base for building capabilities that serve multiple international markets.

The effectiveness of a GCC, however, depends on more than its location. Its long-term contribution is shaped by leadership, talent development, alignment with global business priorities and the ability to deliver meaningful outcomes.

For Orbia, the focus on strengthening its Pune centre reflects the importance of developing local capabilities that support its broader international business.

From Operational Delivery to Competitive Advantage

One of the central themes in Shah’s stated vision is the transition from execution-focused work to capabilities that create competitive advantage.

This distinction matters for multinational companies operating across complex industries. A strategically positioned GCC can help organisations strengthen technology capabilities, improve processes, develop specialist talent and identify opportunities that benefit the wider enterprise.

The transition requires sustained investment in people, leadership and operating models. It also requires close collaboration between the India centre and global business teams so that local capabilities remain connected to the organisation’s strategic objectives.

For Orbia, talent, technology, innovation and operational excellence are the key areas identified for strengthening the Pune GCC’s contribution.

The company’s next phase will depend on how effectively those priorities translate into capabilities and outcomes for its global businesses.

GCC Lens: What This Appointment Signals

Bijal Shah’s appointment highlights a broader development in India’s GCC landscape: leadership is becoming central to the evolution of capability centres into strategic business partners.

As global organisations expand their Indian operations, they need leaders who can develop talent, coordinate across functions and ensure that local teams contribute to global priorities.

Orbia’s leadership move reflects this changing expectation. The focus is not simply on maintaining an India presence, but on strengthening the centre’s ability to contribute through innovation, technology and operational performance.

The next stage of GCC growth will be shaped not just by the number of centres companies establish, but by the capabilities those centres build and the business value they create.

For Orbia’s Pune GCC, Shah’s appointment sets the leadership direction for that ambition.

Source: The Economic Times GCC, published October 9, 2026.

Hyderabad GCC Enters Its Next Phase of Growth

India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) ecosystem is moving steadily from execution-led operations toward strategic ownership, and Flutter Entertainment India’s Hyderabad centre is a strong example of that transition.

Flutter Entertainment has appointed Seema Padman as General Manager of Flutter Entertainment India, placing her at the helm of the company’s Hyderabad-based GCC as it enters its next stage of expansion and global integration.

Padman joined Flutter in April 2024 and has since played a significant role in scaling the India operation to more than 1,000 employees, while also helping establish teams across emerging and strategically important capabilities.

Her new mandate goes beyond managing headcount. It is focused on strengthening capabilities, global delivery, leadership alignment and the centre’s contribution to Flutter’s broader competitive strategy.

From People Leadership to Business Leadership

Padman’s appointment is particularly significant because her career at Flutter has extended across multiple geographies and functions.

Before taking on the General Manager role, she led the people function for India as well as Flutter’s global hubs in Cluj, Porto and Sofia.

That experience gives her exposure to different operating models, cultures and talent ecosystems.

Her new role therefore represents a natural progression from building the organisation’s people capabilities to helping shape the overall business and delivery agenda for the India centre.

As General Manager, Padman will work closely with Flutter’s global leadership team to scale capabilities, strengthen delivery across the group’s brands and build a high-performance and inclusive culture.

Hyderabad GCC Crosses the 1,000-Employee Mark

One of the clearest indicators of Flutter’s growing commitment to India is the expansion of its Hyderabad operation.

Since Padman joined in 2024, the centre has grown to more than 1,000 employees.

But the expansion is not simply about adding people.

Flutter has been building teams across high-priority and emerging capabilities, reflecting the broader evolution of GCCs in India.

Modern GCCs are increasingly being measured not by how many employees they have, but by the complexity and strategic importance of the work they own.

Flutter’s Hyderabad centre appears to be following this trajectory.

The operation supports multiple brands and functions across geographies, giving the India team an increasingly important role in the company’s global ecosystem.

Strengthening the ‘Flutter Edge’

A major part of Padman’s new responsibility will be driving Hyderabad’s contribution to Flutter Edge.

Flutter describes this as a proprietary set of capabilities spanning technology, product, talent and global scale, which collectively underpin the company’s competitive advantage.

This is an important shift in how the India GCC is positioned.

Rather than functioning purely as a delivery centre, Hyderabad is becoming part of the capability architecture that supports Flutter’s global business.

The focus is therefore moving towards creating capabilities that can be leveraged across markets and brands.

For GCCs, this is increasingly becoming the new benchmark: global relevance rather than local execution.

Talent as a Strategic Advantage

Flutter’s Hyderabad growth also highlights the increasing importance of talent strategy in GCC expansion.

Earlier, companies could establish large Indian centres primarily around access to engineering and operational talent.

Today, that is no longer enough.

GCCs need professionals who can work across geographies, understand business context, collaborate with global teams and take ownership of increasingly complex mandates.

Flutter has already been moving in this direction.

In an earlier discussion, Padman noted that the Hyderabad hub had evolved into a multi-capability operation, with some leaders taking on global or regional responsibilities. The centre had also reached around 1,000 employees supporting six brands and capabilities across multiple geographies.

This creates a strong foundation for the next phase of growth.

Building Leaders for Global Roles

The evolution of Flutter’s India operation also reflects a broader trend in the GCC market: Indian leaders are increasingly taking ownership of global mandates.

For years, GCC career paths often had a ceiling.

Employees could manage large teams and complex operations in India, but major strategic decisions were still controlled by headquarters.

That model is changing.

As Indian GCCs take ownership of products, technology, data, finance, customer experience and enterprise transformation, leadership roles are also becoming increasingly global.

Flutter’s approach demonstrates this shift.

The Hyderabad centre is not simply receiving global work; its leadership is increasingly connected to global business priorities.

AI Capability Will Be Part of the Next Chapter

Technology transformation will also play a significant role in Flutter’s future talent strategy.

The company has previously highlighted the importance of building AI capability across the workforce rather than limiting AI expertise to a small group of specialists.

Its approach includes establishing baseline AI awareness across the organisation, developing deeper expertise for selected roles and helping leaders incorporate AI-informed thinking into decision-making.

This is particularly relevant as GCCs move into an AI-led operating environment.

The future workforce will require more than technical knowledge.

Employees will need to combine technology understanding with critical thinking, business context, judgement and collaboration.

For managers, the challenge will be even greater: they will have to translate rapidly evolving technologies into practical changes in everyday work.

The Hyderabad Opportunity

Padman’s appointment comes at an important moment for Hyderabad.

The city has emerged as one of India’s major GCC destinations, with companies building large operations across technology, product development, data, finance and other strategic functions.

Flutter’s continued investment adds another dimension to this ecosystem.

The company is building a centre that supports global brands while developing capabilities that can be shared across markets.

That gives Hyderabad an opportunity to move beyond being a talent location and become an important part of Flutter’s global operating model.

What This Means for India’s GCC Ecosystem

Flutter Entertainment India’s leadership transition reflects several larger trends shaping the GCC sector.

1. GCC leadership is becoming more strategic

General Managers are increasingly responsible for business outcomes, not simply people and operations.

2. Scale is moving beyond headcount

Cross-functional capability, global mandates and ownership are becoming more important measures of GCC maturity.

3. India is producing global leaders

Leadership roles based in India are increasingly influencing operations across multiple international markets.

4. Talent and technology are converging

Future-ready GCCs will need professionals who understand both business domains and emerging technologies such as AI.

5. Culture remains critical during rapid growth

As centres cross the 1,000-employee threshold, maintaining an inclusive, high-performance culture becomes increasingly important.

The Bigger Picture

Seema Padman’s appointment is more than a leadership change.

It signals the next phase of Flutter Entertainment’s India strategy.

The Hyderabad GCC has already demonstrated that it can scale rapidly and build capabilities across emerging areas. The next challenge is to turn that scale into greater global ownership, stronger delivery and differentiated business value.

With Padman now leading the India operation, Flutter is placing its Hyderabad centre closer to the heart of its global capability strategy.

The message for the wider GCC ecosystem is clear:

India’s GCCs are no longer being built simply to support global businesses. They are increasingly being built to help shape them.

And Flutter Entertainment India’s Hyderabad operation could be one more example of that transformation in action.