What boards ask now about India GCCs
Ten years ago, many board packs still argued for India on wage arbitrage. That slide still appears. It no longer carries the meeting.
Boards that have seen peers build captives ask harder questions:
- What does India own end to end?
- Who decides what without HQ?
- Where does IP sit, and how is it assigned?
- How is customer and employee data protected?
- Is AI in production with controls, or only in demos?
- What is the exit path if the plan changes?
How to answer without theater
- Bring a one-page charter, not twenty market slides.
- Show named owners in India and counterparts at HQ.
- Put contracts and controls next to the ambition (employment IP clauses, access, vendors).
- Offer a 90-day evidence plan: what will be true by then.
- Be honest about model choice: EOR to test, BOT to build-then-transfer, own entity for long commitment.
30 / 60 / 90
- 30: Board FAQ in plain language, with owners listed.
- 60: Risk and IP appendix reviewed by counsel.
- 90: First evidence pack delivered to the sponsor who sits near the board.
Takeaway
Boards do not need more India tourism. They need proof you can run a serious center.
If you want help building that pack for a first Bengaluru team, book a call.