The BFSI sector is undergoing rapid transformation as institutions modernize core systems, strengthen regulatory resilience, and embed AI across risk, compliance, and customer operations. In this shift, India’s BFSI GCCs have become strategic hubs for data-driven decision making, digital innovation, and scalable financial operations.
Leaders of these centers are evolving beyond traditional support roles to drive enterprise-wide transformation, platform modernization, and global collaboration. This list recognizes the BFSI GCC heads redefining how financial organizations leverage India for innovation, resilience, and sustained competitive advantage.
(Listed in alphabetical order by leader's name)
As Managing Director at the Swiss Re group, Amit Kalra has more than 20+ years of global leadership experience in the financial services industry. He leads Swiss Re's Global Business Solutions division, which offers groupwide capabilities of Digital Services for employees and clients, Partner Enablement, and global capability hubs in India (Bangalore and Hyderabad) and Slovakia. He has diverse experience in executive and strategic leadership, business and cultural transformation, innovation and thought leadership.
He also heads the global capability hub in India- a setup of over 2,400 professionals across the re/insurance value chain. In this role, he works with his counterparts to enhance Swiss Re's competitiveness in the market by delivering excellence in core business and technology capabilities and enabling transformation through R&D-focused initiatives and innovation.
Amit joined Swiss Re in 2007 and has held various roles since then- setting up and leading Economic Research and Consulting India; incubating and leading analytics and non-life actuarial teams; as Head Strategy India, designing and executing strategic development initiatives, enabling growth and ecosystem connect; and as Head of India setup, he drove the growth, capability development and holistic transformation of India hub.
He also founded and led the global Swiss Re startup initiative- InsurTech Accelerator, which sourced innovative ideas/solutions in the re/insurance sector. He has written several global studies published under Swiss Re's sigma publications on trends in emerging markets, covering topics like food security, micro insurance, and urbanisation.
Amit is an executive member of NASSCOM National and Karnataka GCC Councils and has previously served as Chair of NASSCOM Karnataka GCC Council and President of South-Swiss India Chambers of Commerce (SICC). He is also an Independent Board member at the Institute of Insurance and Risk Management (IIRM), Hyderabad.
Amit is a Harvard Business School alumnus (AMP 2023), and holds a Master’s degree in Business Economics from the University of Delhi. He is a qualified Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Reinsurance from The Institutes, United States.
Anahita Tiwari joined Morgan Stanley in September 2021 as Managing Director and Head of India Global Centres. She has a seat at the Global Wellbeing Board and has championed diversity and inclusion initiatives in the region. Anahita has 29 years of experience in finance and technology consulting, project management, corporate finance and business transformation.
Before this, Anahita spent 15 years at JPMorgan, where she held various leadership positions in the Corporate and Investment Bank. In her last role at JPMorgan, she was Head of Global Finance and Business Management organisation, as well as a member of the India Operating Committee.
Anahita is Chairperson for the NASSCOM Mumbai GCC Chapter and a member of the National GCC Council. NASSCOM is an industry body representing the rapidly expanding technology and technology-enabled industry in India. It plays a vital role in advocating for policies that facilitate the sector's growth and development.
Anahita is a certified Chartered Accountant and Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Ashish Nayyar is a global business leader with 25 years of experience building, scaling and transforming multi-geography businesses across banking, fintech, SaaS, private equity and professional services. He currently serves as Co-Head-India at OakNorth, where he is responsible for establishing India as a strategic Global Capability and Innovation Hub with end-to-end accountability across governance, talent, culture, and enterprise outcomes.
At OakNorth, Ashish has architected and executed the firm’s India scaling strategy, establishing and institutionalising three centres across Gurugram, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and growing the organisation to 500+ professionals spanning product, engineering, credit, analytics, risk, compliance, legal, audit, procurement and cybersecurity. He has been a trusted partner to founders and the Board through high-growth phases, including SoftBank investment readiness and post-investment scale-up, shaping operating model, leadership structure and cross-geography governance.
Ashish has also led global product leadership for OakNorth Credit Intelligence from London, transforming it into a market-leading SaaS platform adopted by four of the top ten US banks for credit decisioning. Under his leadership, OakNorth has driven enterprise adoption of AI and advanced analytics at scale, embedding innovation into core workflows and improving decision velocity, scalability and resilience across credit, risk and operations.
Before OakNorth, Ashish held senior leadership roles at Moody’s Analytics, where he built and turned around analytics and research businesses focused on private markets and corporate customers with full P&L ownership, scaling to $20M+ revenues and 40%+ EBITDA. He is recognised for building high-performance leadership teams, creating value-led cultures, and positioning GCCs as strategic value engines rather than delivery centres.
Ashish was awarded India GCC Leader of the Year (2025) for business transformation and innovation and is a frequent speaker at GCC, fintech and leadership forums.
Debasis Panda is the Senior Vice President, Global Operations and Head, TransUnion Global Capability Centres (GCCs). He leads TransUnion’s distributed GCC network across Costa Rica, India and South Africa, supporting the enterprise across core technology, operations and enterprise services that help the company deliver on its mission of making trust possible in the modern economy.
With 25 years of experience in global delivery and shared services, Debasis has shaped global operating models, built high‑performing teams and led transformation programs across technology and business operations. His background in developing new capability areas and managing complex global portfolios plays a central role in how he has been able to scale TransUnion’s GCC ecosystem.
What started as a 20‑associate centre in Chennai in 2018 has grown into a 5,500 professional network across six centres on three continents today, supporting 30 global markets. This expansion has enabled an always‑on operating model with broader time‑zone coverage, stronger business continuity and a globally integrated approach to service delivery.
India sits at the centre of this transformation. The GCC India delivers full‑stack capabilities across contact centres, business process operations, engineering, platform modernisation, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). These teams support TransUnion’s modernisation programs and help advance enterprise‑wide innovation efforts. Their work strengthens data platforms, accelerates product development and deepens operational resilience.
One of the defining moments in this journey was the development and deployment of one of TransUnion’s earliest AI agents from Chennai. This achievement demonstrated GCC India’s ability to convert innovation into impactful business solutions. The teams have since helped scale AI pilots globally, playing a major role in areas such as data quality, fraud and identity workflows and enterprise automation. Their contributions have positioned GCC India as an innovation engine powering TransUnion’s data and AI agenda.
Debasis also strengthened capability building through TU Connect, the GCCs’ talent‑operating model. With seven experiential learning pathways, the program gives associates hands‑on experience with real business challenges. This approach deepens problem‑solving capability and builds future‑ready skills across the network.
The GCC India has earned several industry recognitions. Most recently, the NASSCOM GCC Award 2025 for Leadership in New Capability Specialisation (its third consecutive win), the Jombay WOW Workplace Award 2025, the KreateWorks GCC Next Excellence Award 2025, and a 3AI recognition for Debasis for advancing AI‑enabled capability development.
Today, Debasis continues to evolve TransUnion’s GCC strategy, helping shift the organisation from delivery to co‑creation, where India partners in building platforms, products and shared services that will drive TransUnion’s next wave of global impact and innovation.
Michele Rochefort is a transformational business leader with over three decades of experience at the intersection of technology, operations, and global capability centres.
As CEO of AXA Global Business Services (AGBS), she leads more than 4,500 employees across India, Morocco, and the UK - scaling to 6,000 by 2026 - and is driving the organisation’s bold shift from transactional services to a high-value, strategic partner delivering €500m in annual value to AXA Group.
Throughout her career, Michele has been recognised as a catalyst for change. At Allianz, she held Board-level executive roles, including CIO and Head of IT Diagnostic, Head of Group Operations, and Head of Direct & Digital Pure Play. She designed and executed global technology and operations strategies spanning 50+ countries, managed billion-euro budgets, and led teams of over 6,000. Her leadership enabled Allianz to modernise its platforms, scale innovation, and accelerate digital adoption.
Previously, she spent 20 years building her consulting expertise at IBM Global Business Services, Steria Mummert Consulting, and IABG, where she drove large-scale process re-engineering, CRM, and digital transformation programmes for major insurers, financial institutions, and public sector organisations.
Today, at AXA, Michele is redefining what global business services can achieve: embedding AI and data-driven solutions, modernising technology capabilities, and driving cultural transformation across the enterprise. She is known for combining strategic clarity with inclusive leadership, ensuring that people remain at the centre of transformation while delivering measurable business impact.
A visionary and pragmatic operator, Michele is passionate about building resilient organisations, scaling global capability centres, and unlocking the potential of people and technology to deliver lasting enterprise value.
Rachana Bahadur is SVP and Country Head for India at Synchrony, with over three decades of experience in the financial services and banking sector. Throughout her illustrious career, she has held prominent roles at leading firms Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and MorganStanley.
Rachana’s focus has encompassed areas such as product and risk management, controllership and operations functions, as well as spearheading several large-scale technology renovations. She has spent the last 18 years in various senior global leadership positions, cutting across diverse geographies in the US, Asia and Europe. In her current role at Synchrony, Rachana leads all of Synchrony’s India presence, driving strategic transformation with an emphasis on process excellence, ownership and fostering a collaborative culture.
Before her tenure at Synchrony, Rachana served as Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where she co-led pan-India operations and led the India Asset and Wealth Management Division, implementing significant technological and legacy changes. Her extensive background also includes a decade at JPMorgan Chase, managing global teams across diverse retail operations such as call centres, payments, and mortgage operations.
Rachana holds a BBA from Baruch College, New York and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity.
Ramkumar Narayanan is a seasoned technology leader with a distinguished track record of driving large-scale digital transformation, enterprise modernisation, operational excellence, and strategic growth. With over three decades of experience spanning financial and technology sectors, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the success of leading organisations through visionary leadership, data-driven decision-making, and innovation-led strategies.
As Executive Vice President and Head of India and the Philippines, he oversees large-scale technology modernisation, platform engineering and enterprise services, driving operational excellence across both regions. He also leads the Enterprise AI Technology Enablement organisation, advancing AI adoption and empowering FIS platforms and applications to leverage next-generation intelligence capabilities.
Before joining FIS, he held senior leadership positions at VMware, eBay, Yahoo, and Microsoft, where he spearheaded large-scale initiatives influencing global technology strategy and product development. As VP of Technology and Managing Director at VMware, he led the expansion of its largest R&D hub outside the US, fostering cutting-edge innovation and talent development. At eBay, he was General Manager for India and Global Head of Monetisation Products, responsible for platform evolution and revenue strategy.
His tenure at Yahoo as VP of Product Management involved shaping next-generation digital products, while at Microsoft, he served as Head of the Unlimited Potential Group and Chief of Staff to the Chairman, contributing to business and technology growth strategies for India.
Renowned for his ability to navigate complex challenges, Ram excels in aligning business objectives with evolving market dynamics. He has successfully led high-performance teams, fostered cross-functional collaboration, and executed strategic roadmaps that drive measurable impact. His commitment to excellence and forward-thinking approach has earned him recognition as a transformative leader in the industry.
A thought leader and industry advocate, Ram is deeply engaged and a key contributor to the technology and innovation ecosystem in India. As Chairperson of the Product and DeepTech Startup Council at Nasscom, he played a pivotal role in fostering product innovation. He has also served on the Nasscom Executive Council, contributing to the Finance and Audit committee, advocating for India’s Global Capability Centres (GCC), and driving technology-led growth.
His contributions extend through advisory roles at TiE Bangalore, DERBI Foundation, Sukino Healthcare Solutions, Hotify Inc., Zinnov, and Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited, where he supports technology-driven innovation and talent development. Ram is passionate about leveraging technology to drive business transformation, enhance customer experiences, and accelerate digital ecosystems. His strategic vision and leadership continue to influence the future of technology and services on a global scale.
Ruchika Panesar is the Country Head, India and the Chief Digital and Information Officer, Group functions at the NatWest Group, a leading UK Bank.
She is a transformational, purpose-driven leader with a career spanning across Banking, FinTech and Payments disciplines. Her expertise lies in enterprise transformation driven by Technology, building enterprise-grade products and platforms. She has successfully harnessed emerging technologies / AI / Gen AI across business domains to drive innovation and transformation at scale.
Before joining NatWest Group, she spent over two decades at American Express, based in New York and India, leading product development, engineering, and technology strategy development to drive best-in-class customer and colleague experiences.
Ruchika is also a member of the Executive Council of Nasscom - India’s apex technology and industry trade body. She is passionate about education and skill development as a path to empowerment and is an active advocate and sponsor for underrepresented minorities, people in STEM.
Sachin Kulkarni has over three decades of experience in building and scaling Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and driving profitable growth across global consulting and technology businesses. At Fiserv, he leads the transformation of a broad portfolio including cards, core banking, digital payments, ecommerce, financial risk and treasury solutions, application operations, product implementations, and professional services.
Under his leadership, Global Services, Fiserv has successfully deepened its product engineering capabilities, achieved maturity in agile and DevSecOps practices, migrated critical workloads to the cloud, and pioneered the use of GenAI to drive productivity. His career spans leadership roles across Europe, the USA and Asia-Pacific, where he has delivered high-impact transformation programs, built differentiated go-to-market strategies, led strategic sales campaigns, and managed post-merger integrations with a focus on CXO relationship management and alliance partnerships.
He is also a member of the NASSCOM GCC Council and is known for delivering strong outcomes across client satisfaction, operational excellence, and strategic growth. He has been instrumental in championing global roles out of India and is also a proud sponsor of Fiserv’s Women Impact Network, advancing inclusion and diversity.
With hands-on experience across 28 countries, Sachin has been a key driver of digital transformation, intelligent automation, and platform resilience initiatives.
Shibu Zacharia was appointed Vice President and Managing Director of Allstate India in 2025, after leading the Property-Liability Claims Operations as Director since 2018. With over 27 years of global leadership experience, he has consistently guided organisations through transformation by shaping strategy, strengthening enterprise capabilities, and advancing cultures of innovation and customer excellence.
At Allstate, Shibu has been instrumental in building the India Claims Operations Centre into a hub of technical expertise and service excellence, recognised as an invaluable talent centre within the enterprise. He established the Claims Experience Centre in India and embedded a culture of operational discipline and innovation, delivering measurable outcomes that enhanced both customer experience and business performance. In his expanded role as Managing Director, Shibu is responsible for steering Allstate India’s overall operations, governance, and regulatory compliance, while positioning the organisation as a strategic enterprise asset and championing its people-first culture.
Before joining Allstate, Shibu held senior leadership roles delivering impactful business and financial outcomes for global marquee brands in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector, leading operations that served organisations across North America, Mexico, the UK, Australia, and India.
He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Foreign Trade, along with certifications in Leadership & Change Management from IIM Ahmedabad and Design Thinking from UC Berkeley. Deeply committed to leadership development, Shibu actively nurtures talent growth and contributes to the broader industry as part of the GCC Insurance Network group.
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