Creating the right talent and grounding key to attracting GCCs, says Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

Creating the right talent and grounding is key to attracting Global Capability Centres (GCCs), said Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan in Coimbatore on Monday.

Speaking at the GCC Coimbatore Summit 2025, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Coimbatore, he said, “The greatest challenge for GCCs is to avoid over-reliance on niche specialists. The need is for well-rounded professionals who can work across functions and integrate easily with global platforms. The more we produce such talent, the more attractive cities like Coimbatore become for global firms.”

He said GCCs seek professionals who can grow as they would in any global city, and that Coimbatore’s culture of inclusion, openness, and entrepreneurship sets it apart. Retaining this spirit, along with fostering innovation, is key to the city’s next phase of growth.

The theme of the summit was Coimbatore: India’s Twin-Engine GCC Hub, highlighting how the city’s traditional strength in industrial engineering is now intersecting with digital innovation — all within the cost structures of a Tier-II city but with the capabilities of a Tier-I metro.

Mahalingam Ramasamy, Convenor of the GCC Taskforce, CII Coimbatore, said, “The transformation is happening at Tier-II cost structures without compromising on Tier-I capabilities. This makes Coimbatore competitive and future-ready. Unlike congested Tier-I metros, the city offers scalability without saturation. It provides a robust platform for companies to build multidisciplinary centres focused on high-value work.”

R. Nandini, Immediate Past Chairperson of CII Southern Region and Managing Director of Chandra Textiles Pvt. Ltd., said one of the city’s key strengths lies in its educational ecosystem. “The city has nine institutions in the top 100 of the NIRF national rankings and produces over one lakh graduates every year, with more than 50,000 in STEM disciplines. Yet, more than 50% of this talent migrates to metro cities. Retaining this talent pool is critical. GCCs can serve as a catalyst for Coimbatore’s emergence as a global industrial and digital hub.”

The summit featured sessions on infrastructure, quality of life, and GCC readiness. Guidance Tamil Nadu outlined investment schemes, and panels discussed office space, talent, and digital transformation.

The summit also saw the launch of a report by Zinnov and CBRE, focusing on the potential for GCC expansion in Coimbatore.