Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?

I have experience in the capital markets and financial services industry, both in setting up captive BPO/JVs and also running IT businesses globally for listed Companies. I built my transformation experience during my consulting days for the pharma manufacturing industry, followed by Six Sigma leadership during my GE days. 

My prior experience is in running regional and National sales for the Indian auto after-sales market and the Indian medical imaging and medical devices market, respectively.

Q2. In your experience, how can a shift from a 'vendor-markup' JV model to a 'pure cost-center' captive model impact operating margin per assets under management (AUM)? 

Both models are successful in their own way. What’s important is understanding where the company is in its journey compared to customers, stakeholders, and competition, and what path it wants to follow. One can make both models work profitably and successfully for its customers. 

Q3. How did the 2024–2025 integration of the India hubs specifically improve the Single Point of Entry (SPOE) resolution strategy required by global regulators, and what was the quantified impact on your 'Resolution and Recovery' capital buffers during the 2025 filing cycle?

The SPOE resolution is an important strategy, and it depends on the maturity level of the GCCs. A newer GCC has typically kept the resolution with its Onsite partners, and the more mature GCCs have managed to coordinate this well to the point that there are ‘client managers’ based in India to give that SPOE focus. Today, only 20% of the GCCs have these functions based in India. 

Q4. What percentage of the integration’s projected productivity savings was dependent on agentic AI/ML implementation within digital operations, versus simple labor arbitrage from the headcount transition?

The labor arbitrage from the headcount move is today an old topic. It’s just a one-time cost saving. The expectations in large and established GCCs are 30-40% savings in headcount from agentic AI. Leadership across almost all the GCCs is working in this direction, and this is a major expectation over the next 1-3 years. The challenge is how to go about it. Is the way to go for small projects/POCs, or should we do something different in a far more scalable fashion?

Q5. If you were an investor looking at companies within the space, what critical question would you pose to their senior management?

• How many of your leaders are AI-trained, and to what level? 
• Do you have an AI strategy that will deliver benefits in 1-3 years? 
• For IT companies, how is the roadmap for your clients being developed?