How talent, culture and AI shape modern GCC innovation hubs

bp’s GCC leader Varsha Singh shares insights on building future-ready innovation hubs with talent, culture, leadership and responsible AI adoption.

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In this conversation, Aman Dutta, Partner, Business Consulting, EY India, speaks with Varsha Singh, Vice President and Director, bp Business Solutions, bp group, about what it takes to build and scale future ready innovation hubs in today’s dynamic business environment.

Varsha reflects on establishing and growing a multifunctional business and technology hub during a period of significant disruption. She highlights the importance of resilience, trust building, and stakeholder confidence in the early stages, along with deliberate investments in deep capability and culture to move beyond traditional delivery models.

A key focus of the discussion is a people first approach to growth. Varsha shares perspectives on developing future ready skills, fostering a digital and adaptable mindset, and enabling continuous upskilling across technology, business, and human capabilities. Leadership development is emphasized as a critical enabler, particularly as GCCs increasingly take on end to end accountability and global leadership responsibilities.

AI and digital transformation are central themes of the conversation. Varsha outlines how organizations are preparing talent to embrace AI responsibly, supported by strong governance, cybersecurity, and fraud‑prevention practices. She also emphasizes the importance of business context, close integration with global teams, and an outcome‑driven approach to delivery.

Together, Aman and Varsha reflect on a broader inflection point for GCCs—where talent, leadership, adaptability, and technology are redefining their role as innovation and transformation hubs for global enterprises.

Key takeaways

GCCs can evolve from support centers into strategic, outcome‑driven business and technology hubs.
Scaling during disruption requires resilience, trust‑building, and strong stakeholder confidence.
A people‑first strategy focused on future‑ready, digital, and human skills enables adaptability.
Leadership development and end‑to‑end accountability strengthen global integration.
Responsible AI adoption depends on upskilling, governance, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention.
Close alignment with core business priorities drives relevance and long‑term impact.

Capability was key, but along with capability, a strong investment in culture was very important. Building trust, engagement, and excitement around the journey really served us well.

Varsha Singh

Vice President and Director, bp Business Solutions, bp group

Host

Aman Dutta, Partner, Business Consulting, EY India

Aman Dutta
Partner, Business Consulting, EY India

Speaker

Varsha Singh, Vice President and Director, bp Business Solutions, bp group

Varsha Singh
Vice President and Director, bp Business Solutions, bp group

For your convenience, a full text transcript of this podcast is available on the link below:

Aman

There has been a lot of talk about Global Capability Centers, or GCCs, moving up the value chain. They’ve had a quiet yet powerful transformation. To find out more, I’m here today at bp’s Global Capability Center in Pune, where the story has evolved in a very interesting way. From supporting traditional support functions to being an integral part of the core business today, they have truly evolved.

I’m delighted to be joined by Varsha Singh, who leads the center, to talk about this incredible journey. Varsha, it’s a pleasure to speak with you, and thank you for hosting us at this beautiful bp office.

Varsha

Thank you, Aman. I’m really looking forward to the conversation today, so it’s great to have this opportunity.

Aman

Varsha, my first question to you is about how you set the center up. You came in to establish the center at a very difficult time, during the pandemic. From those early days to today, the center has evolved into a highly scaled, multifaceted, multidisciplinary operation. Walk us through your journey and some of the key success factors that led to this incredible growth.

Varsha

Absolutely. It’s been an incredible journey. We started during the pandemic a little over five years ago, and in this short period of time, we have scaled very rapidly to become a multi‑functional, multidisciplinary business and technology center. This pace of acceleration was possible because of a few key factors that I’m incredibly proud of.

First was the determination and resilience of our teams and leadership. Despite incredibly challenging circumstances, we were able to set up and scale the center quickly, stabilize operations in a very short time, build confidence with stakeholders, and establish trust. That foundation was incredibly important in the early stages.

We also made a conscious investment in deep capability and expertise, which allowed our teams to solve business problems end‑to‑end as they arose. Capability was critical, but equally important was our investment in culture. Building engagement, making people feel part of the journey, and creating trust, excitement, and energy around our mission played a huge role early on and continues to serve us well today.

That’s why we are now an integral part of bp’s strategy and transformation journey.

Aman

That’s interesting, Varsha. You spoke a lot about team and culture. I’m sure people are a cornerstone of your strategy. Could you tell us more about your people strategy?

Varsha

Absolutely. People are the key cornerstone of our operations. Investing in deep expertise was very intentional because we wanted to unlock the potential of our people and ensure they were adaptable to future challenges, business needs, and technology shifts.

We consciously look for curiosity, adaptability, and a strong digital mindset. These traits have been fundamental to our journey. We’ve invested in talent through learning programs, career festivals, growth weeks, and a focus on future skills — human skills, commercial skills, and, of course, AI and technology skills.

Upskilling will remain a continued focus as the industry evolves rapidly. The AI opportunity is incredibly exciting, and our people are energized by it. There’s a real passion to learn, grow, and seize these opportunities, and that’s what enables us to operate as an innovation hub for bp.

Aman

That’s fantastic. AI is often a buzzword, but you’re clearly backing it up with real capability building. What about leadership development? Are you focused on building the next generation of leaders as well?

Varsha

Very much so. Leadership development is critical. Across the industry, we’re seeing more global leadership roles being housed in GCCs, and bp is no exception. We’ve leaned into this opportunity by recruiting and nurturing senior leaders who take end‑to‑end business and process accountability from the hub.

This creates a strong pipeline for emerging talent. We invest heavily in frontline leaders, senior leadership programs, culture initiatives, and high‑potential talent programs that offer accelerated growth paths. Across all talent segments, we combine functional skills, leadership development, and change management, alongside targeted learning in areas like AI, project management, and agile working.

Inclusivity is also a key priority, particularly building a strong pipeline of female leaders for the future.

Aman

How do you integrate this talent with the broader global bp organization?

Varsha

Our business and technology center is fully integrated into the broader bp organization. Our people have access to global development and leadership programs, and our teams sit within bp’s wider leadership structures at functional and enterprise levels.

This allows our people to stay close to business priorities, own problems and solutions, and work toward shared outcomes. It creates a deeply integrated and aligned way of working.

Aman

How do you ensure people understand the core business context?

Varsha

That’s fundamental to our success. We invest intentionally in helping our teams understand business priorities and challenges. Our induction programs emphasize business immersion, with direct access to business leaders and real‑world context.

We also ensure ongoing engagement through selective travel, business exposure, and regular strategic discussions when stakeholders visit. This keeps teams aligned with the realities and challenges of the business.

If we zoom out and think about the future, what must the industry do to become the innovation nerve center for global organizations?

Varsha

We’re at an inflection point. As AI reshapes the fabric of business, GCCs have an even more important role to play. The access to talent and strong digital mindset gives GCCs a unique advantage, especially as people are eager to learn and grow with AI.

Partnerships — public, private, academic, and industry — will be crucial to preparing future‑ready talent. Leadership empowerment is also key. GCCs must continue to have a seat at the table with end‑to‑end accountability for business outcomes.

Adaptability and agility will define success in this AI‑driven future. Ultimately, it’s about delivering measurable outcomes. Sustained impact is what will keep GCCs relevant and central to organizations moving forward.

Cybersecurity and digital security are also becoming critical. Fraud risks are increasing, and investments in technology, tools, and security‑first mindsets are essential to operating successfully in a global environment.

Aman

Varsha, this has been incredibly insightful. From building the right talent and leadership to embracing agility, technology, cybersecurity, and innovation, you’ve shared some powerful perspectives. Thank you so much for your time, and congratulations on building such a successful center.

Varsha

Thank you, Aman. I truly enjoyed the conversation.

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