EPAM: Fostering Growth in GCCs through Modern Engineering and Scalability

Over the past decade, the Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have evolved and become acutely strategic to their parent organization’s product and organizational strategy. Today, these GCCs have grown into innovation powerhouses and specifically in India, are projected to double their contribution to the country’s GDP by 2030.

EPAM India has proven to be a reliable accelerator for these GCCs, helping their growth trajectory from seed to scale through their inherent engineering DNA. Having collaborated with more than 50 GCCs, EPAM’s long-term vision for India is to position itself as the hotspot of modern engineering by investing in comprehensive talent development, maintaining a leading edge in new-age technologies and cultivating a collaborative ecosystem. EPAM assures access to high-performance teams working on product and platform development and driving results through engineering excellence. This, in turn, enables GCCs to accelerate their value proposition.

In this interview, EPAM’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, Elaina Shekhter and Managing Director of EPAM India, Srinivas Reddy, shed light on EPAM’s multi-pronged approach to achieving this vision.  

Can you describe EPAM’s growth in India and its key capabilities in terms of people and technologies?

Elaina Shekhter, EPAM’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and SVP: Our vision in India is to capture the essence of the modern Indian engineer across all facets. We want to excel in the field of engineering through a culture of continuous learning and talent development.

Additionally, we want to stay at the forefront of AI advancements and cultivate a space where knowledge-sharing and innovation are encouraged. We ensure that cutting-edge tools are implemented effectively to deliver innovative solutions to our clients. Our growth is largely driven by the rapid expansion of GCC set-ups in India, which constitutes our primary client base.

Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, EPAM India Country Head: EPAM’s journey in India began nearly eight years ago with a strategic acquisition. Today, we’ve evolved from a base of 1,000 people into a larger team of 8,000+. We have grown our capabilities in data analytics, data science, cloud computing and more, combined with programs like Product Excellence (ProductX) and Engineering Excellence (EngX) to deliver high-quality solutions in a competitive market.  

With AI and other advanced tech, how are you training your people to upskill and make meaningful contributions to their work?

Elaina Shekhter, EPAM’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and SVP: Our upskilling program consists of four key components. Firstly, we provide access to a wide array of tools for every stage of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), ranging from requirements gathering to deployment. This includes a unified platform that integrates these tools, with training sessions offered daily.

Secondly, we’ve developed an open-source platform called DIAL, serving as an orchestration platform for connecting various AI components. This platform enables engineers, both internally and our clients, to integrate proprietary and public machine learning models, business applications and diverse data sets.

The third component revolves around creating a vibrant community focused on GenAI initiatives. This community serves as a collaborative platform, facilitating knowledge-sharing and engagement. We are also planning to gamify AI learning through games and challenges with rewards for the qualifiers.

We prioritize client co-innovation by actively engaging in AI experimentation and adoption. We currently have nearly 1,000 ongoing customer AI programs.

Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, EPAM India Country Head: India is at the heart of our AI efforts. In the past few months, we’ve moved from experimenting with Proof of Concepts (POCs) to handling AI projects across various domains. We plan to scale these efforts through strategic partnerships with AWS, Microsoft and Google.

Our main goal in India is to ensure every team member is AI-enabled. We are focusing on creating AI champions, mentors and evangelists within each practice area. These individuals will act as guides for project teams, providing insights that are specifically tailored to our clients’ needs.

How would you characterize the current demand in the rapidly expanding GCC market in India?

Elaina Shekhter, EPAM’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and SVP: We are seeing an interesting dynamic in the market right now. While spending by many companies is quite discretionary, something exciting is happening here in India. Our clients are inclined to establish GCCs in India, and this is due to two primary factors: the scope for cost optimization and the growing talent landscape.

However, simply setting up a GCC isn’t enough. Establishing and operating these centers will require a balanced approach that prioritizes quality and speed. These centers need to deliver quality results from the beginning and be able to scale efficiently.

Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, EPAM India Country Head: EPAM’s use case here is quite significant here. We have positioned ourselves to be a trusted accelerator for the GCCs helping them from seed to scale. Over the years, we’ve developed internal tools, recruitment processes and upskilling programs which have helped us accelerate GCCs’ value proposition.

While there may be an overall slowdown in certain sectors, the rate at which GCCs are opening is remarkable. Also, EPAM India is seeing exponential growth, indicating that demand is not a concern for us.  

How do you think you are well positioned to drive transformation for your clients, GCCs and other global accounts?

Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, EPAM India Country Head: We’re experiencing demand that exceeds our in-house talent capacity. To address this, we’re using training programs to upskill our teams and expand our talent pool. This ensures we’re always ready to drive transformation for our clients. Our competency is further solidified by hiring senior consultants and domain experts in Cloud Computing, Data Science, AI and more. We’re also shifting towards roles like business analysts and product managers to focus on project ownership.

Elaina Shekhter, EPAM’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and SVP: We are always aiming for scale, which has become a key aspect of our operations. We challenge the common belief that acquiring new clients is better than enhancing relationships with existing ones. Our approach focuses on transitioning initial engagements into more extensive, scaled engagements. This helps us become a reliable partner for GCCs and other global accounts.  

Do you have any other expansion and related plans for India center?

Elaina Shekhter, EPAM’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and SVP: Our strategy is to identify three globally strategic regions and diversify based on customer demand rather than a fixed plan. India is currently our second-largest location. Beyond individual skills, we focus on building high-performing teams and innovative ways of working. This includes refining collaboration models, enhancing client interactions, optimizing tools and leveraging communities of practice. In many ways, India is leading this transformation.

Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, EPAM India Country Head: We are focusing on developing talent specifically for GCC expertise rather than being a typical tech service provider. Our engineers undergo rigorous stage-based assessments to ensure they have the foundational skills for product development.

In India, we host hackathons, coding dojos and community events to nurture our engineering expertise. Everyone participates in coding challenges right from the time they join to build a strong foundation. Our approach to engineering helps us explore emerging technologies like GenAI with seamless integration programs in place. We’re expanding steadily in Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, Gurgaon and Chennai, and considering Tier 2 cities based on opportunities and client needs.

Original article here.