New Delhi [India], January 29: The Leadership Federation proudly concluded the 5th Edition of the GCC Leadership Conclave – Pune, held on 21st and 22nd January 2026 at Hyatt Pune. This milestone edition marked the largest and most impactful GCC conclave to date, with 1,000+ attendees, including 120+ CXOs and senior global leaders, participating over two days.
The conclave was held with the strong support of its strategic partners — Title Partner: Regalia Business Parks, Platinum Partner: IDFC First Bank, and CXO Dinner Partner: ACKO for Business, Bits Pilani, Business core Solutions, GCC Recruitment Partner Orcapod, XOXO Day, TRC Consulting, Incentivate solution, Light House Learning & Guidance Tamilnadu— whose commitment to strengthening the GCC ecosystem played a pivotal role in the event’s success.
The strategic vision, thought leadership, and governance of the conclave were further strengthened by the active guidance and counsel of the Leadership Federation Advisory Board, comprising Dr. Rajesh Puneyani – VP & GCC site Leader, Kenvue Solutions India, Srinivas Sampath – VP R&D Site Leader, Upland India, Monica Pirgal –CEO Bhartiya Converge, Kaushik Das- Seasoned GCC Leader, Robin Joffe – CEO & Founder NXT Horizon and Vaishali Wagle –Founder & CEO Zenesse. Their collective industry experience and strategic insights were instrumental in shaping the conclave’s agenda, ensuring relevance, depth, and long-term impact for the global GCC community.
Distinguished Leadership & Opening Addresses
The conclave was graced by the Chief Guest, Mr. Vikram Kulkarni, Head – HSBC Technology India. In his address, he shared powerful insights on how Global Capability Centres are accelerating digital transformation, strengthening global operating models, and shaping enterprise-wide technology leadership.
The event also featured a keynote address by Mr. Sandeep Poddar, Chief Architect, Kimberly-Clark, who set a strong strategic foundation by highlighting emerging technology shifts, GCC innovation priorities, and the critical role of architectural leadership in driving enterprise transformation at scale.
Over the two days, the conclave featured CXO panels, leadership talks, and fireside conversations led by distinguished industry leaders including Vikram Kulkarni, Sandeep Poddar, Manish Gupta (Regalia by Hiranandani), Deepak Malkani, Sandeep Kulkarni, Rajesh Menon, Sunil Modi, Manish Jain, Ranjan Bhattacharya, Amita Karadkhedkar, Dr. Anuradha Bhatia, Ajay Wadhwa, Vishal Bhasin, Kirit Hindocha, Paritosh Mathur (IDFC First Bank), Aman Dalal (IDFC First Bank), Varun V (Acko for Business) among others. These sessions enabled candid discussions on leadership realities, transformation journeys, and lessons from operating GCCs at global scale.
A Transformative Platform for GCC Leaders
As a milestone 5th edition, the conclave delivered deep and future-focused discussions on:
- GCCs evolving as global innovation and excellence hubs
- AI acceleration, automation, and enterprise modernization
- Future-of-work leadership and talent transformation
- Digital public infrastructure and policy competitiveness
- Risk governance, resilience, and transformation readiness
The two-day program featured CXO roundtables, fireside conversations, master sessions, and policy dialogues, creating a high-impact platform for strategic collaboration.
Leadership Excellence Award Winners – 2026
- GCC Strategic Value Leader of the Year – Deepak Malkani
- GCC Strategic Technology & Operations Leadership Award – Ullas Vinod
- GCC Global Services Leadership Excellence Award – Sandeep Kulkarni
- GCC Global Supply Chain & Capability Leadership Award – Chitralekha Tiwari
- GCC Global Business Services Leader of the Year – Rajesh Menon
- GCC Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year – Kapil Kella
- GCC Global Shared Services Leadership Excellence Award – Sunil Modi
- GCC Innovation & Transformation Leader – Manish Jain
- GCC Global Finance & Strategy Leadership Award – Ranjan Bhattacharya
- GCC Operational Excellence & Service Delivery Award – Tushar Gawande
- GCC Business Transformation Leader of the Year – Amey Purohit
- GCC Engineering & Technology Leadership Award – Jayesh Prajapati
- GCC Digital & R&D Country Leader Award – Arun Palivela
- GCC Digital Leadership & Technology Impact Award – Navaneet Mishra
- GCC Excellence in Global Capability Center Leadership – Anirudh Sundareshwar
- GCC Innovation Leadership Award (Global) – Vishal Bhasin
- GCC Enterprise Leadership Excellence Award (Global Operations) – Ajay Wadhwa
- GCC Transformation Leader of the Year – Sandeep Poddar
- GCC Operational Excellence & Strategy Leadership Award – Abhishek Jain
- GCC Enterprise IT & Engineering Leadership Award – Pankaj Ingle
- Global Shared Services & Technology Excellence Award – Deepak Gupta
- GCC IT Operations & Transformation Excellence Award – Vikram Kulkarni
- GCC Global Delivery & Operations Excellence Award – Diwakar Rai
- World-Class Design GCC – M Moser Design Associates
- GCC Global Process Ownership Leadership Excellence Award – Shammi Prabhakar Singh
- GCC Technology & Digital Innovation Leadership Award – Sandeep Prabhani
- GCC Country Leadership Excellence – GCC Ecosystem – Kailash Maisekar
- GCC Enterprise Technology Leadership Award – Dr. Anuradha Bhatia
- GCC Technology & Transformation Leadership Award – Amita Karadkhedkar
- GCC Technology & Digital Transformation Leadership Award (GCC) – Vijay Anand
- GCC Enterprise Software & Development Leadership Award – Ashutosh Sharma
- GCC Innovation in Technology Leadership Award – Neeraj Mishra
- GCC Business Advisory & Growth Leadership Award – Rohan Lobo
- GCC Strategic Leadership in Global Logistics & Operations Award – Sameer Shaikh
- GCC Technology & Product Development Excellence Award – Vinod Shah
- GCC Business Transformation & Growth Award – Ajay Singh
- GCC Strategic Impact & Global Partnership Leader of the Year – Kirit Hindocha
- Emerging HR Leader of the Year – GCC – Siddhesh Shinde
- Most Promising EdTech Startup of the Year – Profluent Labs
- Best Digital Transformation in Banking – IDFC First Bank Ltd
- Outstanding Design and Innovation GCC – M Moser Design Associates
- India’s Largest Flexible Workspace Provider of the Year – Stylework
- GCC Innovation & Digital Transformation Leader of the Year – Yashpal Singla
- Excellence in Workforce Enablement – TopSource Infotech
- Visionary Woman Leader – Supriya Shete
- AI Innovator of the Year – Velodynamics
- Project Leadership Excellence Award – Sonai Infrastructure
What’s Next
Building on this momentum, the 6th Edition of the GCC Leadership Conclave will take place in Bengaluru in April 2026, continuing the mission of advancing GCC leadership, innovation, and global excellence.
Event Website: gcc.theleadershipfederation.com/pune
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