The Standard’s GCC in India aims to build shared leadership model

The Standard, the US-headquartered financial services company focused on the insurance segment, is building a shared leadership model at its global capability centre (GCC) in India.

The company believes this shared leadership approach, internally referred to as a “two-in-a-box” model, will bring its India GCC on par with its headquarters. This, in turn, is expected to enhance its ability to develop innovative solutions and drive productivity.

The Standard established its India presence through the acquisition of Allstate’s Employer Voluntary Benefits business in 2025 with a centre in Pune. It is now expanding its GCC operations in Bengaluru.

In an interaction with EnterpriseStory, Mohua Sengpupta, SVP & Country Head - India, The Standard, said, “Our focus will be on hiring across the leadership level and the number of people will not be an important metric.”

She further explained that if there is a CIO at The Standard’s headquarters, a similar role will be set up at the India GCC, and this model will be extended across all the functions be it technology, data, analytics, software engineering, etc.

“The idea is to create teams that will work together and jointly create solutions,” Sengupta remarked.

Traditionally, GCCs in India have focused on repetitive tasks or functions that can be easily offshored. However, in recent years, this trend has started to shift, with a small percentage of GCCs now taking on high-value work for their parent companies.

The Standard aims to leapfrog into this space by engaging in high-value activities at its India GCC, with a deliberate focus on nurturing and growing talent internally.

As Sengupta remarked, “The first thing that was agreed upon is to have the best of the leaders in every function.”

In addition to this, The Standard’s India GCC aims to co-develop agentic AI solutions. This involves managing core insurance processes and creating customized AI solutions tailored to those processes.

These agentic AI solutions will be developed closely in line with The Standard’s business requirements, ensuring they are implemented within the organisation rather than remaining experimental projects.

Sengputa said, “We want to make technology a key differentiator.”

The head of The Standard’s India GCC also emphasised that, as the centre executes its hiring plans, a key focus will be on cultivating a culture that reflects the values and ethos of the parent company.

“We want to grow effectively and efficiently through partnerships. This will help us build, scale and transform,” Sengupta said.