Coimbatore’s strengths in engineering, manufacturing, entrepreneurship and talent provide a strong foundation for the city to emerge as a globally connected capability destination, industry and government leaders said at the GCC Coimbatore Summit 2026 – 2nd Edition. The summit was organised by the CII Coimbatore Zone under the Coimbatore NXT initiative at The Residency Towers in Coimbatore.
Delivering the Chief Guest’s address virtually, Dr S Vijayakumar IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, said the State’s GCC growth should extend beyond major metropolitan centres, with Coimbatore playing an important role.
He said the GCC model was evolving beyond traditional cost arbitrage, with global centres increasingly undertaking high-value functions in artificial intelligence, product engineering, research and development and end-to-end process ownership. He said this aligned with Tamil Nadu’s strengths in engineering, technology and manufacturing.
Dr Vijayakumar said Tamil Nadu produces more than 1.5 lakh engineering graduates annually and has a technology GCC workforce of more than 2.5 lakh professionals. He also highlighted the State’s dedicated GCC policy, which applies across all districts.
He identified Coimbatore’s engineering base, growing GCC ecosystem, talent pool, competitive operating environment and quality of life as key strengths. He also highlighted initiatives to strengthen the city’s FinTech ecosystem and expand GCCs across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
P Prabhakaran, Managing Director, LG Balakrishnan & Bros Ltd, highlighted Coimbatore’s engineering talent, manufacturing capabilities, foundries, textile industries and pump and motor ecosystem. He called for greater support to enable companies in these sectors to build global capabilities from the city.
Manoj Marwah, Leader – GCC Market, EY India, highlighted Coimbatore’s proximity to established GCC hubs, existing industrial ecosystem, engineering capabilities and ability to attract managerial talent. He said the city had an opportunity to combine its industrial and engineering expertise with emerging technologies such as AI and software engineering.
Ranchu Nair, CEO and Founder, Mikro Grafeio Services Pvt Ltd, highlighted the growing demand for quality and scalable workspace infrastructure in emerging cities. He said Coimbatore had demonstrated demand for enterprise-grade commercial infrastructure and could attract talent from across the region.
V Noushad, Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone and Managing Director, Walkaroo International Pvt Ltd, said Coimbatore’s GCC journey had already begun, with global companies operating in engineering, technology, research and development, digital capabilities and global business functions. He called for collaboration among GCCs, existing industries, MSMEs, technology companies and educational institutions.
S.A Rajkumar, GM& Zonal Head, Union Bank of India, highlighted the importance of financial partnerships in supporting the growth of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in Coimbatore.
He said banks have significant lending capabilities and are keen to explore opportunities to work with GCCs. He urged GCCs to engage with banks to understand the various schemes and financing options available specifically for their requirements.
He noted that while many GCCs prefer to avoid debt, particularly long-term borrowing, understanding the available financial options would help them make informed investment decisions.
The General Manager said banks recognise Coimbatore’s growth potential and are keen to partner with businesses and support the city’s development.
Mahalingam Ramasamy, Convenor, GCC Task Force, CII Coimbatore and Managing Director, Arche Global Pvt Ltd, said Coimbatore’s industrial ecosystem, engineering expertise, MSMEs and entrepreneurial culture provided a strong base for the next phase of GCC development. He stressed that success should be measured not merely by the number of centres established, but by the global engineering, R&D, technology and leadership capabilities created in the city. Satya Dulipala, Co-Convenor, GCC Task Force, CII Coimbatore and Head – Coimbatore IT Centre, SLB, emphasised the need for sustained collaboration among industry, government, academia, GCCs and other ecosystem partners. The summit brought together GCC leaders, CXOs, industry representatives, policymakers, academia and ecosystem partners to discuss Coimbatore’s growth as a global capability destination.Three reports were also launched at the summit — “Leapfrog 2032: The Road to 200 GCCs in Coimbatore” by EY, “Coimbatore: Expanding Horizons for South India’s GCC Footprint” by CBRE, and “Coimbatore’s GCC Talent Outlook” by Collabora.
