Kishore Poduri, MD & Country Head – HR, DBS India believes that India is no longer just an operational hub- sustaining this momentum now demands HR leaders drive innovation, build capabilities, and shape global leadership
As global capability centres (GCCs) accelerate India’s transition from a cost-efficient delivery base to a hub of strategic innovation, the role of HR is undergoing a fundamental shift. In an exclusive conversation, Kishore Poduri, Managing Director & Country Head – HR, DBS India, discusses how GCCs are redefining talent models, leadership paradigms, and skill strategies in high-growth industries such as financial services and technology. He shares insights on continuous learning, the future of leadership in an AI-first world, and how HR must evolve to build capability, culture, and emotional loyalty in an increasingly competitive talent landscape.
GCCs in India are evolving from process hubs to strategic innovation engines. How do you see this transformation reshaping the global HR playbook, particularly in financial services and technology-led industries?
The rapid expansion of GCCs has cemented India’s position as a leading hub for technology, engineering, and business services. These centres contribute significantly to job creation, digital adoption, and advanced skills development. According to Deloitte, India’s GCC footprint is expected to grow from 1,800 to 5,000 by 2030, generating 20–25 million jobs, including around 5 million direct roles. This shift towards higher-value work in engineering, data science, AI/ML, and digital product development is driving a redefinition of global workforce models. This is reshaping the HR playbook across financial services and technology. At DBS India, we integrate AI and advanced analytics into our HR practices, enabling continuous innovation and strengthening workforce readiness. As job roles evolve, we rethink job design, skill development, and talent mobility, aligning India’s capabilities with global priorities. Our HR function focuses on strategic workforce planning for emerging skills, flexible talent models, and agile frameworks. We invest in building strong technical and leadership capabilities, nurturing talent pipelines for global roles, and cultivating a culture that blends global standards with local strengths. This approach creates an agile, innovative, and globally connected workforce.
What should be the new blueprint for continuous learning and upskilling as job roles evolve faster than academic curricula?
With job roles evolving faster than traditional education systems, organisations must adopt a dynamic, foresight-led model of continuous learning. At DBS India, we have developed an adaptive and data-driven learning blueprint integrated into the flow of work. We identify future skills proactively and design personalised learning journeys aligned with business priorities. This approach builds capability across three dimensions: technical depth, human-centric power skills, and adaptive leadership. We are strengthening capabilities in AI literacy, prompt engineering, and data analytics while building human strengths such as empathy, storytelling, and complex problem-solving.
How can the HR community ensure that India continues to move from a cost destination to a capability destination?
India’s shift to a capability-led talent hub represents a major transformation in the global workforce landscape. To sustain this momentum, HR leaders should adopt strategies that emphasise innovation, capability building, and global leadership. India is now a source of advanced skills and strategic expertise, not just operational excellence. At DBS India, our talent strategy emphasises deep skill development, leadership mobility, and cross-functional collaboration. We are developing future leaders and exporting specialist skills across our global network, reinforcing India’s role as a centre of excellence. The HR community can accelerate this transition by building world-class skill academies, creating cross-border career pathways, and fostering collaboration across industry, academia, and government. India’s GCCs have already demonstrated that innovation can originate here. The next leap will be achieved when India not only delivers for the world but designs for it. HR has a defining role in enabling this transformation and positioning India as a global capability leader.
The traditional definition of leadership is being rewritten in the post-digital, post-pandemic world. What traits define next-generation leaders in an AI-first, hybrid, globally distributed environment?
In today’s AI-first and hybrid workplace, traditional leadership models are no longer sufficient, and there is a need for leaders who combine technological fluency with human capabilities. Digital and AI literacy, data-driven decision-making, ethical judgement, empathy, adaptability, and cultural intelligence are now essential. This shift is particularly relevant in India. According to data from the Ministry of Finance in 2025, 28 per cent of the global STEM workforce and 23% of software engineering talent support the GCC ecosystem. The next generation of leaders must therefore excel at human-AI collaboration, manage fluid work models, and foster inclusive and resilient cultures. DBS India has embraced this shift through a comprehensive Transformational Leadership framework anchored on seven attributes: Growth Mindset, Psychological Safety, Feedback Culture, Courageous Conversations, Collaboration, Decision-Making, and Empathy. These attributes are embedded across programmes such as Building Great Managers (BGM) and Making Great Decisions (MGD), which have trained our entire managerial cohort. To strengthen psychological safety in a hybrid environment, we also introduced “Make Care Contagious” workshops. Leadership development platforms such as T-Circles and T-Sprints reinforce social learning, reflection, and experiential skill-building, while we curate workshops to deepen alignment with our organisational values PRIDE: Purpose-driven, Relationship-led, Innovative, Decisive, Everything Fun. Our objective is to prepare leaders not only for current roles but for future challenges, equipping them to connect, collaborate, and innovate in a rapidly changing world.
What strategies or mindsets should HR leaders adopt to build emotional loyalty and long-term engagement beyond pay and perks?
The shift from “managing” to “coaching” is central to building long-term engagement. HR leaders must prioritise continuous development, psychological safety, personalised recognition, and holistic well-being. Aligning everyday work with purpose reinforces belonging and strengthens emotional loyalty. At DBS India, long-term engagement is built around five pillars of our employee value proposition: Feel Purposeful, Feel Invested In, Feel Connected, Feel Cared For, and Feel Valued. Our Triple E framework – Education, Exposure, Experience, is enhanced through AI-powered tools such as iGrow and iCoach, which make personalised learning accessible to all employees. A high proportion of vacancies are filled internally, reflecting strong mobility pathways supported by initiatives such as the DBS Academy Programme, Be My Guest cross-exposure platform, and STAR mobility programme for high-potential talent. Holistic well-being is emphasised through initiatives such as Wellbeing Wednesdays, Viraam wellness spaces, and our peer-to-peer recognition platform, iTQ. Purpose-driven engagement is further reinforced through our People of Purpose volunteering programme, enabling employees to create social impact beyond banking.
As featured in BW People
World’s Best Bank 2025, 2021, 2019, Euromoney
World’s Best Bank for Customer Experience 2025, Euromoney
World’s Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility 2025, 2023, Euromoney
Asia’s Safest Bank, 2009 – 2025, Global Finance
Best Bank in the World 2022, Global Finance
India’s Best International Bank 2021, Asiamoney
World’s Best Banks - #1 in India 2021, Forbes
World’s Safest Commercial Bank 2021, Global Finance
