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Leading global oil and gas companies endorsed India's evolution as a premier destination for their Global Capability Centres (GCCs), emphasizing the country's transformation from a cost-effective back-office location to a strategic hub for innovation and research and development.
These insights emerged on the third day of India Energy Week 2025 during a session titled "India's Global Capability Centres -- Harnessing the evolution of Oil & Gas R&D". Industry leaders from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, bp, and SLB shared their experiences. Monte Dobson, CEO of ExxonMobil India, highlighted "talent at scale" as India's most compelling advantage, while Shell's VP of Engineering Technology, Ajay Mehta, emphasized that wage arbitrage is now the least significant factor in their Indian operations. Shell's GCCs in Chennai and Bengaluru currently service 35 global assets, focusing on cutting-edge engineering and digital technology solutions, Mehta said. The rapid growth trajectory of these centres is exemplified by the bp group, which has scaled to over 4,000 personnel since 2021. Varsha Singh, VP of GBS India at BP Group, noted that their facility has become central to global operations, particularly in developing digital twins and advanced analytics solutions. SLB, an early mover in 2006, has successfully grown to 5,000 employees across five centres, demonstrating the sustainable growth potential in India's GCC ecosystem, Lalit Aggarwal, MD, India Region, SLB said. Dr Alok Sharma, Director, R&D, IndianOil Corporation Limited said the company is leveraging its R&D capabilities to advance India's energy transition goals, developing innovative solutions in biofuels, fuel cell technology, and sustainable aviation fuel. The industry leaders collectively projected strong growth potential for the energy equipment sector, expected to reach $200 billion globally by 2030, presenting significant opportunities for India to increase its market share through its expanding GCC capabilities. India Energy Week was envisioned as more than just another industry conference--it was designed to be a dynamic platform redefining global energy dialogues. (ANI)
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