AI for People: The CFO’s Mandate in the Next Era of GCCs 

Artificial Intelligence is rewriting the operating playbook of Global Capability Centres (GCCs). Once designed as efficient delivery engines, these centres are now becoming integral to global decision-making by scaling innovation, enabling resilience, and shaping enterprise strategy. Yet, the true power of AI does not lie in what it can automate, but in how it is directed. Its greatest impact emerges when it is anchored in financial expertise and guided by thoughtful stewardship. 

For CFOs, this is not a technology transition; it is a leadership inflection point. We cannot delegate judgment to algorithms. We must blend financial discipline with intelligent systems to create sustainable value. Where much of the conversation around GCC finance still gravitates toward compliance, tax, and cost arbitrage, the next competitive frontier is stewardship – the capacity to wield technology with accountability, foresight, and trust. 

GCCs at the Center of Enterprise Strategy 

GCCs are no longer passive participants in global business; they are co-architects. In just a few years, these centers have evolved from back-office cost structures to strategic powerhouses influencing how businesses innovate, scale, and compete. Finance has been at the core of this shift. 

As GCCs have become more sophisticated, so too has the role of the CFO. From ensuring operational hygiene, CFOs now shape capital allocation, drive digital transformation, and enable resilience across global markets. This is reflected in the deepening leadership bench within GCCs, where global mandates increasingly reside in India. This is a signal that these centers are embedded not on the periphery, but at the center of strategic decision-making. 

AI for People: Blending Intelligence with Empathy 

My own journey, from physics and coding to chartered accountancy, has taught me that technology is never neutral; its impact depends on the human intent behind it. Excel spreadsheets never made great finance leaders; judgment, ethics, and empathy did. 

Today, AI can reconcile accounts, model cash flows, and stress-test scenarios with unprecedented precision. But it cannot perceive the cascading effect of a delayed vendor payment on a small business, or the frustration of teams navigating rigid processes. This is where financial leadership meets human leadership. CFOs must balance efficiency with empathy, automation with judgment, and algorithms with accountability. This balance is what sustains trust, not just with regulators and clients, but with employees and communities as well. 

Stewardship as the New Strategic Advantage 

As AI embeds itself deeper into GCC operations, CFOs must rise beyond their traditional remit. The role is no longer defined by control, but by the ability to orchestrate transformation responsibly. Stewardship is about ensuring technology amplifies, not erodes, the values that underpin finance. 

The CFO of the future must shape responsible AI adoption strategies, build adaptive financial models that respond intelligently to volatility, and anchor enterprise trust in transparent, human-centered decision-making. This is not simply about efficiency, it is about resilience, credibility, and long-term enterprise value. 

AI for People: A Defining Philosophy 

‘AI or people’ is a false binary. The real opportunity lies in ‘AI for people,’ using intelligent systems to empower teams, sharpen decision-making, and elevate the strategic contribution of GCCs to the enterprise. 

The next chapter of GCC growth will be defined not by how much can be automated, but by how wisely it is governed. CFOs who embrace this mandate, blending precision with purpose, intelligence with empathy, will not just manage transformation; they will lead it.