Vandana Sheth, Executive Director, GCC, Harman International, discusses with India Employer Forum on India’s GCC growth creating high-value career opportunities, the HR playbook for driving productivity in global delivery ecosystems, and practical DEI and mentoring initiatives that scale up diverse leadership pipelines.
Moderated by: Balasubramanian A, SVP & Business Head, TeamLease Services Ltd.
When asked about India’s GCC growth, Vandana Sheth said, “India’s GCC ecosystem has moved from cost-focused work to high-value innovation. Young professionals today get exposure to global projects, advanced digital roles, cross-functional workflows, and end-to-end ownership. This shift is creating career paths in AI, analytics, cybersecurity, cloud, and product development much earlier than before”.
On productivity boosting strategy, she commented, “Companies are driving productivity through automation, digitisation, data-led performance visibility, continuous skill development, and tightly integrated collaboration models. Real-time employee listening and clearer accountability frameworks ensure teams deliver greater impact per employee”.
“DEI is embedded through structured women-leadership pipelines, sponsorship and mentoring programs, bias-free hiring, and inclusive workplace policies. The focus is on enabling career readiness, long-term retention, and creating equitable opportunities at all levels” is what Vandana said about DEI initiatives.
On the question about skills and roles in demand, she said, “AI/ML, data engineering, automation, cybersecurity, product management, and cloud skills will lead. Equally important will be communication, adaptability, and problem-solving. Young professionals should prioritise continuous learning and cross-domain exposure to stay future-ready”.
Watch the full Samvaad: In Conversation with Vandana Sheth, Executive Director, GCC, Harman International
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About Vandana Sheth
Vandana Sheth is an accomplished HR strategist and transformation leader with more than two decades of multi-geography experience in building and running Global Capability Centres, HR Shared Services and end-to-end delivery models. In her current role as Executive Director — Global HR Delivery Centre at HARMAN, she leads HR operations, transformation and capability programmes that align service delivery with business outcomes while driving scale, efficiency and employee experience.
Throughout her career Vandana has led complex global rollouts and operational transformations across banking, technology and manufacturing – including roles at Barclays, Standard Chartered, Kohler and TE Connectivity. She is a hands-on people leader who champions DEI, stewardship and wellbeing in large service organisations, and mentors emerging women leaders to take on global HR challenges. You can connect with Vandana here.
