The retail industry is undergoing its most dramatic shift in decades as global brands race to modernize supply chains, elevate customer experience, and build AI-driven commercial engines. At the center of this reinvention stands India’s retail GCC ecosystem, now a critical brain trust for the world’s largest retailers. These hubs are powering real-time decision making, enabling digital-first store operations, and transforming how merchants, marketers, and technologists collaborate across continents.
The leaders driving these centers are not just running operations; they are rewriting the operating model of global retail. They champion experimentation, unify global and India strategies, and build teams that turn ideas into scaled impact. This list highlights the retail GCC heads who are pushing boundaries and shaping what modern retail will look like in the years ahead.
(Listed in alphabetical order by leaders name)
Anand Tripathi is a technology executive and transformation leader with over 25 years of experience building high-performing global technology organisations and driving large-scale transformation across retail and digital commerce. As Vice President & Site Leader of Hy-Vee Inc.’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Bengaluru, he is at the forefront of shaping the U.S. retailer’s digital future through AI, automation, and modern engineering practices.
At Hy-Vee India, Anand leads a 180+ member and growing organisation, driving end-to-end digital modernisation, from legacy transformation to next-generation platforms spanning digital commerce, supply chain, and operations. One of his key achievements includes building an AI-powered data insights platform using Python, Vertex AI, Gemini, and LangChain, which translates natural-language questions into Power BI and BigQuery queries. This conversational analytics solution has helped in decision-making for Hy-Vee’s store leaders by enabling instant insights, automated reporting, and enterprise-wide data democratisation.
Under Anand’s leadership, the GCC has enhanced engineering productivity by 20%, improved delivery velocity by 25%, and strengthened cross-functional collaboration between technology, product, and operations. His focus on measurable outcomes, ownership culture, and innovation-led execution continues to elevate Hy-Vee’s GCC as a strategic innovation partner to the business.
Before joining Hy-Vee, Anand led Amazon’s engineering team, where he built omni-channel retail platforms such as SmartHub and SmartConnect, powering order management, warehousing, and multi-marketplace integrations across multiple countries. His work contributed to Amazon’s scale and revenue expansion while fostering platform-driven innovation for global sellers. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Snapdeal, Walmart Labs, Cisco, JDA (Blue Yonder), and Subex, consistently delivering enterprise-grade systems that scale with business growth.
A builder at heart and a strong advocate for engineering excellence and purpose-driven leadership, Anand believes today’s GCCs are no longer cost centres but innovation engines, empowering enterprises to experiment, accelerate, and lead through technology. His journey reflects a deep commitment to transforming ideas into impact and people into high-performance teams.
Andrea Zimmerman is the president of Bengaluru-based Target in India (TII), a global headquarters location of one of America’s leading retailers that serves guests at nearly 2,000 stores and at Target.com. Andrea leads a multi-disciplinary team of more than 5,500 team members across tech, data and core business functions that include merchandising, marketing and digital, properties, supply chain, HR operations, finance and more. Andrea has held the position of president of TII for close more than two years, during which she has been instrumental in expanding TII’s capabilities and driving strategic initiatives that help deliver transformative retail solutions and accelerate growth for Target.
She continues to draw on her deep understanding of Target’s end-to-end retail value chain to identify opportunities where TII can apply its strengths to accelerate Target’s goals. By engaging with India’s vibrant innovation ecosystem, she has tapped into exceptional talent and forward-thinking ideas to build new capabilities and solve complex challenges for Target. Her previous experience in human resources has ensured her focus on continuing to nurture an award-winning culture at TII, positioning the organisation as an employer of choice across the GCC and retail industry.
Under Andrea’s tenure, Target in India has received some of the following key recognitions:
- Finkelstein Awards for Data Engineering Excellence in the category of ‘Best Collaboration between Data Engineering and Business teams’
- 50 Best Firms for Data Scientists to Work – Analytics India Magazine – Two years in a row
- Top GBS Employers + Top Employers for Tech Talent – Everest Group
- Best companies to work for in India by Blind
- Featured at No.2 for the second year running in LinkedIn Top Companies: The 10 best Retail and FMCG employers
- Avtar & Seramount’s Most Inclusive Companies Index and an Exemplar of Inclusion, Hall of Fame of the Best Companies for Women in India, Best Companies for Women in India 2025 and a leading organization in the GCC category.
Andrea joined Target in 2007 and has held a variety of roles in HR in the U.S. and India, driving large-scale structural and operational change and building highly effective global teams. Prior to her current role, she was Vice President of Future of Work and HR Strategy for Target Corporation, reimagining how global teams connect, work and collaborate in a hybrid environment, while also leading and driving strategic priorities across HR. Andrea has a post-graduate degree in business administration from the Carlson School of Business.
A seasoned technology leader with over two decades of industry experience, Ankur Mittal stands at the forefront of India’s retail GCC transformation. Guided by a personal philosophy of embracing continuous learning and consistently challenging himself with the question, “What more can I bring to the table?”, Ankur has built a leadership legacy rooted in curiosity, accountability, and a deep commitment to people.
At Lowe’s India, Ankur has not only brought this mindset to work, but he has also woven it into the cultural DNA of the organization. Since taking on the dual role of Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director, he has driven a distinct ‘human-leadership’ approach that has transformed Lowe’s India into a global powerhouse for digital innovation and one of India’s most admired retail GCCs.
Under his leadership, Lowe’s India has unlocked remarkable growth, building technology capabilities that strengthen Lowe’s global mission of becoming the world’s most customer-centric omnichannel home improvement retailer. His teams have spearheaded some of Lowe’s most strategic global initiatives across omnichannel experiences, online marketplace capabilities, enterprise platforms, and more, elevating the organization’s global impact while enhancing millions of customer journeys.
Ankur’s influence extends well beyond Lowe’s. His recent appointment to the NASSCOM Global Capability Centers (GCC) Council for 2025–2027 places him at the center of shaping India’s future in the global innovation landscape. Through this role, he actively advocates for progressive policies, ecosystem advancement, and India’s continued rise as a global hub for innovation and talent. Earlier this year, Analytics India Magazine (AIM) recognized him among the Top 25 GCC Heads in India for 2025, celebrating his contributions to innovation, operational excellence, and talent development at Lowe’s India.
With prior leadership roles at Reliance, Wipro, Infosys, and Target, Ankur brings a rich blend of multinational experience and multicultural fluency. His leadership is defined by empathy, agility, and a passion for building future-ready organizations. Under his guidance, Lowe’s India has consistently been recognized as one of the country’s top workplaces within the GCC landscape – a testament to his commitment to fostering a culture where people, performance, and purpose thrive together.
Arpana Chopra is a seasoned technology leader with over two decades of experience in engineering leadership, digital transformation, and global technology operations. She has a proven track record of leading AI-driven initiatives, building intelligent platforms, and leveraging emerging technologies to transform business ecosystems.
Before joining Falabella, Arpana held senior technology leadership roles at Lowe’s and Nagarro, where she delivered complex digital transformation programs for global enterprises across North America, South America, the UK, Japan, and Asia. Her expertise spans AI adoption, data-driven decision-making, platform modernisation, and omnichannel commerce solutions.
Recognised for her clarity of vision, empathetic leadership, and innovative mindset, Arpana is passionate about shaping the future of AI-powered commerce and mentoring the next generation of technology leaders.
As the Senior Vice President (SVP) & Country Head, Balu leads Walmart Global Tech‘s vision in India, to drive a culture of innovation and support the delivery of delightful experiences for Walmart’s customers, members and associates.
He oversees the building and deployment of scalable, leverageable capabilities and systems across the enterprise. His hands-on approach and vision for the future of retail has been instrumental in nurturing high-performance teams. With nearly three decades of experience in the industry, Balu has been deeply invested in aligning technology with business goals and leading teams that consistently deliver compelling results. He has played an integral role in nurturing the supply chain talent in India.
Balu joined Walmart in 2015. During his tenure, he played a vital role in building the fulfillment technology that focused on delivering a flawless experience for each customer order while reducing costs. With nearly three decades of experience in the industry, Balu has been deeply invested in aligning technology with business goals and leading teams that consistently deliver compelling results. He has played an integral role in nurturing the supply chain talent in India.
Prior to Walmart, Balu has worked with organizations such as HP, Yahoo! and Motorola where he spent time creating systems and platforms that have significantly contributed to the bottom line. He was also a founding member of Confluent Software where he helped enterprises reduce security threats by building security intermediary products.
Balu holds an engineering degree from the University of Madras and an executive management degree from UC Berkeley.
A versatile Senior Executive with over 25 years of rich global experience in transformation, strategy, operations, customer experience, enterprise program & change management – across Retail, Fintech, Financial Services & Consulting, spanning multiple geographies.
A seasoned global leader in the GCC space, specialized in building, scaling and transforming complex capabilities and workstreams from the ground up and driving accelerated strategic & operational excellence globally, with strong investments in talent, culture, data & technology.
Leading the pivotal transformation journey of Catalyst Brands India GCC to becoming a high-impact, cross-functional hub for the entire Catalyst Brands range, which includes six of America’s most recognised retail brands: JCPenney, Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand, and Nautica.
Past experiences include foundational senior Leadership roles at JCPenney India, Giant Eagle GCC, Kabbage & Target, along with early stints in IBM & GE.
At 7-Eleven Global Solution Centre (7-Eleven GSC–The Global Capability Centre of 7-Eleven in India), Malahar leads the strategy and operations for the centre.
Malahar brings over two decades of experience in driving digital transformation and scaling global operations. His extensive background includes leadership roles at Ecolab, where he served as Senior Vice President of Technology and Managing Director of India GCC Operations, and significant tenures at leading retailers such as Target, Kohler, Joann Fabrics, and Digi-Key.
Malahar has a strong track record of building and scaling Global Capability Center (GCCs) for various organizations, including Ecolab, PFS, and others. His experience in establishing and scaling Ecolab’s digital innovation center in India is a testament of his ability to build high-performing teams from the ground up.
Malahar’s entrepreneurial experience, founding and scaling a startup, demonstrates his self-reliance and innovation. His strategic leadership in driving digital transformation and enhancing Global Business Services, resulting in significant business impact, marks him as a promising tech and business leader in India.
Praveen Mysore, Vice President at lululemon, has been leading lululemon’s Global Product Technology and India Technology Hub. Rooted in cultural humility and guided by compassion and empathy, Praveen adeptly navigates complex business environments to drive results by simplifying strategies, building high-performing teams, and aligning technology solutions with strategic objectives.
He played a crucial role in establishing lululemon’s Global Capability Center in Bangalore, successfully building teams from scratch, fostering a robust company culture, and enabling extensive global delivery capabilities. Under his stewardship, pivotal initiatives in product creation, merchandise planning, and enterprise data management have significantly contributed to lululemon’s growth.
Previously, as Program Leader at Target, Praveen oversaw the EMV implementation, showcasing his expertise in managing complex technology transformations. His experience includes large-scale package and SAP implementations, ensuring seamless integration across multiple systems and functions. Praveen’s work has spanned delivering innovative technology solutions across diverse retail business domains. He practices inclusive leadership and resilient team design which are key ingredients that make outperformance possible, repeatable, and sustainable.
Dedicated to enhancing organisational capabilities, Praveen champions initiatives that build high-performing teams, boost operational efficiency, and establish global delivery models, consistently ensuring sustainable value for the organisations he serves.
Rohit Kaila is the Head of Technology and Site leader at Wayfair’s India Technology Development Centre, overseeing the development of retail technology and engineering. Prior to Wayfair, Rohit served as the Vice President of Engineering at Walmart Global Tech India, where he led the building of best-in-class technology focused on bringing the physical and digital worlds together.
Rohit also worked as the Director of Data and Analytics at Intuit and the Senior Director of Product and Engineering at Yahoo!. Rohit has a master’s degree in Computer & Electronics Engineering from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology.
With rich global leadership experience in the GCC/GBS landscape, Sushant has built his career around a clear philosophy: create value first, scale with purpose, and build organizations where people and innovation thrive together. His journey reflects a strong track record of shaping high-performance cultures, fostering cross-border collaboration, and designing capability models that accelerate enterprise growth.
When he joined Circle K to set up their Global Capability Centre in April 2022, Sushant approached the mandate as an opportunity to build a strategic value hub in India. Under his leadership, the centre has grown from a greenfield setup into an integrated global organisation delivering critical capabilities across Finance, Technology, Supply Chain, Transformation, Digital, Data Analytics, and AI.
Sushant is deeply intentional about sustainable growth. He ensures scale is driven by capability depth, domain maturity, and enterprise relevance, rather than volume. By building strong functional expertise, promoting end-to-end ownership of outcomes, and establishing robust governance, he has positioned the India center as a trusted strategic partner influencing enterprise priorities.
In addition to leading the GCC, Sushant also drives global strategy for Data, Insights, and AI across some of Circle K’s most strategic business functions. He is advancing the organization’s transition toward data-driven decision-making and responsible AI and GenAI adoption. This includes enhancing operational efficiency, improving supply chain and store execution, enriching customer experience, and supporting Circle K’s long-term growth roadmap. His approach balances technology deployment with culture, capability building, and responsible governance, ensuring digital intelligence scales effectively and sustainably.
Equally, Sushant places strong emphasis on building a values-driven culture rooted in empowerment, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous learning. This has helped create a center identity that is globally aligned yet locally authentic.
Beyond Circle K, his leadership contributes to shaping the broader India GCC ecosystem. Through industry engagement, thought leadership, and advocacy for value-led capability building, he is helping redefine what GCCs in India represent today, not just centres of scale, but centres of global strategic influence and innovation.
Vishal Dhingra joined Kmart and Target Australia as General Manager – Enterprise Technology and Site Leader for the Anko Global Capability Centre in Bengaluru in July 2025.
In his role, Vishal is responsible for driving enterprise technology, data, and analytics strategies that power Kmart and Target, two of Australia’s most loved retail brands. The Group operates more than 500 stores across Australia and New Zealand, serving 85% of Australian shoppers and generating annual revenues exceeding AUD 9 billion.
Prior to joining Kmart and Target, Vishal was Director of Technology at JCPenney, where he led enterprise-scale digital transformation and automation initiatives. He has more than 28 years of global experience across retail, healthcare, education, and professional services, and has successfully built and scaled Global Capability Centres for leading international organisations.
Vishal is passionate about innovation, collaboration, and talent development, with a strong focus on building future-ready technology capabilities and high-performing teams.
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