Mann Government proactively create visibility for Punjab in major business and technology hubs
Nearly a quarter of India’s new GCC units set up in the past year landed in emerging cities beyond the traditional metro hubs, according to the NASSCOM-Zinnov GCC Landscape Report 2026 with Mohali emerging as a promising destination.
“That shift is structural, not cyclical, driven by GCCs increasingly running multi-city portfolios rather than single-headquarters bets. Against this backdrop, Mohali is emerging as a promising destination for the next wave of GCC growth, offering a compelling combination of talent, infrastructure, connectivity, competitive operating costs and quality of life,” the report said on 27 Aug.
The Punjab Government brought Mohali’s case into that conversation as State Partner at Zinnov Confluence 2026, the 19th edition of Zinnov’s global technology and leadership summit, engaging directly with global enterprise executives, GCC decision-makers and investors on Mohali’s potential as an emerging GCC hub in North India.
“Our engagement at Zinnov Confluence gave Punjab an important platform to engage directly with global GCC and enterprise leaders on the opportunities emerging across the state,” said Aman Arora, Cabinet Minister – Investment Promotion, Industries & Commerce, Government of Punjab.
“For Punjab, the focus is on building an ecosystem that can support the next generation of technology-led investment, strengthen opportunities for our talent, and enable enterprises to establish and expand with greater confidence.
“Mohali, with its growing technology ecosystem and competitive business environment, is well positioned to be part of this next phase of GCC growth. We value such government-industry engagements as they help us understand the priorities of global businesses and shape our approach accordingly,” said Arora.
The outreach, undertaken under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, forms part of the State Government’s strategy to proactively create visibility for Punjab in major business and technology hubs and engage directly with corporate decision-makers, GCC leaders, and ecosystem enablers.
Highlighting Punjab’s competitive proposition, Arora said that Mohali combines Tier-1 capability with Tier-2 operating costs. Located in the foothills of the Shivaliks and forming part of the Chandigarh-Mohali, the city offers a strong combination of technology talent, modern infrastructure, connectivity and quality of life.
The Chandigarh-Mohali region already has a strong base of working technology professionals and produces over 40,000 fresh graduates annually. Mohali offers an OPEX advantage over Tier-1 locations, ready and upcoming plug-and-play commercial space, proximity to Chandigarh-Mohali International Airport, and a liveable urban environment that supports talent attraction and retention. The State’s new industrial policy further provides dedicated support for GCCs, including Rs.7,500 per employee per month employment subsidy, rental subsidy, capital subsidy, and other fiscal incentives.
At a session titled ‘The Location Playbook: Mohali as North India’s Emerging GCC Hub,’ Punjab’s leadership engaged senior GCC and enterprise decision-makers on factors shaping location decisions, including talent, technology, infrastructure, operating environment, innovation, and speed of execution.
“India’s GCC landscape is becoming more distributed, creating opportunities for locations that can offer the right combination of talent, infrastructure, operating economics, and ecosystem support. Mohali is well placed to participate in this shift, with an opportunity to build specialised capabilities and attract mandates that broaden North India’s role in the global technology value chain,” said Nitika Goel, Managing Partner, Zinnov.
Mohali’s proposition rests on cost and increasingly flexible entry. Industry estimates put operating costs in the city at roughly a third lower than Tier-1 hubs like Bengaluru and Chennai, at a moment when GCCs are entering new markets through faster, lower-risk models, from build-operate-transfer to fully managed GCC-as-a-Service, that don’t require full ownership from day one. State-level incentives, from capital subsidies to stamp duty exemptions, have become a recognized lever in this shift nationally, and Punjab’s task now is converting that framework into mandates on the ground.
Whether Mohali converts its cost advantage into lasting mandates will depend on building the specialized talent depth that enterprises are prioritizing over pure labor savings. For Mohali, the opportunity is to translate its emerging GCC proposition into specialised technology capabilities, long-term mandates and high-value employment.
Zinnov is a global management and strategy consulting firm that helps organizations build, scale, and transform businesses through technology, AI, globalization, and innovation.
For over two decades, Zinnov has partnered with Fortune 500 enterprises, technology platforms, hyperscalers, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), technology service providers, and Private Equity firms to solve complex growth and transformation challenges. The firm has advised 250+ Fortune 500 companies, helped establish and transform 220+ Global Capability Centres, and supported 100+ Private Equity firms on technology investments, M&A, and value creation.
Zinnov’s expertise spans four strategic areas:
• Global Capability Centers (GCCs): End-to-end advisory and implementation across the GCC lifecycle, including strategy, location and workspace selection, setup, scaling, operating model design, AI-led transformation, and global enterprise integration.
Through its GCC-as- a -Service model, Zinnov combines consulting, execution, and the industry’s largest proprietary GCC intelligence platforms to help enterprises make data-driven decisions across talent, innovation, operating models, and AI while accelerating business outcomes through productivity, cost optimization, and revenue growth
• Enterprise AI & Technology Transformation: Helping organizations build AI-first operating models, modernize technology organizations, accelerate engineering innovation, and unlock business value through digital transformation.
• Growth Strategy for Technology Companies: Advising technology service providers, software platforms, and hyperscalers on market expansion, go-to-market strategy, partnership ecosystems, AI-led offerings, and competitive positioning.
• Private Equity & M&A Advisory: Supporting investors and portfolio companies through technology due diligence, commercial diligence, post-merger integration, operating model transformation, and long-term value creation.
Combining research-led insights with execution capabilities, Zinnov helps organizations accelerate growth, unlock innovation, optimize technology investments, and build enduring competitive advantage. With a presence across North America, Europe, and Asia, the firm continues to advise many of the world’s leading enterprises on the future of business and technology. Fiinews.com
