The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Coimbatore recently organised the GCC Coimbatore Summit 2025 with the theme “Coimbatore – India’s Twin-Engine GCC Hub: Where Core Industrial Engineering Meets Digital Innovation at Tier-2 Costs and Tier-1 Depth.”
The summit aimed to position Coimbatore as a premier destination for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), leveraging its strengths in industry, talent and innovation.
CII Coimbatore, in collaboration with Zinnov, unveiled the report “Coimbatore Rising – A New Blueprint for GCC Expansion,” alongside another strategic publication titled “Coimbatore: The Next Frontier of GCCs,” developed in partnership with CBRE.
Both reports were formally launched by the Chief Guest, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, Government of Tamil Nadu, during the summit.
The Minister delivered the inaugural address, highlighting that 25% of global graduates are of Indian origin, and he emphasised the importance of creating well-rounded professionals capable of functioning across functions, rather than over-relying on niche specialists.
“The more we produce such talent, the more attractive cities like Coimbatore become for global firms,” he said.
He noted that GCCs are drawn to cities offering global standards of growth and that Coimbatore’s culture of openness, innovation and entrepreneurship uniquely positions it for this role.
Jairam Varadaraj, Past Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu & Managing Director, Elgi Equipments, delivered the keynote address, starting by tracing the city’s entrepreneurial DNA, stating that Coimbatore was among the first in India to manufacture motors, pumps, aluminum products, fibers and textiles, at a time when the nation was still finding its industrial footing post-independence.
He cautioned against allowing Coimbatore to be viewed merely as a low-cost delivery centre for GCCs. Instead, he advocated positioning Coimbatore as a premium, high-value destination, a city that delivers world-class outcomes, not just affordable services.
“Our real strength lies in the quality of work we deliver, the speed at which we innovate and the accountability ingrained in our workforce. These are not just differentiators, they are advantages that can’t be replicated easily,” he said.
Nandini, Immediate Past Chairperson, CII Southern Region & Managing Director, Chandra Textiles, highlighted Coimbatore’s robust educational ecosystem, with nine institutions in the NIRF Top 100.
However, she emphasised a critical concern: over 50% of this talent migrates to metro cities. “Retaining this talent pool is essential if Coimbatore is to emerge as a global industrial and digital hub.”
She also emphasised that while government policies provide the framework, it is individuals and institutions who must take the initiative to drive transformation on the ground. She highlighted the importance of having a city-centric growth plan, citing the Coimbatore Next initiative as a timely and relevant framework for sustained progress.
Rajesh Doraiswamy, Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone & Joint Managing Director, Salzer Electronics, in his opening remarks, emphasised that Coimbatore is a knowledge capital with over 250 higher education institutions and a steady supply of 100,000 graduates annually, 50% of whom are in STEM.
He noted that the city is home to over 300,000 MSMEs and is the 5th largest MSME hub in India, second in Tamil Nadu. “Coimbatore offers a 30–40% cost advantage over Tier-1 cities while maintaining Tier-1 quality,” he said.
Kewyn George, Convenor, GCC Taskforce, CII Tamil Nadu & Global IS Director & GCC Head, Expeditors, applauded the “Coimbatore Next” initiative and said that vision has now become reality, “Coimbatore Next” is now “Coimbatore Now.”
He stressed the importance of local participation in global decision-making. He also highlighted real estate as one of the first sectors to benefit from the GCC boom and called for international promotion of Coimbatore and active engagement with globally rooted Coimbatorean leaders.
Naved Narayan, Co-Convenor, GCC Taskforce & Vice President, Mobility Solutions, Head, R&D Center Coimbatore, Bosch Global Software Technologies, mentioned that Coimbatore already has the foundational capabilities required and does not need to imitate Tier-1 cities. He encouraged creating new products by tapping into the city’s niche talent and emphasized that the convergence of MSMEs and GCCs presents immense opportunities for innovation and cross-sector growth.
A special Interactives session with Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, District Collector, Coimbatore, in conversation with Shankar Vanavarayar, Past Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu & President, Kumaraguru Institutions, took place on the topic Urban Excellence – Coimbatore’s Social Edge.
Shankar Vanavarayar highlighted that global capability is not new to Coimbatore; it has been present for three generations. He urged the city and society to collaborate in expressing and elevating Coimbatore and posed critical questions about the changes needed to prepare future-ready talent.
Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar emphasised the importance of civic contribution in shaping the city. He noted that over 25 GCCs have recently moved to Coimbatore, receiving highly positive feedback. He outlined the ongoing transformation of the city, including infrastructure development, traffic management, and metro planning. He stated that Coimbatore is expected to handle 15 million passengers annually by 2031.
The GCC Coimbatore Summit 2025 featured a series of high-impact sessions led by industry experts.
