Hyderabad: Global investment giant Vanguard, which manages assets of over $10 trillion globally, will establish its largest tech development centre outside the US in Hyderabad by the end of 2025. The centre, Vanguard’s ninth globally, will concentrate on AI/ML, data and analytics, mobile engineering, cloud engineering, and cybersecurity.
Vanguard has already leased an interim facility of around 50,000 square feet at Sattva Knowledge Park, with plans to eventually move to a larger facility of over 2,50,000 square feet as the headcount grows. Vanguard announced the decision to set up its GCC in Hyderabad in December 2024 and unveiled its detailed plans on Monday after a meeting between its global CEO Salim Ramji and chief minister A Revanth Reddy.
“We are excited to be adding talent that will focus on AI, mobile, and cloud-based technologies that drive our business outcomes and deliver a world-class experience for clients. Hyderabad was an obvious choice for us because of its diverse talent pool, quality of living, an ecosystem of tech expertise and innovation mindset, and the friendly policies of the Telangana state govt,” said Ramji.
“I am delighted to welcome Vanguard to join the irresistible and unstoppable HyderabadRising vision. As part of TelanganaRising, we are shaping Hyderabad into a GCC hub for the world across domains, and Vanguard’s endorsement will further strengthen our global positioning,” Revanth Reddy said.
Nitin Tandon, chief information officer and MD of the IT division at Vanguard, told TOI the company considered other cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai, among others, before deciding on Hyderabad. Tandon said the Hyderabad GCC represents a strategic shift at Vanguard, which spends over $3 billion on technology, towards building internal capabilities and highlights India’s growing importance in its global technology strategy as it focuses on digital transformation, cloud adoption, and AI innovation to cater to its 50 million clients worldwide.
The GCC will be Vanguard’s first tech centre in India, where it has been operating through third-party tech partnerships with players such as TCS, Infosys, Deloitte, and Capgemini. Globally, Vanguard has eight tech development centres, including four in the US at headquarters Malvern in Pennsylvania, Charlotte, Dallas, and Scottsdale, as well as Toronto in Canada, Manchester and London in the UK, and Melbourne in Australia.
Emphasising that the decision to set up in Hyderabad was not a cost arbitrage but a strategic talent move, Tandon said: “We are not doing this for cost. We are doing it for talent. We want direct access to the talent that Hyderabad offers and want them to work directly and closely with our teams in the US.”
He said hiring will begin in June 2025, initially focusing on senior leadership roles to establish the foundation before scaling up. “This year we want to get to about a couple of hundred people. Next year we’ll get to a thousand people,” Tandon added.
Venkatesh Natarajan, principal and head of the Hyderabad GCC, said: “More than 30% of GCCs in the last five years have chosen Hyderabad. The rich talent pool of around 2,50,000 GCC professionals and over 1,00,000 STEM graduates annually were key factors. Hyderabad also has a vibrant startup ecosystem, especially in AI/ML, with 10% of GCCs already having AI Centres of Excellence, which also influenced the decision,” he added.
