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Hyderabad | 18 November 2025: Beauty-major L’Oréal has announced plans to open one of its largest Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in Hyderabad, in a move that highlights the company’s long-term bet on India’s growing technology capabilities.
Strategic Vision & India Commitment
This Hyderabad centre is being positioned as a global digital, data and technology hub, complementing L’Oréal’s existing Indian research facilities in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The expansion is expected to support L’Oréal’s international digital-first ambitions, providing not just cost efficiencies but critical innovation capabilities.
The timing of the announcement coincides with a visit from L’Oréal’s global board to India in October 2025, led by CEO Nicolas Hieronimus, highlighting the strategic importance of this facility in the firm’s global operations.
Leadership Anchoring the Push
A key part of this strategy is leadership. In July 2025, L’Oréal named Jacques Lebel as India Country Manager, while Aseem Kaushik transitioned to Chairman. Lebel, who previously worked with Procter & Gamble and AB InBev, brings international experience and deep operational knowledge as the company invests in its capability-centre infrastructure.
L’Oréal’s GCC buildout in Hyderabad is a clear signal: India is no longer just a market for consumer sales but a full-fledged innovation and technology partner for the global business.
India’s Innovation Credibility Backing the Move
L’Oréal is just the latest in a growing list of global corporations that are viewing India particularly Hyderabad – as an innovation-first destination for building their GCCs:
- Vanguard opened its first India GCC in Hyderabad focused on engineering, AI, and data analytics.
- Sonatype, a US-based cybersecurity firm, has launched a deep-tech GCC in Hyderabad focused on AI/ML and open-source security.
- Eli Lilly is establishing its second-ever India GCC in Hyderabad, underscoring an increasing trend of pharma-led digital and automation capabilities in the city.
These moves collectively reinforce Hyderabad’s growing stature as a global value-centre, rather than a cost arbitrage destination.
From an SSF Global perspective, L’Oréal’s Hyderabad expansion emphasizes several important trends:
- Strategic Depth over Cost Play: Investing in high-value GCCs focused on global innovation and transformation, not just support work.
- Leadership-Led Scale: By appointing seasoned leaders like Lebel and Kaushik, L’Oréal is aligning its global and Indian operations for long-term partnership.
- India’s Maturing Role: Cities like Hyderabad are increasingly becoming core hubs for AI, data, R&D, and enterprise product development.
“India is a very strategic market for L’Oréal. … We intend to more-than-double our business in the next couple of years.”
– L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus
- GCC Ecosystem Momentum: As more organizations build capability centres in Hyderabad, the city’s GCC ecosystem strengthens, attracting even more innovation-led investments.
L’Oréal’s decision to build a significant GCC in Hyderabad marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of India’s global operations ecosystem. The move reaffirms that Hyderabad is not just a hub for delivery or cost optimization, it is now central to global R&D, digital ambition, and innovation.
As enterprises continue to lean on India for technology and product capabilities, SSF Global expects this trend to accelerate, establishing India (especially Hyderabad) as a cornerstone of global transformation strategy.
