SC&H builds India GCC around talent, ownership, and integrated delivery, not cost

As US talent supply tightens and client demand rises, the firm is scaling India as an integrated delivery hub with end-to-end ownership, not a support layer.

As SC&H sees client demand for its audit, tax, and advisory services continue to rise, even as fewer professionals enter accounting and CPA (certified public accountant) tracks in the US, the firm has organised its first international expansion around India - not as a low‑cost delivery extension, but as a fully integrated capability centre embedded into its global operating model.

The Baltimore‑headquartered consulting and professional services firm has opened a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Gurugram, Haryana. The India centre supports US client engagements exclusively and operates inside SC&H’s systems, quality standards, and delivery processes, with teams working alongside US colleagues on live work rather than functioning as a separate vendor entity.

Speaking to CRN India, SC&H leaders positioned the India move as a response to two converging realities: a decline in the number of professionals entering accounting and finance roles in the US, and sustained growth in client demand across audit, tax, and advisory services.

Why India, and why now

SC&H chief executive officer, Pritpal Kalsi, said the firm had historically operated as a highly localised organisation in the US, with offices within driving distance of one another. That changed over the past five years, particularly post‑pandemic, as flexibility in where work gets done increased, and the firm expanded regionally to cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia.

India represents the first international step in that evolution.

According to Kalsi, the primary driver was access to talent. He pointed to a clear decline in the number of people entering the accounting profession in the US, including those pursuing CPA qualifications, at a time when client demand continues to rise. That imbalance, he said, places increasing pressure on existing teams and raises sustainability concerns.

SC&H invested in technology to improve workflows, but concluded that technology alone was not sufficient in a people‑led professional services model.

After evaluating multiple global locations, including Latin America, Europe, and the Philippines, the firm chose India for the depth of its accounting, finance, and technology talent, as well as exposure to US regulatory and client requirements.

Hardeep Chadha, senior vice president, accounting and audit consulting, SC&H India, added that India also enables the firm to better serve Fortune 500 clients with global operations by operating across time zones and skill sets.

In addition to financial and accounting talent, he pointed to the country’s growing capabilities in areas such as generative AI.

According to Anish Suri, senior vice president, tax and corporate finance, SC&H India, “The services we provide are highly technical in nature, covering areas, including end-to-end financial consulting, taxation, audit, mergers and acquisitions, investments, and pension funds.”

“To deliver these services effectively for clients with a global presence, we need professionals with strong technical expertise and consulting capabilities. India provides access to that level of talent,” he added.

Innovation and R&D hub in pipeline

Across the leadership team, the India GCC is consistently framed as a capability‑led investment rather than a cost or margin play. Kalsi said SC&H had been deliberate in not positioning India around labour arbitrage or margin expansion.

Instead, SC&H is positioning India as a capability and innovation centre. The firm plans to build an innovation hub and an R&D hub in India as part of the next phase of its expansion, a move that leadership describes as one of its most strategic investments.

Kalsi said the objective is to recruit and retain some of the most prominent minds in the profession and use that capability to help shape how SC&H’s services evolve globally.

Discussions around this model have been underway for several years, with the past year focused on establishing the India foundation before expanding into innovation and R&D‑led work.

India, he added, is not being treated as an adjunct location but as one of six core pillars in SC&H’s broader strategy over the coming years.

That thinking is reflected in how work is organised. SC&H does not differentiate between work delivered from India or the US, with client teams operating in a blended, global model.

“It does not matter whether the work is being done in Texas, Virginia, Chicago, or India,” Kalsi said, emphasising that the focus remains on outcomes and quality rather than geography.

India is described internally as one of six strategic pillars for SC&H’s growth over the next few years. The firm has articulated a growth target of $300 to 500 million over the next five years. Leadership said sustaining that trajectory requires access to global talent pools, with India playing a central role.

Scale and service scope

SC&H’s India team currently stands at around 20 professionals in its first year of operation. The firm plans to scale to approximately 150 to 200 people over a three‑to‑five‑year horizon, without working toward an arbitrary headcount target.

The initial phase focuses on establishing a strong foundation before expanding service lines and capabilities.

Today, work being delivered from India includes audit services, tax services, covering areas such as tax compliance and technology advisory, which SC&H describes as one of its more advanced and newer offerings.

Over time, the firm intends to expand into additional areas, including consulting and specialised services such as banking and contract compliance. Kalsi said no defined line on the type or complexity of work can or cannot be delivered from India as capabilities mature.

Chadha added that SC&H operates around 12 service lines globally and has begun with three in India, with plans to bring more capabilities into the India centre.

The firm’s Gurugram location places it within a broader professional services ecosystem alongside firms such as EY, Deloitte, KPMG, and McKinsey.

Ownership model, not task execution

One of the defining aspects of SC&H’s India strategy is how delivery ownership is structured. Rather than limiting India teams to partial execution, leadership outlined a model where teams are expected to prepare work, substantiate outputs, and take ownership as part of the overall delivery process.

Chadha used regulatory and statutory filings as an example, explaining that if teams create financials or end deliverables, they should also be able to support and stand behind that work, including in engagements involving regulators, government bodies, or financial markets.

Suri said the intent is to move toward full ownership over time, rather than India contributing a narrow percentage of work.

India teams are also expected to support go‑to‑market efforts and new business development, with the longer‑term goal of contributing to top‑line growth.

Measuring success

SC&H leadership said they do not evaluate the India centre using traditional GCC metrics alone. Success is primarily measured through talent‑centric indicators, including the firm’s ability to attract top professionals, retain them, and see internal referrals grow.

Kalsi highlighted retention, morale, and the quality of the working environment as core priorities, particularly in the early phases of building the India team. From a delivery perspective, Chadha said the firm has already onboarded multiple clients, including around 20 audit clients, within a short period of time.

Suri pointed to SC&H’s employee ownership model as a factor that reinforces accountability and delivery ownership, both in India and globally.

A model open to partnerships

Looking ahead, SC&H does not see the India GCC as a closed or purely captive structure.

Chadha said, “We are definitely looking at building partnerships within the Indian ecosystem. Going forward, we may work with technology companies and use tools or products that are relevant for our clients.”

The idea is to partner with technology providers, bring those capabilities in-house, and deliver more end-to-end services to clients.

This is something we see as part of our future direction, he added.

According to Suri, the focus remains on growth and delivering the right outcomes for clients.

“Whether it involves partners, products, or internal capabilities, the goal is to ensure we have the right people, the right solutions, and the right delivery model to serve client needs effectively,” said Suri.

For SC&H, India represents a long‑term capability build intertwined with the firm’s global growth ambitions, positioned not as a downstream delivery arm, but as an integrated part of how the organisation operates and scales.