Mangaluru: Mangaluru must carve out a distinct niche instead of trying to replicate Bengaluru or Hyderabad if it is to emerge a global capability centre (GCC) hub, industry leaders said at Mangaluru Technovanza here on Wednesday.A fireside chat, titled ‘Mangaluru the Landing Station in the GCC Orbit: Ready?’, explored how the coastal city could strengthen its position as a technology and business destination. The session was part of the sixth edition of Mangaluru Technovanza at the Dr TMA Pai International Convention Centre.Ajay Vij, senior country managing director, Accenture India, and Richard Lobo, chief people officer, Tech Mahindra, said Mangaluru had advantages including its location, connectivity, educational institutions and growing technology ecosystem.Vij said businesses worldwide were rethinking organisational structures, making talent availability and location increasingly important. Mangaluru needed a long-term strategy and should identify sectors where it could build a lasting advantage, he said.“The city must decide the niche it wants to play in. It could be tourism, healthcare, marine biology or any other area where it is already strong,” Vij said.Lobo said the GCC model had evolved from being primarily cost-driven to one focused on specialised capabilities. “Today, investments in GCCs are driven more by capabilities offered than by size. Mangaluru should not become a duplicate of Bengaluru or Hyderabad. It should create its own unique proposition,” he said.He suggested positioning Mangaluru as part of a distributed talent model, with teams operating from multiple smaller cities.The speakers also stressed the need to market Mangaluru as a business destination by showcasing patents, projects and industry outcomes rather than relying solely on promotional campaigns.Lobo said alumni of Mangaluru-based institutions holding senior positions globally could become ambassadors for the city. “If Mangaluru can build the specialised skills that the world will need three years from now, companies will come to the city,” he said.They also called for curriculum redesign, faculty development, mentoring, sponsorship, and joint research between industry and educational institutions. They stressed the need to invest in faculty, who would shape generations of students and equip them with industry-relevant skills for the future.Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, KDEM, moderated the session.
