Indian GCCs shaped our global tech road map: Sabre CEO Kurt Ekert

Sabre's India GCC plays a central role in building AI-based forecasting, pricing, and retail platforms that power travel innovation for global airlines and hotels

Texas-based travel technology firm Sabre Corp on Monday credited its Global Capability Center (GCC) in Bengaluru with “increasingly shaping” the company’s global technology roadmap as the centre marked its 20th anniversary this year.

 

The centre began as a back-office delivery centre in Bengaluru, and has grown into a core pillar of Sabre Corp’s global technology strategy.

 

The Texas-based travel technology firm now counts its India GCC among its key innovation hubs, contributing to flagship platforms such as SabreMosaic, Sabre Travel AI (developed with Google), and Revenue Optimizer.

 

Engineers and data scientists at the Bengaluru site help drive the company’s AI-powered forecasting, dynamic pricing, and personalised retailing tools, capabilities that serve leading airlines, travel agencies, and hotel chains worldwide.

 

“The Sabre Bengaluru team’s 20-year journey demonstrates their innovative spirit, unwavering collaboration and relentless drive to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Kurt Ekert, president and chief executive officer, Sabre.

 

“They have consistently led from the front in pioneering the next generation of travel technology,” Ekert said.

 

Driving the centre’s expansion is an integrated operating model that brings together product development, engineering, design, operations, and customer support under one roof.

 

In recent years, Sabre’s Bengaluru GCC has taken on greater ownership of customer-facing products and mission-critical systems, with its work increasingly shaping the company’s global technology roadmap. The site plays a key role in platform modernisation, cloud migration, and the development of AI-powered travel solutions.

 

“Sabre Bengaluru GCC’s ability to turn challenges into opportunities has set a new benchmark for excellence,” said Shawn Williams, chief administrative officer, Sabre.

 

“The team’s creativity and commitment to a vibrant and inclusive environment has driven growth throughout its 20-year journey, and I look forward to what they achieve in the next 20 years and beyond.”

 

Sabre’s Bengaluru GCC is aligning its strategy around three core pillars. First, it aims to deepen its technological edge by advancing AI, machine learning, cloud-native architectures, and platform modernisation to support intelligent retailing and dynamic pricing.

 

Second, the centre is ramping up investments in talent, expanding skilling initiatives, leadership development, and inclusive hiring. Finally, it is focusing on innovation enablement through rapid prototyping labs and cross-functional collaboration to co-create solutions with customers and partners.

 

“Our vision for the next decade is to fortify Bengaluru GCC not just as a centre of excellence for delivery, but as a key driver for strategic growth and innovation for Sabre globally,” said Rency Mathew, managing director, Sabre Bengaluru and people leader, South Asia.

 

“By investing in advanced AI, cloud, data science, and our people, we will continue to deliver measurable, strategic value that drives both top-line growth and operational efficiency.”

 

Since launching in 2005, Sabre’s Bengaluru GCC has played a central role in helping the company scale efficiently and compete in a fast-evolving global market. Its work has supported cost optimisation and enabled reinvestment in high-growth areas such as AI, cloud, and next-generation platforms, the company said.

 

It said the centre has also been critical in developing revenue-generating solutions, firmly positioning Bengaluru as a key hub for innovation and strategic growth.

 

India’s GCCs are projected to become a $100 billion industry by 2030, employing over 2.5 million professionals, according to a report.

 

The study, titled ‘India’s GCC Landscape: A Strategic Pathway for Mid-Sized Aspirational Corporations to Scale Beyond’, highlights India’s position as a hub for over 1,700 GCCs.

 

These centres collectively generate around $64.6 billion in annual revenue while employing 1.9 million professionals across diverse operational areas.