India Today: Scope, Maturity and Capability

SSON Research & Analytics data confirms that India is growing not only in terms of the maturity of shared services, but also the scope of shared service organisations' (SSO) offerings. Three-quarters of SSOs in India are multifunctional, including Finance, IT and data management. 

Ahead of Shared Services & GCC Week India, we caught up with speaker Priyaranjan Jha, Head of Global GBS Operations, PepsiCo, to understand the scope, maturity and capability of SSOs in India.

Expanding Scope

Q: PepsiCo is at the forefront in terms of bringing non-traditional services into Global Business Services (GBS). Can you expand on your current footprint and what's on the horizon? 

Jha: PepsiCo GBS locations include India, Mexico, Poland, Egypt, Russia and China, providing enhanced capabilities in Financial Planning, HR, Commercial Sales, Consumer Marketing & Engagement, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Control. Hyderabad, India, is our largest hub with nearly 3,000 employees and we expect a continuous growth in terms of associates and capabilities in 2023. 

Priorities for India in 2023

According to SSON Research & Analytics data, the top two objectives for Indian SSOs this year are leveraging automation platforms and digitising data. In order to reach these goals, many SSOs are establishing CoEs to manage and implement the change. 

Q: How is PepsiCo utilizing CoEs and how has this accelerated key business objectives?

Jha: At PepsiCo we leverage CoEs in many areas. We have a central team providing guidance, support and establishing best practices, methods, tools and technologies to enable Functions to implement the GBS model across markets. Some key areas of involvement include best practices on design of service offerings, driving innovation across processes and enabling digital transformation.

GBS Becoming a Driver for Sustainability 

Sustainability tackles the question of how we fulfill the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations. Major organisations around the globe are pursuing sustainability initiatives and publicly sharing their achievements. 

Q: Are there benefits to GBS by expanding the vision to include sustainability?

Jha: As an integral part of PepsicCo, our GBS team is also focused on unleashing the company's potential by delivering sustainable accelerated growth and realising our vision to become the global leader in convenient foods and beverages by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo positive). Winning with pep+ reflects the way we are going to win in the marketplace and deliver top-tier financial performance, while transforming ourselves to create value for all of our stakeholders. We're charting a new course to drive positive action for the planet and people. We're changing how we source our ingredients make and sell our products, and how we inspire people throughout our brands. 

The Challenge of Recruiting and Retaining Talent 

The global talent crisis has made its way to India, and IT is one of the largest impacted areas. 

Q: How is PepsiCo reworking its recruiting and upskilling strategies to find new ways to secure and retain talent?

Jha: In such an environment, we need to continuously reevaluate and reimagine every aspect of our business, including talent attraction and management. At PepsiCo, we take a holistic approach to employee growth and engagement by deploying a variety of tools aimed at enhancing the employee experience, and seeking opportunities to improve employees' engagement in their career at PepsiCo. We also empower our associates to act as owners as they meet their own individual responsibilities while embracing a collective responsibility for the success or failure of our company as a whole. 

In terms of talent attraction, we strive to maintain our reputation as a great place to work. Our employer brand showcases both our market successes and a collaborative, dynamic work environment through which our associates bring their unique skills and make impactful contributions and win with purpose. Through this platform, we are engaging with our current associates, and inspiring our teams to move faster, stronger and better with PepsiCo. In addition, we are focused on continuing to attract top talent and encourage candidates to bring their unique skills and experiences to our global stage. 

In addition to bolstering our attraction and engagement strategies, PepsiCo's global Talent Acquisition team has continued to deploy a balance of both traditional and progressive recruitment methods in order to attract and retain a diverse and engaged workforce.

Priyaranjan Jha will be speaking at Shared Services & GCC Week India, taking place 18-23 April in Bangalore.