New Delhi — AHEAD, the US-based digital services and consulting company, is preparing to make India one of the strategic pillars of its global delivery and revenue model. By 2026, the company expects India to account for 25 to 30 per cent of its global workforce and a similar share of its services delivery volume, according to the firm’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Killian.
The expansion marks a shift from treating India as a support location to embedding it directly into the company’s main operating structure. For AHEAD, the India build-out is no longer simply about talent arbitrage. It is becoming central to the company’s capacity to grow globally and manage service costs in a demanding enterprise technology market.
Killian says AHEAD’s India operation was never meant to be a low-cost outsourcing arm where repetitive tasks were offloaded. Instead, India is positioned as a partner in capability building.
“We do not think about India as a separate entity,” he told TechObserver.in. “When we go out and sell an opportunity to our clients it is a global delivery team. Some of that expertise comes from the US and some of it comes from India. It is one integrated delivery model.”
The company currently employs around 600 people in India, mainly in Hyderabad and Gurugram. Approximately 500 of those roles sit in services delivery, spanning managed services and professional services. Another 100 roles support internal operations, including finance and legal. With around 225 open requisitions, AHEAD expects its headcount in India to reach 800 during 2026 and continue growing toward the 1,000-mark before the end of the year.
The global demand for offshore managed services has continued to accelerate through 2025 as enterprises rebalance delivery models to manage operating costs and secure talent in cloud, cybersecurity and AI. India remains the most preferred global delivery hub due to the availability of specialist skills and the maturity of its IT workforce, according to multiple research firms tracking global sourcing trends.
This structural market tailwind helps explain why AHEAD continues to scale its footprint in India faster than in its home market. The company expects to hire in the US, but its net workforce expansion will be heavier in India through 2026.
Beyond cost: skills, efficiency and culture
Killian attributes AHEAD’s success in India to both talent and cultural integration. “Every time I come here, I am energised,” he said. “There are so many great ideas coming out of India. As more of our US teams get exposure to India, they have a similar reaction. That has fuelled a lot of our growth.”
He added that the financial value of the India operation is not exclusively tied to lower costs. According to him, delivery quality and operational maturity have improved by integrating Indian teams into the company’s core functions. Turnover in India has been low, which the CFO attributes to leadership stability and efforts to maintain parity between US and India career paths.
AHEAD doubled its revenue from roughly $2.1 billion to more than $4 billion in recent years, driven partly by acquisitions including DataBlue, Sovereign Systems, RoundTower, Kovarus and MBX. The company integrates all acquired firms into one operating model rather than allowing them to run independently.
Killian says most acquisitions have performed well, but early experiences delivered valuable lessons. The firm underestimated the risk of attrition when acquiring California-based Kovarus and has since adopted a more deliberate approach to cultural alignment after mergers. “The biggest risk in any integration is people,” he said. “Retaining and motivating people into our culture is the most important thing.”
Security and multi-vendor balance remain priorities
Asked whether AHEAD’s close partnerships with hyperscalers and cybersecurity suppliers create conflicts of interest, Killian insisted customers remain the priority.
“We do not play favourites with our vendors. Our relationships with customers are based on advising them on what is best for them long term,” he said. Account teams act as the gatekeepers for that balance, supported by consulting, delivery and technical specialists across the company.
Security has become one of AHEAD’s fastest growing business pillars, with dedicated security sales specialists now working alongside core account managers. Killian expects security demand to remain high across all sectors.
The Broadcom acquisition of VMware unsettled many global enterprises, driving questions around pricing and long-term strategy. Killian acknowledges that AHEAD has been working in a sensitive space between Broadcom and concerned customers.
“Clients look to us for advice on whether they should stay, move or change direction,” he said. While the company supports customers evaluating alternative platforms, he added that Broadcom has become a strong partner and that VMware Cloud Foundation has been a major growth driver for AHEAD during the past year.
The AI opportunity remains early
Despite AI dominating corporate technology conversations, AHEAD’s revenue today is still concentrated in infrastructure, cloud migration and cybersecurity. Killian described the company as being “on the front end” of its AI journey, with most current activity focused on helping customers acquire GPU and data centre capacity. The services layer of the AI business is emerging but not yet central to revenue.
Internally, AHEAD is using AI talent based in India to streamline scripting, automation and operational tasks. Killian expects India to play a major role in scaling the business case for AI adoption inside the company before it becomes a mainstream customer service line.
India as a market, not only a delivery location for AHEAD
The next phase of AHEAD’s international strategy will not be limited to hiring. Killian said India could eventually develop into a sales and procurement market, not only a delivery base. The company is also considering a greater presence in Bengaluru if local hiring continues to accelerate.
Killian hinted that India could also become part of the company’s global infrastructure build-out over time.
“We see India as the third leg of our integration centre strategy,” he said, adding that a domestic integration facility could eventually complement the two centres AHEAD already operates in the United States. “We will continue to grow services delivery and operations here, and as we mature we see a natural path toward selling into the India market and supporting customers locally.”
