HCLTech has signed a new seven-year agreement with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America to accelerate artificial intelligence driven modernisation across the insurer's technology and operations, while also acquiring Guardian's India Global Capability Centre (GCC) for $10.5 million in an all-cash transaction. The move marks a significant expansion of the companies' strategic relationship and strengthens HCLTech's presence in the insurance technology sector.
The acquisition includes Guardian India Operations Pvt. Ltd., the insurer's India-based GCC that supports technology, operations and shared services. Following the completion of the transaction, expected on August 1, nearly 2,000 employees from Guardian India will transition to HCLTech. The company will establish a dedicated Strategic Business Unit to serve Guardian, focusing on technology innovation, engineering, AI transformation and operational excellence.
The expanded agreement builds on an earlier partnership announced this year and is aimed at advancing Guardian's enterprise-wide AI adoption. HCLTech said it will deploy its AI Service Transformation Platform, AI Force, to develop agentic AI capabilities aligned with Guardian's product operating model. The platform is expected to support automation, intelligent workflows and AI-enabled business processes across the insurer's operations.
According to HCLTech, the partnership will drive technology and talent transformation across data, applications and engineering while modernising operations spanning group benefits, individual protection, retirement and wealth management. The company said these initiatives are intended to reduce costs, accelerate time to market and improve experiences for customers, financial advisors and distribution partners.
As part of the transition, Karunakaran Azhisur, currently Country Head of Guardian India, will join HCLTech to lead the newly formed Strategic Business Unit dedicated to Guardian. The company said the structure will help deepen collaboration while enabling the co-development of AI-led products and intellectual property tailored to the insurance sector.
Steve Rullo, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Guardian, said the expanded partnership represents an important step in advancing the insurer's operating model and scaling AI across the enterprise. He noted that the collaboration is expected to strengthen operational excellence while supporting Guardian's long-term business growth.
Srinivasan Seshadri, Chief Growth Officer and Global Head of Financial Services at HCLTech, said the agreement provides an opportunity for both companies to jointly create AI-powered products and intellectual property while strengthening HCLTech's insurance capabilities and AI platforms.
The acquisition also reinforces the growing importance of Global Capability Centres in enterprise AI transformation. Rather than building parallel technology organisations, companies are increasingly integrating GCC talent into long-term strategic partnerships with technology service providers to accelerate innovation and operational efficiency.
For HCLTech, the transaction further expands its insurance technology portfolio at a time when global insurers are investing heavily in AI, automation and digital transformation. The company has continued to strengthen its AI offerings through enterprise platforms and long-term transformation engagements across industries. The Guardian partnership reflects a broader trend of IT services firms combining AI platforms, domain expertise and specialised talent to deliver large-scale business transformation initiatives.
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