Bengaluru: HCLTech has signed a seven-year agreement with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America to accelerate the insurer’s AI-led technology and operations modernisation as part of its long-term growth strategy.As part of the expanded partnership, HCLTech will acquire Guardian India, Guardian’s global capability centre (GCC), for $10.5 million. The transaction will see nearly 2,000 employees transition to HCLTech, which will establish a dedicated Strategic Business Unit to exclusively support Guardian across technology innovation, engineering, operational transformation and product development.Karunakaran Azhisur, country head of Guardian India, will join HCLTech to lead the new Strategic Business Unit. Guardian India reported revenue of Rs 578.8 crore in FY26 (unaudited), up from Rs 483.2 crore in FY25 and Rs 493.5 crore in FY24.The deal strengthens HCLTech’s position in the insurance sector and reflects the growing trend of global enterprises deepening strategic partnerships with Indian IT services firms by transferring in-house GCC operations to drive AI-enabled transformation and operational efficiency.
