In a sprawling industrial facility in Kakinada, technicians are assembling what will become India’s first one-gigawatt green hydrogen electrolyser—a machine capable of splitting water molecules to produce the fuel many believe will power tomorrow’s economy. The workers are Indian, but the technology and capital behind the project are Belgian, part of a quiet transformation reshaping how European companies approach Asia’s largest democracy.
John Cockerill, a 200-year-old Belgian industrial group, exemplifies this shift. Rather than treating India as merely a low-cost manufacturing hub, the company has made it central to its global sustainability strategy. With revenues of Euro 4.2 billion and operations spanning 23 countries, John Cockerill now employs 500 people in India—a figure set to nearly double within two years as it pursues an ambitious goal of reaching Euro 1 billion in annual turnover by 2030.
“India, with its complex talent landscape and rising strategic clout, is not merely another outpost in John Cockerill’s global map, it’s a key pillar of our global strategy,” says Marie-Pierre Defoin, the company’s global chief human resources officer.
“India, with its complex talent landscape and rising strategic clout, is not merely another outpost in John Cockerill’s global map, it’s a key pillar of our global strategy.”
Marie-Pierre Defoin, global CHRO, John Cockerill
This represents a marked departure from the traditional model of Western multinationals in India. Where previous generations of foreign investors came primarily for cheap labour and vast markets, today’s arrivals are drawn by something more valuable: engineering talent capable of innovating at the cutting edge of clean technology.
The timing is hardly coincidental. India has emerged as the world’s most ambitious market for renewable energy, with plans to install 500 gigawatts of clean power capacity by 2030. The country’s appetite for green hydrogen—seen as crucial for decarbonising heavy industry—has attracted global attention and investment. But what sets India apart is not just its market potential, but its ability to develop and deploy these technologies at scale.
For John Cockerill, which traces its origins to the early industrial revolution and built its reputation on steel and heavy machinery, India represents both opportunity and transformation. The company is pivoting from legacy industries towards sustainability technologies, with Indian operations spanning hydrogen production, energy storage, and defence systems.
Yet this transition hinges less on machines than on people. “We hire across a diverse mix of institutions and industries. However, we also evaluate potential—how talent can evolve and innovate with us,” explains Defoin. The company’s recruitment strategy deliberately eschews conventional wisdom about hiring for existing skills, instead focusing on adaptability and learning capacity.
This approach reflects broader changes in how multinational corporations view emerging markets. Rather than simply extracting value through low-cost production, leading companies increasingly see countries like India as sources of innovation and intellectual capital. The shift is particularly pronounced in sectors requiring complex engineering solutions, where Indian technical universities have built formidable reputations.
John Cockerill’s Indian operations illustrate this evolution. The company collaborates with the Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai on advanced technical training, whilst Indian engineers work on projects spanning Belgium, the United States, and other global markets. Internal mobility has become a cornerstone of the company’s strategy, with Indian professionals regularly taking on international assignments.
“Internal mobility is not an HR add-on—it’s part of our innovation strategy,” insists Defoin. These transfers serve dual purposes: they embed Indian talent within the company’s global operations whilst giving local staff exposure to international best practices.
The results appear promising. Despite operating in sectors known for high staff turnover, John Cockerill reports attrition rates “well below the industry average.” The company attributes this to its investment in employee development and its willingness to adapt policies based on worker feedback. The shift to hybrid working arrangements, for instance, emerged from employee suggestions rather than management diktat.
“Feedback is not a formality. It’s a tool for continuous improvement,” states Defoin, describing a culture where policy follows people rather than the reverse. This bottom-up approach extends to diversity initiatives, where the company tracks gender representation in hiring and promotion decisions, using data to drive measurable improvements rather than relying solely on good intentions.
Yet challenges remain. Like many engineering-focused companies, John Cockerill struggles with gender imbalance, particularly in technical and leadership roles. The company has responded with flexible working arrangements and targeted outreach programmes, though progress remains incremental.
More broadly, the company’s experience highlights both the opportunities and complexities of India’s talent market. Whilst the country produces enormous numbers of engineers and technical graduates, quality varies significantly between institutions. Companies must invest heavily in training and development to realise this potential, a process that requires patience and long-term commitment.
The stakes extend beyond individual corporate success. As climate change accelerates and governments worldwide commit to net-zero emissions, the race to develop and deploy clean technologies has intensified. Countries and companies that master these technologies early will likely dominate tomorrow’s economy. India’s combination of technical talent, manufacturing capability, and domestic market size positions it as a potential winner in this competition.
For European companies such as John Cockerill, success in India increasingly determines global competitiveness. The company’s Indian operations are not peripheral to its strategy but central to it—a recognition that the future of industrial leadership may well be written in Bangalore and Pune rather than Brussels or Birmingham.
As one executive noted, green revolutions are not led by machines alone, but by the people who design, build, and operate them. In this competition for talent and innovation, India is proving itself not merely a participant, but increasingly, a leader.