Gautham Vadakkepatt

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT GAUTHAM VADAKKEPATT

I study how firms navigate markets, institutions, and stakeholders to create long-term value. My work focuses on how marketing strategy, innovation, AI, sustainability, and business-government interactions shape customer perceptions, firm value, and societal outcomes. I am particularly interested in how firms compete not only through products, brands, and technology, but also through broader strategic actions that influence investors, regulators, communities, and other stakeholders. As an Associate Professor of Marketing at the UCF College of Business and former founding director of the Center for Retail Transformation at George Mason University, I aim to connect rigorous research with real-world relevance. My work has appeared in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, and MIT Sloan Management Review, and has been recognized with the Davidson Award and the MSI/H. Paul Root Award. I also engage with companies, startups, and industry groups on growth strategy, analytics, retail transformation, and emerging technology, and have served on Coresight Research’s AI Advisory Council and Rethink Retail’s Advisory Council. As an educator and speaker, I teach and write about marketing strategy, AI, innovation, and the evolving relationship between business, government, and society.