Hi There,
I Am
I am an award-winning researcher and educator at the University of Central Florida’s College of Business Administration.
About Me
Hello, I’m Gautham Vadakkepatt
I am an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Central Florida’s College of Business, where I bring my 10+ years of experience in academia and industry to advance the field of marketing and retail transformation.
I explore the intersection of product market strategy (innovation, social media, etc), non-product market strategy (sustainability, business-government relationships, etc), and emerging technologies, and how they affect customer mindset metrics, firm value, and society at large. My research has been published in leading marketing journals such as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, and Journal of Business Research and have received prestigious awards such as the 2021 Davidson Award, the 2015 MSI/H. Paul Root Award and was finalist for the 2020 Sheth Foundation/Journal of Marketing Long-Term Impact Award. My research and thought leadership have been covered in outlets such as Ad Age. Adweek, Forbes, and Marketing Brew.I am also passionate about teaching and developing the next generation of marketing leaders. Consequently, I have created and taught graduate and undergraduate courses on marketing analytics, emerging technology and strategy, retail/ecommerce management, and business model innovations, and received outstanding teaching awards from students in 2017 and 2021.
I currently serve on Coresight Research’s AI Advisory Council and Rethink Retail’s Advisory Council. As the founding director for the Center for Retail Transformation at George Mason University, I built innovative private-public partnerships with companies on research, teaching, and thought leadership initiatives. I am recognized as a top retail influencer by Rethink Retail (21, 22, and 23) and an initial contributor to the Universal Principles of the Conscious Attention Economy document ( downloaded here),
Education
- Ph.D. Marketing, 2010, Texas A&M University
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M.S in Marketing, 2004, Texas A&M University
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M.E. in Industrial Engineering, 2002, Texas A&M University
- Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, 1999, Calicut University, India
Recent Academic Experiences
- Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Central Florida
Aug 2023 – present - Associate and Assistant Professor of Marketing, George Mason University July 2014 – July, 2023
- Director of Center for Retail Transformation, George Mason University Jan 2020 – June 1, 2023
Research
My research focuses on managerially and societally relevant issues in the domains of non-product and product market strategies. My research has been published in several leading journals
Teaching
I have taught at all levels including Ph.D. programs, executive education, MBA, and undergraduate students. Most of my teaching has been focused on marketing strategy and analytics
Media Mentions
I have been quoted in media outlets such as Forbes and Adweek.
Notable Awards & Honors
Three-time Rethink Retail Top Retail Influencer (21,22,23)
Recipient of the Davidson Award
Deans Scholar
Finalist, Sheth Foundation/ Journal of Marketing Award for Long-term Impact
Best Paper in Track (Complexity of Inter-firm relationships) Award, American Marketing Association Marketing Educators’ Conference
Multiple Outstanding Research Publication Awards
Two-time Recipient of Outstanding Teaching in Major Award
Three-time Recipient of Outstanding Service Award
Recipient of Marketing Science Institute /H. Paul Root Award
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Fellowship & Scholarships
Blogs
Retail Trends I am Watching in 2022
For 2022, I decided to blog about things that interest me. Oh no, not another blog, you say. Did you know that are about 31.7 million bloggers in the US, roughly 10% of the country's population? So, do we need another blog? Probably not! Then why blog? That is a blog...