Dr. Sreelakshmy Geethakumari
Scholar-practitioner. Enterprise AI strategist. Evangelist for AI Orientation as a strategic discipl
I have spent over two decades at the intersection of business, technology, and digital transformation — helping enterprises navigate some of the most consequential technology shifts of our time. Today, as a Managing Director (Partner) at Accenture, I lead Digital Core business growth across Automotive, Industrial, and Mobility sectors in North America.
The question that has driven me throughout my career is not "what can AI do?" It is "why do some enterprises extract transformative value from AI while others stay stuck in pilots?"
That question led me to complete a Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (2025), where I defined and studied AI Orientation as a strategic construct. Over 20 semi-structured interviews with senior AI leaders across industries, I identified the six determinants that separate high AI Orientation firms from those where AI remains fragmented, technology-driven, and disconnected from strategic priorities.
I am a practitioner-scholar — which means I do not choose between research rigor and real-world relevance. I hold both. The AI Orientation framework was built from the lived experiences of executives navigating the same challenges you face. And I have spent 20+ years in the rooms where those decisions get made.
I speak, write, and advocate at the intersection of AI strategy, enterprise leadership, and organizational transformation. My goal is to make AI Orientation the lens through which every senior leader evaluates their enterprise AI strategy.
Active Research Collaborators
Dr. Joseph Rottman (Dissertation Chair & Advisor)
Joseph Rottman, D.Sc. is the Director of the International Business Institute, Chair of the CoBA Strategic Planning & Innovation Committee, and Professor of Information Systems at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is also a past Research Fellow in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Center for International Studies. He earned his Doctor of Science in Information Management from Washington University in St. Louis. He has conducted research and spoken internationally on global sourcing, innovation diffusion and public-sector IT. He has conducted case studies in over 40 firms and has been engaged by Fortune 500 firms to analyze and improve their offshore strategies. He has published three books and over 25 articles and book chapters. His publications have appeared in Sloan Management Review, MIS Quarterly Executive, Information Systems Frontiers, Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal, IEEE Computer, the Journal of Information Technology, the American Review of Public Administration and Information and Management and leading practitioner outlets such as CIO Insight and the Cutter Consortium. He was the 2006 recipient of the Anheuser-Busch Excellence in Teaching award, and is on the editorial board of MIS Quarterly Executive.
Dr. Michael Seals (Dissertation Committee Member)
Michael J. Seals is Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Hussmann Corporation, a subsidiary of Panasonic, and is responsible for the company’s global IT activities. Hussmann was founded in St. Louis in 1906 and is the market leader of refrigeration equipment for food retailers. Seals was appointed as the company’s CIO in 2016. He joined Hussmann in 2012 as the Director, Strategy and Business Development. In that capacity, he helped develop and lead the company’s digital platform strategy. Prior to joining Hussmann, Seals spent most of his career at two multi-national beverage companies, PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch, in roles which spanned information technology, strategic planning and corporate development. He earned his master’s in business administration from St. Louis University and Doctorate in Business Administration from University of Missouri, St. Louis.
Dr. John Meriac (Dissertation Committee Member)
Dr. John P. Meriac is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Leadership and Management. His research interests are in the areas of individual differences, personnel selection issues, and performance management. He has published over 30 journal articles and book chapters, including top outlets such as Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Personnel Psychology. In addition, he has given over 60 conference presentations at national and international meetings. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Meriac teaches courses in Advanced Quantitative Methods, Human Resource Management, Leadership, and Organizational Behavior topics at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Human Performance and serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Business and Psychology and Personnel Assessment and Decisions.
