Purpose Driven Transformational Leader: Kemi Akindutire, Ph.D,

Kemi Akindutire is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Imerge Company LLC, where she partners withindividuals and organizations to explore, establish, and execute their vision and mission as an Organization Development Consultant and Executive Coach. With over decades of experience across industries— including aerospace, defense, and the non-profit sector—Kemi has cultivated expertise in Human Capacity Management & Development, Change Management, Organizational Development, Program and Project Management, and Performance Management.

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Kemi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Botswana, where she was awarded the Isaac Schapera Prize for best academic performance and research. She later earned an MBA from the University of Maryland and a master’s in human resources from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Currently pursuing a PhD in Organization Development at Benedictine University, Kemi's research focuses on purpose-driven organizations and individuals in various cultural contexts, including Africa, and its impact on organizational outcomes. Her ongoing research, which explores how aligning personal and organizational purpose can enhance motivation, performance, and effectiveness, recently earned her the first AGRH Doctoral Student Award at the 2024 Academy of Management (AOM) Conference under the Management Consulting Division.

Kemi's career began with Fortune 500 companies in the automotive and aerospace industries, where she held progressively senior HR roles. She developed expertise in HR Business Partnerships, Compensation, Performance Management, and Learning & Development. Throughout her career, Kemi led teams and projects focused on facilitating organizational change and transformation. She spearheaded several enterprise-wide initiatives, such as redesigning salary treatment and promotion strategies and establishing a compensation compliance framework that mitigated risks across the enterprise. She also led the modernization of the performance management system for over 80,000 employees—making it feedback

driven and employee-centric. These accomplishments earned her multiple awards, including several SPOT and Special Recognition Awards.

In addition to her consulting work, Kemi serves as the Global Product Lead for EPR Global, a women's professional network that focuses on leadership, spiritual development, and mentoring. She leads the business's product lines, focused on accelerating the personal and professional development of women of black heritage across the globe. In this role, she facilitated developing and designing strategic roadmaps supporting the organization's global expansion and transformation efforts. She is currently leading its culture transformation effort as an internal OD consultant.

Kemi is a certified executive coach and a Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds accreditations in several diagnostic tools, including the Organizational Culture Inventory® and the Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® by Human Synergistics. She is also certified as an MBTI facilitator and Prosci certified in Change Management. Her areas of specialization include Organizational Development & Effectiveness, Change Management, Program Design & Execution, Performance Management, ExecutiveCoaching and Leadership Development.

Kemi's thought leadership extends to her written work. Her first article was published in Mmegi Newspaper in Gaborone, Botswana, following her award-winning research on "Internet use by students at the University of Botswana." She is also a contributing author to the 2023 Change and Transformation Quotient for CEOs and Directors in Africa, a guide that focuses on embedding OD and change leadership for business leaders across the continent. Additionally, she is the author of the book Success to Significance: How to Identify, Plan, and Execute Your Kingdom Assignment. She has also published personal

and professional development articles in the JHDC Impact Magazine.

Kemi has been featured as a speaker and panelist at conferences, such as the 2022 and 2023 Midwest Academy of Management Conferences, the 2024 National AOM Conference, and the 2024 Organization Leadership & Development Network Conference in Gaborone, Botswana. She has also designed, hosted, and moderated several events for several years, such as the Emergence Conference and EPR Global's Professional Development Webinars, showcasing her ability to inspire and lead discussions on personal and professional growth.

Outside of her professional career, Kemi is deeply committed to community service. She has held leadership roles in various mentoring and career advancement programs, such as the Daniel Leadership Institute and JHDC's Career and Skills Development Ministry. She is also a board member of the Justina Family Foundation and Building Right Relationships, where she continues to support community initiatives. In her local church, Kemi volunteers by contributing to the spiritual development of elementary school students.

In her personal life, Kemi enjoys reading, journaling, writing, and watching movies. She cherishes spending quality time with her husband and two daughters.

Kemi's steadfast dedication to driving transformative change for organizations and individuals, coupled with her extensive experience and academic expertise, positions her as a trusted advisor in navigating the complexities of today's fast-paced and ever-evolving landscape. Her professional mission is to create environments where organizations and individuals succeed and thrive, fostering sustainable growth and long-term impact.