Srinivas “Srini” Attili spent his early years in a small village in India, where career dreams rarely stretched beyond what you could see. For him, that didn’t include IT modernization or executive leadership. Those worlds didn’t exist — not visibly, anyway. That changed the summer he discovered computers.
A government-sponsored technology camp popped up in his town. He signed up. One spark, and he was hooked. That moment set off a chain reaction: a bachelor’s degree in computer technology in Nagpur, then a master’s in computer science and an MBA in the U.S., a career at PwC, IBM, Deloitte and McKinsey, and now an executive leadership role at SAIC, where he’s focused on what it means to be a leader.
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m in the middle of a dream,” Attili said. “I’ll wake up to the sun in rural India as a teenager, and think this must be the dream, right?”
Since helming SAIC’s Civilian Business Group a year ago, he has driven approximately 9% growth for the business group. The shift came alongside broader changes: new leadership, a cultural reset and a sharper focus on what matters: falling in love with the client’s problems, not the company’s solutions.
“It’s a great testament to the changes we’re bringing and the business we’re building,” Attili said. “We hope to elevate our client impact and drive growth from here.”
Serving Across Governments
SAIC’s civilian business spans six markets and supports 14 of 15 federal cabinet-level agencies, along with independent agencies and state and local governments. It’s a wide portfolio. But the North Star stays the same: Solve the right problem and drive client impact, Attili said.
“Sometimes, as engineers and technologists, we can solve the wrong problem,” he said. “You can optimize the wrong thing.”
In startups or private industry, failure might be fixable. In government, the stakes are higher.
“You can’t afford for things to break,” Attili said. “It has an impact on people’s lives, livelihoods and health.”
That’s why he stays focused on outcomes. Whom are you serving? What problem are you solving? Can your solution work within real-world constraints? That’s the test.
What Long-Term Impact Looks Like
For Attili, long-term impact means building systems that last. That’s been the thread through his work: Build what endures, and make sure it actually helps.
One example he points to: a system he helped build in 2003-2004 with the Army — a portal that gave deployed soldiers access to education from over 100 universities through a single interface — a streamlined way to use a benefit they’d earned.
That approach shows up at SAIC, too, in programs supporting border security with scalable, secure systems.
“Any solutions that we deploy that are enduring, that can adapt with technology and grow, that’s long-term impact,” Attili said.
Making AI Real
Attili is clear-eyed about AI. “It boils down to the use cases you’re solving,” he said. SAIC calls those “mission threads,” and the key is whether they work operationally at scale and over time.
Attili has seen trends come and go: eBusiness, on-demand service, microservices, APIs, blockchain, cloud, cyber. Some fade, others become foundational. The question is simple: Does it solve a real problem, in a way that lasts?
One recent example: using AI in infrastructure and managed services. It’s not the sexiest use case, Attili acknowledged, but it frees up people from manual, repetitive work and moves their focus to what matters.
“You’re not just automating a workflow; you’re learning from it, adapting, doing it better,” he added.
Carrying Purpose Forward
Attili doesn’t leave his sense of mission at the office. He supports nonprofits like Global Grace Health, which helps deliver global cancer screenings and other critical outreach. He has also worked closely with the American Heart Association.
“It’s a privilege to give back as well,” he said.
That mission-first mindset shows up in how SAIC positions itself, not as a vendor or provider, but as a mission integrator. The company’s role, Attili explained, is to fuse legacy systems with commercial technologies like AI, cloud and cyber to build technology-agnostic systems that speed mission outcomes.
He calls it the “three E” approach: mission Experience, technology Expertise and orchestrating an Ecosystem. That includes connecting commercial partners, integrating platforms and helping agencies get the most out of what they already have.
“We take pride in being a mission integrator,” he said. “We believe there is a unique value a mission integrator like us brings to our clients.”
Coming Full Circle
Long before he led a multibillion-dollar civilian portfolio in government industry, Attili was a teenager in a small town with no computers. He signed up for a local makeshift tech camp out of curiosity. It was a turning point.
Today, the tools and scale are different. But the goal hasn’t changed: use technology to solve real problems and expand access to opportunity.
“I love leading teams, motivating teams, seeing people grow in their careers,” Attili said. “I never thought about anything else that would excite me. When I look at other professions, there’s nothing I’m envious about. I’m happy doing what I’m doing.”
Not even, say, a star athlete?
“I dread thinking about it,” he chuckled.