Philip de Picciotto
Founder & President, Octagon, Inc.
We had a chance to ask Phil a few questions so you could get to know him better before the big event in November. Here's what he had to say.
JA: If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Phil: "The ability to create more time. There is so much to think about and do, and so little time in which to think and do."
JA: What was the hardest job you have ever done?
Phil: "My most difficult job, and also the most motivating, is the one I have had for the past 35 years. There has been no dull moment over that time. The opportunities and challenges for a multi-faceted, solutions-oriented, global, personal services company in the world of sports and entertainment are truly limitless."
JA: What do you think is the single greatest challenge facing the next generation?
Phil: "It will be a major challenge to align increasingly disparate interests toward the allocation of appropriate resources for longer term, really important projects and issues that benefit the greater good. We are increasingly individualized and insular at the same time as we are more interactive and inter-connected. It is becoming more and more difficult to commit to large scale, expensive plans when the options are so varied, outcomes are so unpredictable, technology is evolving so rapidly, and people have such different world views."
JA: If you were to create a slogan or a theme song for your life, what would it be?
Phil: "It’s not a job or a career; it’s a lifestyle."
JA: What’s the one thing you want the Greater Washington business community to know about your company this year?
Phil: "We can help you. Sports and entertainment are universal languages with unique platforms on which to both broaden and deepen your connections with your stakeholders. Our expertise includes strategic consultancy, valuation and measurement, sponsorships and partnerships, media, events, and talent/celebrity management and procurement. We do a lot of things for a lot of people in a lot of places, but we were founded right here in the Washington, DC area."
Join us November 29th as we honor Phil and three other outstanding Washingtonian business leaders at our 30th Annual Washington Business Hall of Fame gala!