Octagon Founder and President, Phil de Picciotto, was recently inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame in the 30th annual ceremony that benefits Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.
Commonly thought of as the “Academy Awards of Business” in the Washington, DC-region, the Hall of Fame recognizes and honors business leaders and entrepreneurs who have made a significant contribution to the quality of life in the region through their professional careers. The black-tie event was attended by nearly 1,200 people and raised a record $1.46 million for Junior Achievement of Greater Washington with proceeds benefiting JA’s innovative financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship K-12 programs.
de Picciotto started in the industry as an amateur tennis player with an interest in sports photography. When one of the leading sports-management law firms in the Washington-area at the time, Craighill, Fentress & Benton, was looking for pictures of tennis players, he set out to do so. As is often the case in the sports industry, this initial contact was the start of a relationship with the firm and led to an eventual summer associate position. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania law school, he cofounded an agency – Advantage International in 1983.
The agency was eventually rebranded as Octagon and 34 years later is the world’s 5th most valuable sports agency. In addition to representing some of the biggest global names in sports, the agency is also involved with more than 13,000 events annually.
de Piccioto was presented with his award by current Octagon client, professional lacrosse player and entrepreneur, Paul Rabil. Three other individuals were honored: Michael Harreld (Greater Washington PNC Bank), Gracia Martore (Tegna) and Christopher Nassetta (Hilton).