Honoree Profile: Jim DiPietropolo ’96

Jim DiPietropolo is the co-founder of Adison Partners (www.uncommontalent.com), an executive search and talent advisory consulting firm headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. After obtaining a B.A. in Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University in 1996, DiPietropolo continued in its master’s degree program in corporate communications. He obtained a graduate student assistantship in the University’s Career Center, which places students in internships and full-time jobs. DiPietropolo says his work in The Career Center inspired him to pursue a lifelong career in the executive search profession.

After working in the industry for several years, DiPietropolo and his partner Scott Sannito decided to go out on their own, establishing Adison in a basement in West Caldwell, N.J. in 2005. Adison has since evolved into a global executive search industry leader with offices in Parsippany, Panama City, Panama, and Zurich, Switzerland. Adison has successfully executed thousands of executive search assignments and provided human resources consulting services in the United States and 28 foreign countries. Adison’s clients include many Fortune 500 corporations and private equity portfolio companies, in an array of industries that include food and beverage, chemical, automotive, consumer goods, cosmetics, industrial, technology, pharmaceutical and logistics.

In an industry in which conventional practices often fail to unearth the most innovative and forward-thinking talent for a position, DiPietropolo and his partners pioneered Adison’s innovative executive search framework. This model identifies and recruits professionals possessing unique and innovative skills — what Adison terms “uncommon talent.” This methodology targets innovators capable of transcending industry norms, harnessing a company's assets to pioneer new offerings, explore untapped markets and forge next-generation solutions.

Additionally, Adison has developed a world-class talent advisory consulting practice, which focuses on collaborating with client firms to craft hiring strategies that strategically place the right professionals in the right roles at the right time. The result is a catalyst for innovation, growth and a culture that aligns seamlessly with clients’ missions and goals.

DiPietropolo and his team are particularly proud of the role as global talent architects designing transformative journeys for some of the world's largest consumer products companies, including Anheuser Busch, InBev, Kraft Heinz, Ferrero, Beam Suntory and Hunter Douglas. Adison's placements in these Fortune 500 and private equity C-suites across North America, Central America and Europe have not only led to impactful transformations but have also garnered recognition from Fortune 500 CEOs who have highlighted the teams Adison has built in interviews with the Wall Street Journal and CNBC.

DiPietropolo has broadened Adison’s role with its “Global Digital Transformation” practice. This innovative venture collaborates with client firms, including pharmaceutical giants Novartis and Johnson & Johnson, to pioneer artificial intelligence and data science capabilities, redefining how these organizations leverage data to drive innovation.

DiPietropolo’s commitment to nurturing talent extends to Seton Hall, where he has remained engaged since graduation. Having hired 20 students and graduates as interns and full-time employees since 2012, he has also orchestrated multiple career and networking workshops for undergraduate students at the University.

Elsewhere, DiPietropolo and his partner's dedication to giving back is exemplified by Adison's collaboration with Make-A-Wish Panama.The firm has fulfilled over 100 wishes for children undergoing medical treatments in Panama since 2020.

DiPietropolo and his wife Andreia reside in Mendham, N.J., and Panama City, Panama. When not leading clients through transformative talent journeys, you'll find DiPietropolo either on the floor of Prudential Center cheering on the Pirates at men’s basketball games, or with Andreia at the couple’s 800-acre cattle farm in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Here, sporting a cowboy hat and riding the farm's oldest horse, he oversees a herd of 300 Brazilian Nelore cattle, demonstrating his commitment to fully embracing both his professional and personal life.