Adolfo Vannucci was born in Ancona in 1941. He graduated in Economics and began his career at Esso in the mid-sixties. In 1973 he was appointed Sales Director of Montedison. After 1975 he founded and managed several companies in the oil sector. From 1993 to 2008 he was a member of the Board of Directors of Unione Petrolifera. Today he is the Chairman of S1-Società Internazionale S.p.A.
In 1986 he introduced the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation in Europe, and was appointed as trustee. In 2011/2012 he was the President of Teatro La Fenice in Venice. In 2014 he chaired the Santa Cecilia College of Music in Rome.