Rich Kolpasky

A founding Managing Director of Stanton Chase’s Metro Detroit office, Rich Kolpasky is an accomplished retained search professional who has completed numerous assignments for senior general management roles including CEOs, COOs, and Divisional Presidents, as well as functional leadership roles including CFOs and Vice Presidents of Operations, Engineering, Human Resources and Quality.  Rich works closely with his clients in the automotive, commercial vehicle, defense, and general industrial segments, and he has successfully completed assignments with both large and middle market publicly-traded companies as well as private equity portfolio companies.  Rich has supported his clients regionally as well as in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Prior to his career in executive search, Rich held the role of President at two premier Tier I automotive suppliers: TI Automotive and Faurecia SA.  Rich held multiple prior roles with full P&L responsibility with sales in excess of $1.2 billion with operations around the globe.  Prior to his roles in general management, Rich held senior functional roles in engineering, manufacturing, program management and business unit management.  Prior to entering the automotive sector, Rich worked in management consulting with Booz-Allen & Hamilton where he supported defense clients including DoD entities and large contractors.  Rich started his career as a commissioned officer in the United States Army as a field artillery officer.

Rich utilizes his hands-on experience in manufacturing and operations to help his clients recruit best-in-class leaders from all functional areas.   Rich invests significant time in understanding his clients’ business model and culture to enable him to recruit leaders who make an immediate and significant positive impact on the business.  Rich acts as an ambassador and trusted advisor to his clients, and he handles all potential candidates with honesty, integrity and high levels of trust and professionalism.

A Detroit native, Rich earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and his MBA from Michigan State University.  Rich is involved in several local charitable organizations and formerly coached little league football.