There are business receptions, and then there are evenings that actually move ideas forward. On October 1, 2026, the TÜSİAD New York Network put on the second kind: a private reception at The Union League Club in New York that brought senior leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and friends of the Network together for a polished evening built around science, leadership, and the future of Türkiye’s global innovation ties.
Set in the Main Lounge of one of New York’s most established private clubs, at 38 East 37th Street, the evening opened with a networking cocktail reception at 6:30 PM in business attire — refined, professional, and serious in purpose, but warm in the way that has become a hallmark of the Network’s community. At 8:00 PM the formal program began with introductory remarks by C. Müjdat Altay, Chairman of the TÜSİAD New York Network.
The centerpiece was a fireside conversation titled “From Lab to Market: Turning Breakthrough Science into Real-world Impact,” featuring Prof. Canan Dağdeviren of MIT. An Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab, where she leads the Conformable Decoders research group, Dağdeviren develops mechanically adaptive, body-integrated technologies that turn physical patterns from the human body and the natural world into signals, therapeutic action, and usable energy. She also leads the Media Lab’s Women’s Health Program, WHx. Her path ran through a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Junior Fellowship at the Harvard Society of Fellows, and postdoctoral research at the MIT David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
Moderating was Ümran Beba, Partner at August Leadership. Her nearly 35 years in consumer products include 25 at PepsiCo, where she became President of the Asia Pacific Region, overseeing 25 countries, and served as Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Diversity Officer. Co-author of “Leaders with Purpose” with Arzu Cekirge Paksoy and recognized by Fortune and Forbes, she co-founded the Beba Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation, serves as Vice Chair of the International Youth Foundation, advises Mercy University Business School, sits on the board of BIS Integrated Solutions in Türkiye, and since July 1, 2026 has joined the board of TRUBAR, a North American company recently acquired by ETİ.
Altay’s own background sits squarely in the technology story Türkiye has built over decades. The former CEO of NETAŞ, an R and D and technology company known for integrated communication solutions and digital transformation across regions from North Africa to Central Asia, he now holds board roles at Aydem Energy and ATP, an enterprise IT solutions provider. His education: a BA and an honorary doctorate from Istanbul Technical University, and a master’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Boğaziçi University.
Through the night, the Network’s mission stayed visible: building bridges between Türkiye and the United States, connecting TÜSİAD members in Türkiye with professionals across New York City and the broader eastern United States, and drawing international counterparts into the exchange. The discussion kept returning to the long road between discovery and adoption — the capital, institutional support, manufacturing pathways, regulation, talent, timing, and public trust it takes to move a breakthrough out of the lab and into people’s lives.
By the close, the reception had delivered more than a polished program. It connected accomplished people across sectors, elevated a globally respected scientist, and framed innovation as a journey that takes leadership, collaboration, and resolve. The evening came together thanks to top scientist David Gabriel Schauer, whose connection made it possible — and it carried the night with warmth, polish, and purpose.
Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.
