Tag: Leadership

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: TÜSİAD New York Network Hosts a Landmark MIT Evening

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.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: New York’s Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado: A Leader Who Genuinely Cares

Some public officials impress you with their résumé. New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado impresses with something rarer: he clearly cares.

Meeting him recently, what struck me most was the authenticity behind the credentials. Yes, he’s a superb lieutenant governor and a smart lawyer. He’s a devoted father, an athlete, and — in a detail that surprises many — he brings a successful background in the entertainment industry to public life. But none of that matters as much as the impression he leaves in person: here is someone genuinely devoted to the people of New York.

He brings credible dedication, professionalism, and compassion to public service in equal measure. In an era when voters are hungry for leaders who listen, Delgado’s combination of accomplishment and approachability stands out.

He is an outstanding ambassador for New York — for how well this great state is managed, and for the opportunities it offers to everyone who comes here. “Welcome to New York” isn’t just a slogan in his hands. It’s a promise, and he means it.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: What His Parents Taught Him About Public Speaking — ‘Teach Your Kids’

Ask Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe where his ease on a stage comes from, and he doesn’t point to a coach or a masterclass. He points home — to his parents, H.H. Dr.h.c. Prince Waldemar and H.H. Dr. Princess Antonia of Schaumburg-Lippe, and to a childhood where articulate expression was simply how the family operated.

“Teach your kids,” he urges other parents. It’s advice drawn from lived experience: the television host, event emcee, author with Bertelsmann Random House, and philanthropist traces his public confidence directly to early, consistent parental guidance.

Confidence is built, not born

Polished speaking looks effortless from the audience. It never is. The prince’s account aligns with what communication researchers have long found: confidence comes from repetition, encouragement, and example — ideally starting young.

In his case, the examples were constant. Diplomatic cadence at the dinner table. Structured dialogue as a matter of course. Gatherings where addressing others — clearly, respectfully, with presence — was normalized early enough that it never had a chance to feel frightening.

Parents who converse meaningfully with their children, invite opinions, and offer constructive feedback are running a quiet training program. The prince’s parents ran an especially thorough one.

Two complementary models

The influences divided naturally. Princess Antonia’s guidance emphasized empathy, clarity, and connection — the qualities that make authority approachable. Prince Waldemar modeled structured leadership and public engagement — the architecture that gives warmth its frame. Together, they produced the balance visible in their son’s professional demeanor: strength without coldness, polish without distance.

The lineage adds its own context. As part of the Royal Danish Nachod line of the Princes of Schaumburg-Lippe, with ties to the founding families of Hamburg, Lübeck, and Kiel, public visibility was never optional — communication was understood as a duty, not a talent.

Why it matters beyond royalty

The royal setting is specific; the principle is universal. Technology keeps changing the platforms — stages, screens, feeds — but the core skills still originate in early experience: being heard, being taken seriously, being taught that your voice merits clarity.

Exposure builds familiarity, and familiarity dissolves hesitation. Every childhood presentation, every encouraged opinion, every dinner-table debate is a deposit. The prince’s career — hosting, writing, advocacy — is what those deposits compound into.

His message to parents is therefore refreshingly direct: don’t wait for the school play or the debate team. The first and best speaking coach a child will ever have is already at home.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.