Donor of the Decade: Ferit Şahenk ’83 Even as a high school student, Ferit F. Şahenk ’83 had big plans. Among the accolades listed in his recommendation letter by his college counselor, Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, was this: Ferit also has clear and conscientious goals in mind. He wishes to pursue an education in the United States that will eventually lead him to an M.B.A. With this background, he hopes to return to Turkey, his native land, to help guide that country towards economic health. I find such foresight laudable. Foresight and, indeed, foreshadowing. After graduating from TASIS in 1983 Ferit went on to earn his degree in Marketing and Human Resources from Boston College. He also is a graduate of the “Owner/President” Management Program at Harvard Business School. Ferit’s American educational repertoire has been instrumental in his business style and attitude, which echoes both American capitalism and a fierce respect and loyalty to the traditions of his native Turkey. It seems Ferit knew his destiny even as a teenager. In 1983, Mark Aeschliman wrote, “His character is perhaps exemplified by his fine photographs – the products of steady and decisive vision.” Vision not limited to the arts, but exemplified in all areas of Ferit’s remarkable life. His current role is Chairman of Doğuş Group, one of the largest private-sector conglomerates in Turkey. The company’s 18,000 employees and more than five million customers are still growing, much due to Ferit’s leadership, which places customer satisfaction and trust alongside a willingness to adapt to the changes and needs of today’s consumer. Ferit’s father, Ayhan Şahenk, started the foundation of Doğuş Group in 1951. After Ferit graduated from BC in 1989, the elder Şahenk arranged for an apprenticeship for his son at Doğuş Group’s Garanti Bank. Ferit proved himself a worthy employee, and within eight years he had moved to the holding company and began acquiring firms and improving current businesses. Sadly, in April 2001, Ayhan Şahenk passed away after a heart attack, and his son took over the helm, which gave him the bittersweet opportunity to further his vision.
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Ferit’s many commitments include his work as an Executive Board Member of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) of Turkey. An active member of the Alliance of Civilizations Initiative, he also serves on the Regional Executive Board for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. He has been the subject of Forbes magazine profiles and case study documents at the Harvard Business School. In early 2012, Ferit took part in a special panel discussion, The Global Business Context, at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Arguably one of Turkey’s most successful businessmen, Ferit has grown his family company thanks to hard work and an emphasis on positive relationships with colleagues, clients, and customers. He is married to a most lovely woman he met at Boston College and their daughter attended the TASIS Middle School Program in the summer of 2011. He supports the Fenerbahçe SK soccer team and has helped fund independent film projects. He is a staunch supporter of the arts, most recently demonstrated by his considerable generosity in supporting the new TASIS Arts Center, which will bear his name. Business leaders often cite creativity as fundamental to success, and Ferit’s youthful interest in photography has played a role in his professional life too. Horst Dürrschmidt, Ferit’s photography teacher, wrote that his pupil “has demonstrated exceptional talent, creativity, initiative, and seriousness of purpose. He is diligent and capable. I have been very impressed with his maturity and his sensitivity to human behavior.” Ferit won the TASIS Photography Award in 1983, and the citation stated, “This young man has shown enthusiasm, diligence, and talent…he has produced photographs of high artistic merit, infused with human concern.” These qualities, present in a teenage Ferit, can be traced throughout his professional life.
We laud all who find worth in the creative arts, those who have found inspiration in invention, refinement, and beauty. Ferit’s extraordinarily generous gift to TASIS will ensure that the transformational power of the arts will be shared with students for generations to come.