Of Children, Worlds, Cultures, Bridge Builders, and Joy

Download: Interview with Ali Taşbaşı

What do you see as the opportunities and challenges as the new chairman?

Dealing with societal and cultural issues is not new to me. Nevertheless, this intensity presents a new and welcome challenge. It is particularly important to me to refocus the foundation’s work on its core goals, namely helping children in social, physical, or emotional distress and enabling educational justice through equal opportunities. This includes revising the portfolio of aid projects and sharpening it towards these goals. At the same time, I see how the recognition of Sir Peter Ustinov is decreasing over time, and with it, that of his foundation. True to the motto “Do good and talk about it,” I aim to actively enhance the external impact of the Peter Ustinov Foundation and make it visible to a younger public, which will benefit the many children in our aid projects. About 4,200 children at seven public schools in Germany are aware of Sir Peter Ustinov’s humanitarian commitment, as their schools are named after him. Naturally, we need to increase public interest, especially since social media plays a central role, as does digitization as part of the large educational mandate that the Peter Ustinov Foundation follows.

Coming from the world of corporate consulting and investment banking, do you find the worlds of the financial sector and charity to be contradictory?

I am greatly honored by the chairmanship, especially since I was asked by Sir Peter Ustinov’s son, the foundation council chairman Igor Ustinov, to strengthen the board. Nevertheless, I accepted the offer only after a period of consideration, aware of the great responsibility as chairman. I am also a partner and managing director of Roots Advisory GmbH, a corporate finance advisory firm, especially for family-owned businesses. The work in the financial sector contrasts with that of the foundation: it is performance-driven and moves at a faster pace. In the foundation, we follow a different rhythm. This contrast holds great synergistic potential. Education and further training are important themes in all aid projects of the foundation. The team itself is also very open to discovering new things and developing further. Additionally, I hope to advance the foundation through my own network.

How would you describe the personality of the founder, Sir Peter Ustinov?

Despite his prominence, he was a down-to-earth and reflective person. He never lost touch with reality or the childlike joy of life. Being open to facts and perceiving them is the basis for finding concrete solutions for social inequality and injustice. This made Sir Peter Ustinov a unique personality and gives him a human depth even in memory. It is the reason for his commitment to children. The children embody the future. How important this still is today was well recognized by Sir Peter Ustinov, a thought unfortunately increasingly missing in German culture today. Particularly relevant is also his fight against prejudices and stereotypes. Education helps to find a common language to engage in dialogue. Democracy was not just an abstract concept for him; he actively worked for peaceful coexistence worldwide. Even before founding our foundation, he was active in the UN and later in the UN-affiliated children’s aid organization UNICEF.

You studied political science at the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University in Frankfurt. How do you see the role of the Peter Ustinov Foundation in today’s political and social situation?

My main areas of study were international relations and economics. I consider the values of our namesake and his son Igor Ustinov, our foundation council chairman, to be timeless, and their assessment of the need for action is sharp, precise, and forward-looking. The values of democracy, peace, justice, tolerance, and respect are both political and social pillars of peaceful coexistence, which I also advocate. Therefore, it is very important for the foundation to actively position itself and take a stand. In light of current events, we must represent our position much more intensively and visibly than in the past!

Where do you see the position of the foundation in Frankfurt, but also within the foundation landscape in Germany?

The city of Frankfurt has the highest density of foundations nationwide. Our prominent namesake makes us unique, but it is also a commitment to the humanitarian values he represented. This is also reflected in the aid projects we support. We are not a large foundation, but we operate globally. My goal is to continue on this path but to strengthen the project activities and also the project portfolio of the foundation. Incidentally, we are very proud that the Mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann, personally congratulated us on the 100th birthday of Sir Peter Ustinov.

Prejudice and discrimination are targets of the Peter Ustinov Foundation. Which prejudice bothers you the most?

Sir Peter Ustinov is often described as a “bridge-builder.” I still see this as a task for the Ustinov Foundation, showing the various generations, cultures, and nationalities ways to each other. As a foundation in the Rhine-Main area, we are committed to cultural diversity and the spirit of tolerance. I see it as a mission to make society much more aware of this issue. Over 40 percent of the Frankfurt population today have a migration background, up to the fourth generation. The most common country of origin is Turkey, from which my family also originates. Living and working in this international city makes me proud. It has its pros and cons. Alongside discrimination, I also see success stories that deserve attention and recognition. Enhancing integration, equal opportunities, and mutual respect locally would certainly also have been in the spirit of the founder Sir Peter Ustinov.

Equal opportunities and access to education for all children worldwide are goals of the Peter Ustinov Foundation. How do you assess the current education situation?

In Germany, the coronavirus situation has intensified the already existing education competition. Therefore, the objective of equal opportunities is more relevant than ever. Germany is actually a wealthy country, even by European standards, the economic locomotive, but in the past, it invested too little in education. The response is always to deficiencies, for example in digitalization and digital learning. There are very few initiatives in this area. Changing this and drawing attention to it is one of the central challenges of the foundation. Creating educational justice worldwide should not only be the task of charitable organizations but is a comprehensive political task. Here we hope to continue to raise awareness.

Which country, where the foundation’s aid projects are located, would you most like to travel to?

We recently received a large traditional congratulatory painting on canvas, similar to a large Thangka, from Bhutan on the occasion of the 100th birthday of our founder Sir Peter Ustinov. I want to travel to this country, which has a “gross national happiness,” as soon as possible and visit our support project there. One of many unparalleled projects that our foundation has supported for a long time.