Selçuk Esenyel Speaks on Courage and Responsibility on the TEDx Stage

On 6 November 2026 Selçuk Esenyel, Founding and Managing Partner of Esenyel Partners, spoke at the TEDxIstanbul University event held at the Çemberlitaş Youth Centre in Istanbul. Deniz Haber reported on this address delivered at the ‘Prism’-themed event to its readers.

The Starting Point of the Speech: The Paksoy-1 Hostage Incident

Esenyel built his speech around the hostage incident in 2019 in which he acted as a negotiator. The Turkish-flagged vessel Paksoy-1, sailing from Cameroon to Ivory Coast, was attacked by pirates off the coast of Nigeria on 13 July 2019, and 10 of the 18 crew members were abducted. Following the negotiations conducted, the seafarers were released on 9 August.

Highlights from the Speech

Esenyel explained that he initially learned of the attack from the press. When families waiting for news at the shipowner’s office requested help, he viewed the incident as a responsibility extending beyond ordinary legal work. Although he had professional experience in Africa, he had never conducted a hostage negotiation before. Nevertheless, he decided to travel to Nigeria.

At the heart of the speech was the definition of courage. Esenyel regarded making decisions while being aware of danger as courage, and described fear as a warning that prompts one to weigh the consequences:

Courage is never fearlessness.

He also recounted entering the jungle when the crew was relocated after talks broke down, openly acknowledging today that he considers this decision to have been excessively risky for his family. He shared details of a 3-day communication blackout, a small-scale attack that occurred during this period and the moment he ceased allowing the pirates to dictate the time of the next meeting. Esenyel noted that this was the point at which he began to gain control of the negotiation.

At the end of his speech, he asked the audience what they use power for: is the goal in a dispute to resolve the problem, or to defeat the opposing party? He then invited everyone to reflect on the ‘pirates’ they encounter in their professional, family and personal lives, and to examine their own perspectives before attempting to change others.

Details regarding Selçuk Esenyel’s TEDx speech can be accessed via the report published in Deniz Haber.