Laine Siklos Powerhouse In Politics & Philanthropy
By Bennett Marcus
Embassy Row Global
Laine Siklos is not a philanthropist, she is a philanthropic advisor, and is quick to make the distinction. This is because her value is not in the figures she personally donates, but in the strategic largess of everyone she advises, some of who are in the highest circles of business, entertainment, media, and technology. Through her consultancy, Embassy Row Global, where she is Founder and Chief Ambassador, she and her team of Attachés work with clients on all ends of career spectrum. For example, retiring senior executives who wish to remain active on boards or in create a foundation. She guides them to zero in on what they’d like to accomplish, making them consider items such as involving their children in their future endeavors. She also aids younger entrepreneurs who are looking to enhance opportunities for their businesses. She has encountered Silicon Valley owners who think the best way to get a patent approved is starting with attending Presidential or VP fundraisers. “No, politics is a long play,” Siklos explains. “You have to think about it over the next five, ten, twenty years.”
Clients value her connections.
To maintain her relevance, Siklos has a wide range of knowledge in current events, even in areas she doesn’t personally resonate with her. “I need to be 360-degree conversational. I am only as good as my ability to come up with ideas and introduce people and create projects,” she says. Some of her past projects include sponsorships and partnerships with Cannes Lions, Council on Foreign Relations, Fast Company Innovation Summit, Lincoln Center, Royal Academy of Art, Tribeca Film Festival, and Vanity Fair. “It’s about staying similarly advantageous, being able to say, ‘Actually, I attended a small lunch with First Lady Jill Biden last week; I spoke with Gillibrand’s team yesterday; I was at United Nations General Assembly related-events with Meera Gandhi, Cherie Blair’s and Mayor Eric Adams.”
Philanthropic activities
She also supports charitable causes of her choice and has served on committees for the Central Park Conservancy, LACMA and MOMA. She has co-chaired galas for the American Ballet Theater and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and is a member of the American Advocates of the UK National Theater. She even helped co-create the junior committees for Lighthouse Guild and the Paley Center for Media. “I will never have the clout or funds of my clients, and prefer to do my work behind the red-carpet,” she laughs.
Siklos has traveled to Israel, Jordan, and Syrian border on a mission trip to UNICEF’s Za’atari Refugee Camp with the organization’s Board. She escorted, via Blackhawk helicopters, a group of film executives to the Mojave Desert for a full-day session at Ft. Irwin – the world’s largest combat training facility – to more accurately depict war-zone reporting.
Extraordinary Life – Female Zelig
Siklos’ remarkable path in life brought her to this career, and her resume is quite long. She started as a US Senate page in high school and then became a White House intern and campaign staffer. She held a multitude of other jobs in D.C., including being elected as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.
While on this trajectory as a female Zelig, Siklos has flown on Air Force One, went by helicopter to Camp David, attended the Hong Kong handover to China in 1997, and drove an ailing Russian Foreign Minister home when she was just in her early 20s. She has helped a majority of the past presidential inaugurations and transitions. As an executive in strategy and communication, Siklos predominately worked internationally, for Hearst Magazines, TIME and Warner Bros., earning an MBA at NYU along the way. These experiences culminated when she became Chief of Staff at advisory firm LionTree, where she was a member of the management committee. She later became a consultant for Sotheby’s.
Family Matters
Her own children seem to be keen in joining her in these endeavors. Her fifteen-year-old daughter Anabelle serves as a junior ambassador to the National PAC MOM’s, while also popping into NYC for opening night of the NY Philharmonic and The Quest 400 party. Her seventeen-year-old son Henry has briefly interviewed President Biden and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg when they were on the campaign trial and found the golden egg at the White House Easter Roll during his childhood. They were both introduced to New York Society via horse drawn carriage at Viennese Opera Ball.
