Chris W. J. Gaunt, Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey

Today's guest is Christopher W. J. Gaunt OBE is the Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey and an accomplished business executive with invaluable international experience across several key business sectors. Spending a major share of the first few decades of his career in the beverage industry, Chris has held many top-level executive positions at international brands including Coca Cola, Wine and Spirit Division of the Whitbread Brewery Group, HP Bulmer and Allied Domecq, and Carlsberg International.

Chirs W. J. Gaunt Biography

Chris has over five decades of experience in building cross-border relationships and collaborations, especially in Central Asia, Africa, and the EU. In his present capacity as the Executive Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce Turkey, Chris is responsible for representing over 800,000 Turkish businesses and Chambers in the UK.

The British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey (BCCT) is the world's second-oldest British Chamber established abroad, and it offers a range of business services to promote networking and B2B matchmaking in the Turkish market. The chamber represents business people and companies of all sizes and from a broad spectrum of sectors, including major multinationals as well as a substantial number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Turkey, the UK, and the surrounding region.

Since his joining at BCCT in 2014, Chris has led the chamber to serve more than 700+ UK clients, has delivered hundreds of market-related services, and has contributed to export wins totaling more than GBP 75 million. The chamber offers market information, market access, event management, and many other services in cooperation with its extensive business network and through its partnership with 14 local chambers of commerce in the most dynamic cities of Turkey.

In addition to his work with the BCCT, Chris was instrumental in the major restructuring project for a newly privatised group of FMCG companies during his time at Coopers and Lybrand in Croatia.

Prior to that, Chris was one of the faces that represented Coca Cola, he travelled across many countries and cultures, including Moscow, regions of Africa, and the then unknown areas of Central Asia, like Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and other countries that broke up from the Soviet Union.

Chris was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 H.M. the Queen's New Year Honors list for services to Trade and British Commercial Interests. He is also associated with the boards of many international names including Global Thinkers Forum, Suzer Group Turkey, MLA College, and Young Guru Academy, to name a few.

Read Chris W. J. Gaunt's full biography on https://openbusinesscouncil.org/wiki/chris-w-j-gaunt

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