Chris W. J. Gaunt

Christopher W. J. Gaunt OBE is 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.

As 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 has overfive decades of experience in building cross-border relationshipsand collaborations, especially in Central Asia, the Middle East, 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.

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.

Chris was awardedthe Order of the British Empire (OBE)in the 2019 H.M. the Queens 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.