For those of you who know him well, you may have noticed that Chris Charters has one ear bigger than the other- but that’s not exactly why we sat down with him! Self-proclaimed as ‘Big Ear’, it comes as no surprise that Chris’ fun-loving, humble and hard-working attitude made him this year’s people’s choice.

Chris was nominated by his peers and was selected to receive the BMMI Group’s prestigious Däl Riata Leadership Excellence Award. The award is inspired by our Scottish roots and it celebrates our journey from a humble shipping business to a dynamic, proud Bahraini organisation.

Claiming that BMMI is streets ahead of many, Chris believes that being in business all comes down to forming great relationships. “If I can say that I have done anything significant, it would most definitely be elevating relationships with our principals. Ultimately, it’s about making sure we are aligned with our mutual goals and strategies,” he said.

Chris has implemented substantial changes. Important investments in technology were made, including introducing handhelds, tracking systems and reporting software. He also focused on making sure the team was on board and that every single person on the team truly believed in the brands represented.

“We can see the progress. There’s no rocket science behind it- simplify it, make it easy. It’s about being open, honest, and communicating better more regularly. I simply strive for principals to choose us because we’re the best. We now do quarterly face to face reviews, and issues are raised as and when they happen. So for me, it’s about truly living the values of BMMI. You should be open, honest and fair with everyone, from the guy who makes the tea, to the CEO. It’s all about integrity, that’s the way I was brought up, you’ve got to be able to walk the talk,” said Chris.

At the end of the day it’s not just about results. Chris says he owes this success to his team’s performance. “It’s very humbling and I have to admit it is so gratifying to be recognised this way. It’s quite exciting actually what I’ll be doing with the award. I’m very big into music - Techno, actually, and I have a small recording studio at home. Thanks to the Däl Riata Award, I now have the opportunity to spend a week in Amsterdam getting lessons from a well-known music producer!”

Congratulations to Chris for this remarkable achievement. For a dose of techno, follow Chris’s SoundCloud account, Big Ear, and make sure to listen to one of our favourite tracks: “Jason’s Got The Disco Lights.”