Ian Gibbs was elected Chairman of the International Tea Committee (ITC) in May 2016. On leaving school Ian served fourteen years with the British Army, which included tours in Belize and Berlin, and short spells in Australia and Kenya. He joined tea brokers Wilson Smithett in the City of London in 1990 and worked with them until 2005 when he set up his own company. Ian joined the management board of the ITC in 2009 representing Malawi, and became Vice Chairman in 2010. Since becoming Chairman he has travelled extensively including to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Argentina, Italy and several visits to China and North America. In 2017 Ian graduated with a BA (Hons) at the Open University in the UK majoring in French and International Relations.