Keith Gilchrist

Keith Gilchrist is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Chesapeake Corporation.
He was elected to the board of directors in April 2002.
Prior to being named to his current position in September 2001, Mr. Gilchrist served as Chesapeake’s executive vice president-European specialty packaging since 1999.
From 1993 to 1999 he was chief executive of Field Group plc, a European specialty packaging company acquired by Chesapeake in March 1999.
After joining Field Packaging at its Bradford, England plant in 1981, Mr. Gilchrist was appointed general manager of Field Packaging-Bradford two years later.
In 1986, he was promoted to chief executive for Field Packaging.
In that role, he led Field through a period of significant growth leading up to the company’s initial stock offering on the London Stock Exchange in 1993.
Following Chesapeake’s acquisition of Field, Mr. Gilchrist was instrumental in the expansion of Chesapeake’s Paperboard Packaging segment from 17 facilities to 40 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany and the United States.
He is a former chairman of the British Carton Association and the UK Paper Industry Materials Organisation.
A native of Liverpool, England, Mr. Gilchrist received his bachelor of science degree in textile chemistry from Leeds University.