About me
Strategist • Consultant • Speaker
Christian Gessl

I currently lead consulting projects, develop strategies, and support economic empowerment initiatives in regions ranging from Central Asia and Eastern Europe to Latin America and Northern Africa. My work focuses on promoting inclusive growth, supporting MSMEs, and fostering sustainable development through public-private dialogue, export promotion, and organizational development.
I am Austrian by birth and have spent my professional life bridging cultures and economies across the globe. I was born in Austria and studied Business Administration at the University of Innsbruck, specializing in Marketing, Trade, and Human Resources Management. My journey into international development began with the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, where I honed my expertise in export promotion, value chain development, and consulting for businesses aiming to enter new markets.
Began sharing my expertise early on, training professionals in export promotion, MSME support, and public-private dialogue. I have delivered training and workshops for business associations, civil society organizations, and government institutions, helping them build sustainable and impactful initiatives.
I believe that development work has a profound social function. It can reinforce inequalities and exclusion, or it can empower, uplift, and create opportunities. My mission is to ensure my work aligns with the latter—to support communities in taking their rightful place in the economy and society, contributing to a world that values fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.

Languages I speak
- 🇩🇪 German (Fluent)
- 🇬🇧 English (Fluent)
- 🇫🇷 French (Fluent)
- 🇷🇺 Russian (Fluent)
- 🇪🇸 Spanish (Fluent)
- 🇸🇦 Arabic (Beginner)
- 🇺🇦 Ukrainian (Beginner)
Fields of Expertise:
- Strategic Consulting
- Economic Development
- Organizational Capacity Building
Career Timeline
President, Managing Director
UNIPRAX ,Nova Computer & Management and BFI (Berufsföderungs institut). Start and Management of an IT Trainings centre in Innsbruck, Trainer on IT, bookkeeping and economics, Consultant.
Trade Commissioner & Regional Director
Roughly 25 years fulltime in AFEC posted in different countries! Export promotion, private sector development, Trade Facilitation; SME capacity development.
Consultant, Trainer
East-Invest 1– funded by the EU.
Training ToT in Marketing (Export Marketing) and Human Resources
Management in the 6 EaP countries.
Training:
a) Train the trainer.
b) Train companies on following topics: - Management skills - Marketing
strategies.
Consultant, Trainer
Consulting and Coaching to introduce BSC (Balanced Score Card) as a
strategic management tool in CADEX.
Consultant
Program (Twinning Project) to improve the performance of the Algerian Trade Promotion Organization and to enhance the dialogue with the government to improve the framework for exporters (PPD).
Key expert on Policy, Project/Component Leader
East-Invest 2 – funded by the EU.
Training for Managers of Business Associations in Marketing, Lobbying, Negotiation skills, Team Leader, Development of Business Associations;
Formulation of Policy Papers;
Export and Value chains in agri-food sector.
Building a training programm on PPD, Advocacy and Lobbying related skills, drafting of a national action plan for PPD, forming reform coalitions, building CEE BC and PPD Network as platforms for SME Policy.
Project Leader
Selection, Training and Certification of Business Consultants in Moldova and the Transnistrien region. Preparation and mentoring for the Certification as CMC (Certified Management Consultant) by ICMCI.
Expert, Trainer
MEDA – funded by the EU and GIZ
Training for the employees of Business Associations; Organisation of a
Business Tour to Austria for representatives of Business Associations
for Knowledge Transfer; Design of a training program as a prod
uct/service to members of Business Associations.
Business Membership Organisations support, needs assessment,
Training, Coaching on improvement of their services and advocacy
skills.
Advisor to the Governor
Project Investment Promotion, Economic Policy in Moldova (funded by BMZ, Germany). Formulation of SME Policies; Training and coaching the staff of the local Government and Business Associations in skills related to SME Policies, Investment Promotion, Economic and Social Policy, Trade and Value-Chain-integration, Financial Management. Coaching regional companies in different spheres to reorganise, find financing and get better access to markets.
Regional Government of Gagauzia, Assistance to companies with the
regional development concept: 1) Vitapharm (Pharmaceutical Company) – Financing and access to markets (export) 2) Marigold (Cosmetics Industry) – Financing and access to markets (export) 3) Sana (Dairy Production) – Packaging and Marketing.|
Reform of the regional administration, economic policy, Promotion of
FDI, Export Promotion Sectoral development program for Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Industry to improve the marketability of products and export potential. Sectoral program to improve the agriculture and food processing sectors. Food processing, certification and export. Sectoral program to develop the ITC business in Gagauzia.
Expert
Assessment of capacity building needs of the CCI of Uzbekistan, As
sessment of the CCI Uzebkistan (Membership, Service Portfolio, Finan
cial Sustainability, Organisational structure, and regional outreach).
Expert
Public Private Dialogue and SME Policy Formulation in Georgia. Con sulting on SME Policies to support EU accession.
Team Leader
The project aimed to identify and support high-potential business associations in Ukraine by providing training, coaching, and small action grants. Despite thousands of registered associations, only a fraction is active. The initiative focused on compiling a comprehensive list of active associations, refining it to the top 40 (10 per region across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Ukraine), and organizing them into four regional hubs for targeted growth support.
My tasks besides managing the team an leading the process included:
(a) compiling a full list of existing associations, (b) establishing criteria to assess each organization’s potential, (c) preparing questionnaires and conducting surveys, (d) interviewing associations meeting minimum criteria, and (e) finalizing a list of selected beneficiaries. The second and third stages involved developing training content tailored to needs identified in the survey and creating criteria for the action grants application process.
Trainer
PPD, Capacity Building for the Mongolian CCI.
Team Leader
Project Boost – Businesses and Organisations in Uzbekistan and Kyr
gyzstan operate sustainably – funded by the EU.
Access2Markets (Export Consultancy, Training, Export Promotion),
Formulation of SME Policies; Development of Policy (Position) Papers
for Business Associations (SME) in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Train
ing and Coaching for Managers of Business Associations.
Certification (Bio/Organic/ISO) for agri-food sectors in Uzbekistan and
Kyrgyzstan.
Entrepreneurship training in Agri-Food and Textile sectors.
Public Private Dialogue: Formulation of SME Policies and drafting Policy (Position) Papers; Training and Consulting on Entrepreneurship
(Start-ups, Young entrepreneurs; entrepreneurial skills), Access to Fi
nance; Financial Management, Export and Energy Efficiency; Train of
Trainers Program; VET to improve job perspectives for young people.
Expert
Project ELSOFP - Expansion of Local Smallholder Organic Farming and
Forest Products from Central Asia Entrepreneurship Training for companies in the Agri-Food Business, Certification, Export Consultancy.
Training for SMEs and Farmers; Certification (Bio/Organic), Marketing,
Export.
Short Term Expert on PPD and Business Associations
Armenia Business Enabling Environment (ABEE) Activity (Economic Development, Governance and Enterprise Growth Project), Consultancy and Training on Public Private Dialogue.
Short Term Expert on PPD and Consultant/Coach Project Management
a) Design, application process and contracting of the project “Engage
H2O” (Advancing the Green Agenda in Uzbekistan through Public Pri
vate Dialogue). Consulting and Coaching of the project implementation team (including partner change, action planning, budgeting). These are 60 days of consulting/coaching services.
b) Design, preparation and implementation of a Train-of-Trainers pro
gram for 2 national master trainers and 10 local trainers. The tasks
include the installation of PPD-Hubs in 5 regions of Uzbekistan and the coaching of PPD actions (Position/Policy Paper writing; conferences, coaching negotiation processes. These are 50 days of training/consulting/coaching.