Leadership at Global Chamber®

Here's the leadership team that drives our mission of making cross regional business as easy as doing business across the street. Our core team sets the vision, guides strategy and leads operations for our worldwide network of 605+ chapters, supported by a Global Council of Ambassadors.

Global Chamber® is a connected, inclusive, trusted global community of over 50,000 leaders around the world, in every country. We are positive, professional and growth-oriented in support of progress and prosperity with exporting, importing and cross-border investment. 

 
Doug Bruhnke. Doug is founder and CEO of Global Chamber®. He's a global entrepreneur, connector, trade advocate, speaker and author dedicated to growing Global Chamber® and helping members reach new markets and gain new clients across metros and borders more successfully. He has 40+ years of global trade experience in nearly every market segment including automotive, aerospace, industrial, healthcare, life sciences and technology. Doug held technology and business roles with the DuPont Company, where he had expatriate assignments in Tokyo and Singapore.

Doug also held senior executive roles with Phelps Dodge Mining (Freeport McMoRan) and at QuestOne/ProModel. He led major consulting projects at DuPont, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Phelps Dodge and Salt Lake 2002.

Doug's community roles include 10+ years on the Arizona District Export Council and serving with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He's a German-Polish American with 5 U.S. patents. His education includes a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah and an EMBA from Michigan State University. He was born in Mount Kisco, New York, and he has a Greek-American wife of 43+ years, an amazing daughter who is a nurse practitioner, and a superstar grandson. Connect with Doug here.

César Trabanco. César Trabanco is Senior Vice President and Managing Partner at Global Chamber®, where he has been instrumental for nearly a decade in expanding the organization’s reach and impact worldwide. With a career spanning international trade, services, and global business development, Cesar brings over a decade of expertise in administration, operations, customer relationship management, project management, and leadership. His work consistently bridges multilingual and multicultural environments, fostering collaboration across diverse industries and regions.

César began his professional journey with the International Trade Centre (ITC), gaining a strong foundation in global commerce. He later served as a manager at International Assistance Service of the Americas in Mexico, overseeing service management and building strategic relationships with providers across Latin America, while acting as a liaison for clients in Europe and North America. These experiences sharpened his ability to manage complex cross-border projects and client relationships with precision and cultural awareness.

At Global Chamber®, César has played a pivotal role in market development, membership service, and leadership support, working closely with members to generate valuable business connections while guiding Executive Directors across regions to drive local and regional growth. His efforts have extended to Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, contributing to Global Chamber’s vision of building the first truly global business community. Born, raised and currently based in Puerto Rico, César is deeply committed to advancing the island’s role in global business. His focus is on creating opportunities, strengthening international trade links, and promoting economic growth for the region in the years to come.

Jemima Escultura. Jemima (Jem) is Membership Director at Global Chamber®️, where she leads the planning and execution of member-driven initiatives that add value for their membership. 

Jem also handles data management cleanup and optimization, creates visual materials to support marketing, and uses tools to improve systems and processes to add value and grow the membership. Previously she held the role of Events Manager at Global Chamber, and she has played a key role in new system implementation.

With a background in marketing, finance, and real estate—including roles at California Concierge, Robinsons Bank, Taifu Realty, and Cebu Pacific Air—she brings a mix of organization, creativity, and relationship-building to every aspect of her work. Jem believes in LIFE: Leadership, Integrity, Faith, and Excellence... values that guide both her personal and professional journey.

Global Chamber® Headquarters Team

• Doug Bruhnke - founder/CEO
• Cesar Trabanco - SVP and Managing Partner
• Jemima Escultura - Membership Director
• Lowell Opada - Marketing Manager
• Myla Catalan - Events and Engagement Manager
• Aqela Rita Raisi - Chapter Manager
  
• Yvonne Luker - Managing Director

Global Chamber® Executive Director Team

Our chapters are led regionally by Executive Directors, and our 525 chapters are split into 8 regions, with two leaders representing a regional desk for each of those regions. Read more here.

Global Chamber® Global Council

Our Global Council consists of 15 extraordinary global leaders. The group is similarly split into 8 regions, with one to 3 leaders per region. The Global Council is led by global icons Dr. Sanjeev Khagram and Francis Tesmer.

Dr. Sanjeev Khagram. Dr. Khagram is Board Chair at Altos Bank. Besides his key leadership role at the bank, he is Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and co-leader of the Global Chamber® Global Council, an advisory board of global leaders. Dr. Khagram is a world-renowned scholar and practitioner in globalization, sustainable development, leadership, strategic management, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He has been a serial entrepreneur and investor across the private, governmental, and civic sectors.

Dr. Khagram has founded ventures such as Innovations for Scaling Impact, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, and the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre prior to Altos Bank. He has spent the other half of his career in premier higher education institutions including Stanford, Harvard, and most recently as Director-General and Dean of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

Dr. Khagram is currently a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University's Technology Venture Program, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Center for Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness, and Hoover Institution. He is also an Executive-In-Residence at the Plug and Play Technology Center. He completed all his degrees (undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate) from Stanford University. He was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2008 among many other awards and honors.

Francis Tesmer. Francis is an economic senator of the German Senate of Economy, a global entrepreneur, and a philanthropist with over 25 years of leadership in international business, education, and social impact.

Her career began in her family’s oil, shipping, and logistics companies, where she was often the only woman in leadership—fueling her lifelong commitment to women’s empowerment. As President of the United Nations World Trade Point Federation (WTPF) in Hamburg, Tesmer has helped companies expand globally through strategic partnerships.

Driven by her passion for education and economic equity, Tesmer has launched the first-ever Associate and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees focused on beauty, wellness, and innovation—transforming opportunities for the 8-million-strong beauty industry workforce, 90% of whom are women.

In collaboration with L’Oréal and leading universities, her programs are creating global pathways for women’s leadership, economic mobility, and self-empowerment. Tesmer believes the beauty industry must go beyond aesthetics to uplift inner confidence and create lasting social impact.

She actively supports international development through partnerships with Global Ties U.S., U.S. sister cities, and numerous global charities, working to solve pressing economic, environmental, and social challenges through education, collaboration, and innovation.

View more about our Global Council here.

Meet Our Executive Directors Around the World

Join Our Global Leadership Community

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