Chris was born in Manchester in 1949 & has lived in the West Midlands almost all of his life. Leaving school at 15 to become an apprentice panel beater, he then moved into truck sales. By 25 he had formed West Midland Trucks Limited, selling used trucks &, later, also renting trucks & trailers.

Chris has been married to Sonia since 1972 & they have two adult children, Nicola & Christopher. Chris's interests include driving, shooting & flying helicopters. He is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists & holds several licences including HGV & motorcycle

Chris lobbies hard for the commercial vehicle/road transport industry primarily regarding, but not limited to, truck theft. Chris has been a member of the Joint Action Group On Lorry Theft (JAGOLT), run by the Metropolitan Police, & became a focal point for operators who suffer vehicle theft. As a result, Chris took the plight of operators directly to the Rt. Hon. David Blunkett MP, the then Home Secretary, who responded with a special police operation for a limited time. Chris was also a member of the national truck council of the Retail Motor Industry Federation & a founder member of the West Midlands Business Transport Group, a group established to speak with one voice to Government & local authorities on roads issues. This group, made up of the seven local Chambers of Commerce, the CBI, IoD, West Midlands Business Council & several major employers in the region such as Jaguar & Land Rover, lobbies hard for major improvements in the West Midlands' road infrastructure. Chris is a past member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) & has represented Keltruck within the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). He was a member of the Conservative Party's Midlands Regional Finance Board, the West Midlands Council of Business for Sterling (part of the no campaign against the euro) & the Business Council of Vote No (part of the no campaign against the European Constitution).

Chris is currently a member of:

• The World Presidents' Organisation

• The Midlands Industrial Council (founded 1946), where he is a Vice-Chairman

• The Business Council of the TaxPayers' Alliance

• The list of business supporters of Open Europe, iwantareferendum.com & Global Vision

• The Institute for Family Business

• Conservative Party Black Country Team 2000, where he was founder-Chairman

• Conservative Way Forward, where he is an Associate Member

• Dudley South Conservative Association where his son, Chris, is the Member of Parliament for Dudley South

• The steering group of the Drivers' Alliance

Following the collapse of communism &, with western aid agencies slow to respond to the humanitarian crisis created by the ensuing civil wars in eastern Europe & the Balkans, Chris organised & led lorry aid convoys to Romania & the former Yugoslavia in the early & mid-1990s, sleeping in the cab for several weeks in freezing conditions.

Chris is Chairman & a Trustee of the Ellie Bishop Trust (please visit the Trust's website for details of how to donate).