Vassilis Gounaris was born in Platanos, Aigio, Greece, in 1961. He studied Agriculture with focus on Marketing, Sociology and Economics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Vassilis Gounaris is the Managing Director of BASF Hellas S.A., a position he assumed in 2000. Moreover, he is President of the German-Greek Chamber of Industry and Commerce, President of the Association of Hellenic Plastic Industries (AHPI), Vice-President of the Hellenic Association of Chemical Industries (HACI), as well as Vice-President of the Modern Building Alliance Hellas, and Vice-President of the Federation of Industries of Greece (SBE) Board of Directors.

Additionally, from 2009 until 2013 and from 2016 until June 2022, he was President of the Hellenic Association of Chemical Industries (HACI), and from 2005 until 2009 was HACI’s Secretary General. From 2002 until 2012, he was the President of the Hellenic Crop Protection Association (HCPA). Moreover, from 2018 until 2022, he was member of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises’ (SEV) General Council. Also, from 2003 until 2004, he was Board member of the Hellenic Baseball Federation.

He was member of the Association of Chief Executive Officers Board (ACEO) from 2003 until 2006, Deputy Member of the ACEO board, co-chairing its CSR Committee (2015-2017) and President of the Organization Committee of the 15th International ACEO Conference “Facing the chaos” (2004).