William B. Dunavant III

Dunavant Enterprises, Inc.
Chairman, CEO, & President

William B. Dunavant, III, is Chairman, Chief Execu􀆟ve Officer and President of Dunavant Enterprises, Inc. a privately owned Memphis, Tennessee based company. Dunavant Enterprises has three opera􀆟onal companies, a Global 4PL Logis􀆟cs company, a real-estate group, and a capital and private equity inves􀆟ng company. Bill is a graduate of University of Virginia, where he earned a bachelor’s in history and economics. Dunavant’s history was deeply steeped in interna􀆟onal coton trading and was for many years the largest raw coton merchant in the world, with annual sales of 5 to 6 million bales, exceeding $ 1.5 billion in annual sales. His career has included extensive travels throughout the world for over 40 years, including, living in Japan and Asia for over two years as well as Europe. He started Dunavant’s Australian opera􀆟ons which saw the construc􀆟on of three super gins and warehouses with capacity of over 300,000 bales.

He currently serves on the boards of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce, is Chairman Memphis Chamber Chairmen’s Circle, the National Advisory Board of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation at the University of Virginia, the Memphis University School, an Advisory Board Member of Baptist Memorial Hospital and the Governors Board of New Memphis.

Mr. Dunavant is past Chairman of Cotton Council International, and past President of the American Cotton Shipper’s Association, the Southern Cotton Association, and the World Cotton Exporters Association. He is a past Board Member of the American Cotton Shippers Association, The Seam, the National Cotton Council, Cotton Council International, the Memphis Cotton Exchange and the USDA ATAC Committee, and Hutchison School.

He has formally served as President of the Memphis Botanic Garden and the Chickasaw Council – Boy Scouts of America and is a past Board Member of Memphis Tomorrow, American Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and the Advisory Board of Rabobank North America and Memphis Board of SunTrust Bank. Mr. Dunavant was also past Chairman and former Board Member of St. George’s Independent School as well as past Co-Chairman of St. George’s High School Capital Campaign, and a member of the Shelby County Greenways Committee.

Mr. Dunavant is married to Michelle Spencer-Barnes Dunavant, and has raised four children Audsley, Hilary, Billy and Harry. He is also a proud grandparent to four grandchildren. Mr. Dunavant enjoys hunting, fishing, and snow skiing, and spending time with his family and being on his farm