HE DR DIAMANTINO PEDRO AZEVEDO

Dr Diamantino Pedro Azevedo (PhD) with a major in mining engineering, known as Dr Diamantino is an Angolan citizen, 58 years old, married and has two children. In September 2017, he was appointed as Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, name of the Ministry updated last year, as Ministry of Mineral resources, Petroleum and Gas.

Between 2006 and 2017, he was the Chairman and CEO of the State-ownedCompany, FERRANGOL´s Board of Directors; and Non-Executive Chairman of several Mining Companies in Angola. During this period, he was also involved in different task forces. Examples of those are the task forces that draft the New Angolan Mining Code and the Angolan National Geology Plan. In 2002, he was appointed as General Director of the former SEAMIC (Southern and Eastern African Mineral Centre, based in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania). The Centre is now known as the AMGC (African Minerals and Geosciences Centre). This position was held until 2006. He joined the Ministry of Geology and Mines of the Republic of Angola in 1997, as an Adviser to the Minister and later was appointed National Director of International Affairs within the same Ministry.

Also, in the same Ministry, he also acted as Deputy President of the Mineral Development Fund. Since 1998, he teaches mineral economics for Mining engineering students, as well as economic evaluation of oil and gas projects for oil engineering students of the Agostinho Neto University in Luanda. He has also been invited to be a guest lecturer on economic geology for the master students of geology at the same University. He obtained a PhD degree with a major in Mining Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in 1997. In 1992, he obtained a Certificate in Management from the Centre of Technology Transfer and the Technical University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Germany.

His Master’s in Mining Engineering is from the Mining Academy of Freiberg in Germany, which was obtained in 1991. Before pursuing his graduate studies in Germany, he was a Geology student at the Agostinho Neto University in Luanda, Angola. Dr Diamantino was also one of the first students at the National Oil Institute of Angola (INP), a technical school, where he studied Drilling and Oil Production.

AHMED BIN SULAYEM

Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC and has driven its growth from a start-up of 28 member companies in 2003 to the world’s leading free zone in 2021 with over 19,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 65,000 people.

Tasked with enhancing commodity trade flows through Dubai, DMCC has introduced to the market a number of value-added products and services under Mr Bin Sulayem’s leadership. In 2021, DMCC has been named the ‘Global Free Zone of the Year’ by The Financial Times fDi Magazine, for a record seventh consecutive year.

Mr Bin Sulayem oversaw the exponential growth of the DMCC Free Zone master development in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), a 200-hectare business and residential community in Dubai of over 100,000 people living and working across 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project; the much-anticipated Uptown Dubai district.

Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman of the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX).

The Kimberley Process officially appointed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the first and only Arab country to Chair the Kimberley Process in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the Kimberley Process for 2016.

YORAM DVASH

President, World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) since 2020

Former Chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) 2020-2021

Former president of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) 2015-2021

Yoram Dvash, born in Israel in 1964, founded his company, Dvash Diamonds, in 1991. Today one of the leading companies in the Israeli diamond industry, Dvash

Diamonds enjoy strong trade relations with partners in major international hubs, including the United States, India and Hong Kong.

In April 2020, Mr Dvash was elected President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), after having served two years as Vice President and as a member of the Executive Committee of the WFDB.

Yoram Dvash served for five years as President of the Israel Diamond Exchange, one of the world’s major diamond bourses and a flagship of the Israeli economy. He was elected in 2015 as the 10th President of IDE and was re-elected for a second term in 2017.

He also served as Chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute in 2020 - 2021, after having served on its board for seven years.

Yoram Dvash has three children and one grandchild.

EDWARD ASSCHER

A member of one of the diamond industry and Amsterdam’s most well-known families, Edward Asscher was elected President of the World Diamond Council in June 2020 for a two-year term.

Mr Asscher is serving a second time as WDC President, having led the organization from 2014 to 2016.

He currently is also Vice President of the European Council of Diamond Manufacturers and is a past President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and the International Diamond Council (IDC), a diamond standards-setting organization affiliated to IDMA and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB).

In public life, Mr Asscher has also served in functions outside of the diamond industry. A past President of the Liberal Party in Amsterdam, he was elected Senator for this party in the Dutch parliament, serving in the upper house from 2007 to 2011.

RONNIE VANDERLINDEN

Ronnie began his career in the diamond industry in 1977 working as a diamond sawyer. In 1980, he broadened his training by joining a privately held international firm in New York, staying with the firm for nearly 10 years, gradually assuming greater responsibilities. This hands-on experience gave him the foundation he needed ultimately to open his own business, which he began in 1990. Ronnie is President of Diamex, Inc., a diamond manufacturer/wholesaler since 1976.

Ronnie has become well-known for his knowledge of both rough and polished diamonds. Nowadays, he finds himself travelling extensively in the USA, the Far East, Eastern and Western Europe, and Canada for business as well as consulting with other key industry leaders.

He has become deeply involved in all aspects of the industry by maintaining a number of top positions in national and global organizations. Ronnie is the immediate past President of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA) and the President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and is the first President of the United States Jewelry Council (USJC), an umbrella organization of 17 US associations.

He is Former Chairman of the Board of the New York Diamond Dealers Club; served as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA); and is Treasurer of the World Diamond Council (WDC).

In addition, Ronnie is a member and Past President of the prestigious 24 Karat Club; holds a seat on the Executive Board of the 47th Street BID; is a member and board member of the American Jewish Committee, Jewelry Division; and a member and board member of the AGS & member and past board member of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee.

PETER KARAKCHIEV

Peter Karakchiev is head of the International Cooperation Department, responsible for a wide range of international activities of ALROSA. With his direct participation, the Company joined the WDC and became a certified member of the RJC, participated in the creation of the Natural Diamond Council as a founder.

Peter Karakchiev is also involved in promoting the initiatives of ALROSA in the field of sustainable development within the framework of the relevant areas of the ESG agenda not only within the Company but also within the framework of industry cooperation, supporting the efforts and contribution of the diamond mining industry to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

From 2018 to the present, he is a vice-chair of the RJC. In 2021 served as Head of KP Chair office during Russian chairmanship in the organization.

SUSANNE SWANIKER-TETTEY

Susanne was appointed CFO of the De Beers Diamond Trading in May 2018, responsible for finance in the Diamond Trading business (Midstream).

Prior to joining De Beers, Susanne career started as an auditor with Deloitte. After 10 years in the audit field, she joined the mining industry where she spent with another 14 years working extensively across the mining sector in Botswana for copper nickel and diamond mines. Outside finance, she has led various functions including HR, IT, Compliance, Security, Procurement and Marketing. Being passionate about staff development, Susanne leads, trains and motivates her team to develop into independent finance professionals.

Susanne has a M.Sc. in Accounting with the University of Glamorgan (Wales, UK) and an MBA with Oxford Brooks University (Oxford, UK). She has also completed the Senior Executive Development Program at the London Business School, UK. Susanne is a Fellow and a Treasurer of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA).

As a Fellow of ACCA, her professional progression has been featured in ACCA’s Accounting & Business (International Edition) and Accounting Futures Magazines. She has also presented at a number of leadership and business conferences and in May 2017 was presented with the “Woman of the Decade in Finance and Leadership Award” by the All Ladies League & Women Economic Forum (New Delhi, India). She currently sits on the board of directors of several companies in Botswana, Namibia and Singapore including serving as a Board Chairperson of two such companies.

As a family person, when she’s not ‘crunching numbers’ you will find her in her kitchen cooking up a storm.

DR GAETANO CAVALIERI

Dr Gaetano Cavalieri has served for the past 20 years as president of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation. Uniting national jewellery and gemstone associations from more than 40 countries, and including many of the industry’s major corporations and international associations, CIBJO is the industry’s oldest international organization, having been established in 1926. It covers the entire jewellery, gemstone and precious metals sectors from mine to marketplace, within each of the component sectors in the various production, manufacturing and trading centres.

In 2006, Dr Cavalieri was responsible CIBJO receiving “Special Consultative Status” with United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), making it the first and only jewellery and gemstone representative to be officially recognized by the international body.

Anoop Mehta

Mr. Anoop Vrajlal Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of Mohit Diamonds Private Limited (Mohit Group) and a partner of Mohanlal Raichand & Sons, entered the family run business at a young age and has been actively growing the Mohit Group with over 40 years of experience. Mohit Group, one of the oldest diamond businesses in India, has been a De Beers Sightholder since 1949 and an Alrosa long term customer recently. 

Mr. Mehta is the President of Bharat Diamond Bourse, an Executive Committee Member of The World Federation of Diamond Bourses and associated with the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council for several years and is on the committee of the Diamond Exporters Association Limited (DEAL).

Mr. Mehta has been fostering the growth of the diamond industry for more than 30 years. Since 2003, Mr. Mehta has been actively involved in the strategic planning and development of the Bharat Diamond Bourse project and under his stewardship the Bourse was inaugurated on 17 October 2010 pinning India on the diamond map of the world, providing world class facilities to the diamond trade in India.

In September 2014, Mr. Mehta was honored “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his strong growth oriented vision and commitment to set up, lead and steer Bharat Diamond Bourse project in India.

BIJAYANANDA PATTANAYAK

Mr. Bijayanand Pattanayak is a career banker with 38 years of experience in Public, Foreign and Private Sector Banks. He started as a Probationary Officer in 1984 with State Bank Group and moved to ABN AMRO Bank NV in 1997. He worked, inter alia, as Regional Manager, Asia and Member, Global Management Team of IDJG. He has also held the position of Country Executive, ABN AMRO India in 2010. He joined IndusInd Bank in August 2015 from Royal Bank of Scotland where he worked as a Managing Director and Member, Global Management Team IDGJ of ABN AMRO cohabiting with RBS. He has a Master’s Degree and is a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers.

DAVY BLOMMAERT

Davy is the head of the bank’s diamond business and government and large corporates in Dubai, which falls under the bank’s wholesale banking division.

With over 10 years of experience in financing the diamond industry, he successfully established a department within NBF that is focused on providing working capital and trade finance services specific to the diamond sector.

Prior to joining NBF, he spent six years at Antwerp Diamond Bank, where he supported the development of its Antwerp and Hong Kong businesses before moving on to oversee its Dubai office.

PIERRE DE BOSSCHER

Pierre De Bosscher has over 40 years of experience in the diamond industry. He joined Antwerp Diamond Bank (ADB) in 1976. In 1996 he joined the Executive Committee and in 2009 he became chairman of the ADB, a position held until March 2014.

He joined the Delgatto Diamond Finance Fund (DDFF), shortly after its establishment, in January 2019, where he currently holds the position of European Director. DDFF became in the meantime the largest non-bank lender to the industry.

In July 2021, he also became co-founder and managing shareholder of iTraceiT, a company that developed a software application to track and trace the journey of diamonds throughout the pipeline, as such supporting the transparency and sustainability of the diamond and jewellery industry.

Dror Zur