The Congress witnessed President Yoram Dvash, VP Moshe Salem and Israel Diamond Week host Boaz Moldawsky, many industry leaders DRC Minister of Mines HE Antoinette N’Samba Kalambayi, De Beers Co-Chairman Bruce Cleaver, and many more express their views.
WFDB President Yoram Dvash addressed the theme of the Congress in his opening speech and said: “Today conditions are changing, the business climate is changing, the consumer is changing, and the competition is changing. We must study the changes and take steps to adapt. If we as leaders of the world diamond industry won’t adapt, the industry will remain behind.”
During the Congress, Yoram Dvash was reelected as WFDB President, and elections were held for WFDB Officers and the Executive Committee. They include Vice Presidents Moshe Salem and Philippe Barsamian, Secretary-General Rony Unterman, Treasurer-General Mehul Shah, as well as Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Lin Qiang, Elliot Krischer, Boaz Moldawsky, Anoop Mehta, Rami Baron, Alan Cohen, Molefi Letsiki and Lawrence Ma as the Executive Committee.
Reviewing topics that are currently affecting the industry, delegates expressed reservations about the GIA’s move to digital certificates, generic marketing of diamonds and the decision WFDB to begin a collaboration with the Natural Diamond Council, and also to involve the Young Diamantaires in the decision-making of the WFDB.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished