The 2026 CIBJO Congress, which will take place on September 4-7 in Italy, will feature the mining industry heavyweight Gareth Penny as speaker at the opening ceremony.
Penny is best known for his 22-year career in the global diamond industry, where he held senior leadership roles at both Anglo American and De Beers, the last five years of which he was Group CEO of De Beers. He was also a Chairman of Russia’s Norilsk Nickel, a major producer of nickel and palladium.
"During his tenure, he played a central role in advancing responsible sourcing initiatives through the Kimberley Process, introduced the Supplier of Choice strategy that shifted the industry from a supply-driven to a demand-led model, and spearheaded the creation of Forevermark, De Beers’ first proprietary consumer diamond brand, launched in 2008," CIBJO said in a statement.
CIBJO also noted that this year, the Congress will be broadcast live worldwide via the dedicated congress website, or the CIBJO YouTube channel.
The Digital Binder, a set of documents that will be referred to during the various sessions of the upcoming event, is now also available online.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
