|
Press Release: The Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.) is pleased to add two global industry leaders to its board of directors: David Prager, the head of corporate affairs for the De Beers Group of Companies, and Kent Wong Siu Kee, the managing director of Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited. Prager lends D.E.F his insight into the expectations of consumers and the corresponding pressures on production. His work across geographies and with a diverse set of stakeholders that includes civil society, media and governments will be especially helpful as D.E.F expands its "diamonds do good" mission to global communities. “Diamonds are a finite resource, pushing us to ensure we are using them to add value to the communities we work in, the infrastructure we rely on, and the colleagues we work with. Since its founding, D.E.F has helped the industry shine a light on the positive role diamonds play in the journey from mine to finger – enabling consumers to be proud of the diamonds they own,” said Prager. Wong broadens D.E.F’s worldwide representation to the important, and growing, diamond and jewelry sector in Hong Kong and Mainland China. An industry veteran, with substantial experience in both operations and management in the jewelry industry, Wong was named one of the “25 Influential Chinese in Global Fashion” by world-renowned business magazine Forbes in 2012. An active leader across Hong Kong and Mainland China’s industry associations, Wong supports the mission of D.E.F. He said, “As a vertically integrated jewelry retailer that is active in all aspects of the diamond and jewelry supply chain, we understand the importance of supporting communities along the diamond’s journey. I am eager to help further extend D.E.F’s mission and communicate to consumers around the world these good works." Phyllis Bergman, the president of the D.E.F. board of directors and CEO of Mercury Ring, is thrilled by the global diversity of D.E.F’s board. “With the addition of David and Kent on our board, D.E.F is truly representative of the global diamond and jewelry industry,” she said. In addition to Bergman, Wong and Prager, D.E.F’s existing board includes: Lita Asscher, the president of Royal Asscher of America; Nicola Breytenbach-Steiner; Cathy Calhoun, the president of Calhoun Jewelers; Meir Dalumi, the director of Dalumi Group; Dylan Dix, the marketing director at Crossworks; Peter Engel, the president of Fred Meyers; Rebecca Foerster, the executive vice president of Leo Schachter Diamonds; Ellen Haddigan; Edward Hrabak, the president of Sterling Jewelers Inc.; Michael Kaplan, the president of Rocket Redbox; Anna Martin, the senior vice president of global development for the Gemological Institute of America; Kaushik Mehta, the chairman of Eurostar Diamond Traders; Sally Morrison, the managing director of the World Gold Council; Scott Rauch, the president of SHR Jewelry Group; Bruno Sané, the general manager of marketing at Rio Tinto Diamonds; Hedda Schupak, the editor for The Centurion Newsletter; Varda Shine; Elliott Tannenbaum, a partner at Leo Schachter Diamonds; Jean Paul Tolkowsky, the president of Exelco; Yancy Weinrich, the group vice president at JCK and Jaci Wilson-Reid.
The advisory board includes Russell Simmons, D.E.F.'s co-founder and CEO of Rush Communications; Dilip Mehta, the CEO of Rosy Blue Group; H.E. Festus G. Mogae, the former President of Botswana and Linah Mohohlo, the governor of the Bank of Botswana.
About the Diamond Empowerment Fund:
The Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.) is a global non-profit based in New York City and co-founded by Russell Simmons and leaders in the diamond industry in 2007 to empower diamond communities around the world. Its beneficiaries include: CIDA City Campus, South Africa’s first non-profit university to offer a four year business degree. CIDA has an 80 percent employment rate among graduates; the African Leadership Academy, a university preparatory school in Johannesburg, South Africa, founded on the belief that ethical leadership is the key to sustainable development on the continent and drawing students from all 54 countries in Africa, and the Botswana Top Achievers program that provides the top high school students countrywide the opportunity to study at a university of their choice worldwide. Graduates then return to Botswana to contribute to its economic, social and political development. www.diamondempowerment.org.
Rapaport News is not responsible for, and does not endorse, the content of any third-party press release. This is not a Rapaport Press Release. It has been provided as additional information for our clients.
|