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Gemfields Moves Sales Division to London
Sep 5, 2017 5:49 AM
By Joshua Freedman
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RAPAPORT... Gemfields is closing its New York marketing operation and
moving it to London as part of restructuring efforts, the colored-gemstone
miner has said.
As a result, industry veteran Sally Morrison — Gemfields’ director
of sales and marketing for the Americas — is leaving the company, Gemfields
confirmed to Rapaport News Monday.
The company’s marketing, public relations and polished-gemstone
sales divisions, which until recently were in New York, have been operating out
of the London office since September 1, the miner explained.
Parts of the New York branch — which has held Gemfields staff
since November 2013 — will remain open for a limited time to ensure a smooth
handover to London, and even after that, the company’s physical office in New
York will continue to house other elements of the Gemfields group, such as
Fabergé,
its retail brand. The office will also remain available to Gemfields staff
traveling to the US on business.
The decision comes after Gemfields shareholder Pallinghurst
Resources acquired the company and de-listed it from the London Stock
Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market in late July. Pallinghurst is restructuring
Gemfields to make it more efficient, the miner said in a statement last week.
Morrison joined Gemfields in May 2016, having previously served
as managing director for marketing at the Diamond Producers Association (DPA),
and held senior positions at the World Gold Council and Forevermark. As a result
of the structural changes, Morrison’s role at Gemfields no longer exists, and
“redundancy was agreed upon,” Gemfields said. The company will not appoint a new
US marketing director, and will instead manage its marketing and PR strategy
out of London.
“Sally Morrison has been a tremendous asset to the Gemfields
team, and we are hugely grateful for the contribution she made to the company
through her role as marketing director [for the] US,” the miner said.
While the company tried to find alternative roles in the
group for the affected staff members, four people have left the company, and
two more will leave in the coming months. Gemfields has offered one of these
employees a role in London.
“The US market remains of vital importance to both the
colored-gemstone industry and to Gemfields,” the company said. “As such,
Gemfields remains fully committed to its activities in the US market and looks
forward to the ongoing promotion of precious colored gemstones there, and to
furthering trust, transparency and responsible mining practices across the
colored-gemstone sector.”
Morrison
declined to comment.
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Tags:
Diamond Producers Association, Gemfields, Joshua Freedman, london, marketing, new york, Pallinghurst Resources, sally morrison
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