RAPAPORT... Andrey Polyakov has resigned as president of the World Diamond Council (WDC), handing the reins to vice president Stéphane Fischler, the organization said Wednesday.
Fischler (pictured), who has been involved in the WDC since its establishment in 2000, will become acting president on July 1, before starting a two-year term as president in May 2018.
A partner in Belgium-based company Fischler Diamonds, he is also president of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), vice chairman of the International Diamond Council (IDC), and vice president of the Diamond Development Initiative.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Andrey for his leadership, and I, along with the rest of the members, look forward to continuing the good work he began with us,” he said.
Polyakov, a vice president at Alrosa since 2013, was elected president of the WDC in May 2016 after serving as vice president for the industry group since the previous year. The organization focuses on removing conflict diamonds from the global supply chain and protecting the value of natural diamonds.
“It has been an honor...to be a part of an organization tasked with such an important mission for our industry,” Polyakov said. “We have achieved much together, but assuring that the diamond supply chain remains virtually free of conflict diamonds will take vigilance and an ongoing commitment to education and training for the next generation of industry stewards.”
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