Press Release: Anoop Mehta of the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) and Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) - exceptional and inspiring leaders who are making an incredible impact in the gemstone and jewelry industry - led this year's group of 20 JNA Awards recipients. The awardees were feted in a spectacular ceremony and gala dinner that drew more than 600 industry stakeholders at the InterContinental Hong Kong on September 16 .
Organized by JNA, the awards gala dinner was the culmination of a year-long effort to recognize individuals and companies that are raising the bar for quality, innovation and excellence in the jewelry industry. The event was held on the sidelines of the world's number one fine jewelry business-to-business show, the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.
Mehta, president of the BDB, was the recipient of JNA's Lifetime Achievement Award - one of the highest accolades in the global jewelry and gemstone industry and the most esteemed tribute conferred by the JNA Awards. Mehta was honored for his work at the BDB, which ensures that the diamond trade between India and the rest of the world is fair, efficient and robust.
Bin Sulayem, the executive chairman of DMCC, was conferred the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award for his accomplishments that have had an extraordinarily positive and enduring impact, not only on DMCC and Dubai, but on the global gemstone and jewelry industry. Under Bin Sulayem's strong leadership, Dubai has become one of the leading diamond trading centers in the world, serving a pivotal role as the "New Silk Road."
The JNA Awards honors gemstone and jewelry industry leaders who represent excellence, innovation and success.
Other recipients of the 2014 JNA Awards are:
1. Brand of the Year - Retail: Paspaley
2. Employer of the Year: Pandora Production Co. Ltd.
3. Retailer of the Year: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd.
4. E-tailer of the Year: Shanghai Wisdom Jewelry Trading Co. Ltd. (Zbird)
5. Industry Innovation of the Year - Manufacturing - Business: Frank Wu Design
6. Industry Innovation of the Year - Manufacturing - Technology: China Stone Co. Ltd.; Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory; Diamond Services Ltd. and Shenzhen United BlueOcean Technology Development Co. Ltd.
7. Manufacturer of the Year - Diamond Cutting & Polishing: Kiran Gems Pvt. Ltd.
8. Manufacturer of the Year - Gem-Set Jewelry: Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewelry Industry Co. Ltd.
9. Manufacturer of the Year - Precious Metals-Only Jewelry: Shenzhen Bofook Jewellery Co. Ltd.
10. Sustainability Initiative of the Year: Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd.
11. Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Age 40 or below): Shreyansh Kapoor and Zheng Huanjian
12. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year - ASEAN Countries: Jewelmer Joaillerie
13. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year - India: Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd.
14. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year - Mainland China: Shenzhen Ganlu Jewellery Co. Ltd.
"The JNA Awards 2014 remains true to our purpose of recognizing the companies and individuals who have contributed to the advancement of the industry in Asia and across the world. I am delighted that this year's recipients reflect the qualities the JNA Awards stand for: excellence, innovation and success. Again, my warmest congratulations to all of the recipients and honorees," said Letitia Chow, the founder of JNA , director of business development - Jewellery Group at UBM Asia and chair of the JNA Awards judging panel.
Jean-Marc Lieberherr, the managing director at Rio Tinto Diamonds, said, "Rio Tinto is very proud to be a headline partner of the JNA Awards for the third consecutive year. We are especially appreciative of JNA for creating a platform that allows the industry to pay tribute to the designers, manufacturers and retailers who continuously strive to grow new markets for diamond jewelry in Mainland China. Their innovation, spirit of partnership and passion for the industry is second to none."
Kent Wong, the managing director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, added, "As a proud headline partner of the JNA Awards for three consecutive years, we have witnessed the growth and achievement that the JNA Awards has made in terms of both scale and reputation. The awards, which aim to promote excellence and achievement, is an exemplar by itself. In view of the growing number of high-quality entries and the stringent judging criteria, winning at the increasingly competitive JNA Awards is no easy task. Our heartfelt congratulations to all honorees and awardees."
In addition to the headline partners, Diarough Group, Gubelin Group, KARP Group, Paspaley Pearling Company, Shanghai Diamond Exchange, the Israel Diamond Institute and Guangdong Land Holdings Ltd. supported the JNA Awards 2014 as honored partners.
Major industry representatives who attended the event included Wong and Lieberherr; Raphael Gubelin, the CEO of Gubelin Group; Ramesh Virani, the director of KARP Group; Lin Qiang, the president and managing director of Shanghai Diamond Exchange; Nishit Parikh, the director of Diarough Group; Nissim Palomo, the chief marketing officer of Israel Diamond Institute; Russell Hanigan, the senior pearling manager of Paspaley Pearling Company, and Ye Xuquan, the CEO of Guangdong Land Holdings Ltd.
Also in attendance were Yang Yi, the deputy director-general and head of the Commercial Office, Economic Affairs, Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR; Ahmed Naser Alkhaja, the consul general of the United Arab Emirates in Hong Kong; Prashant Agrawal, the consul general of India to Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, and Evert Marechal, the consul general of Belgium in Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR.
Representing UBM plc was its CEO, Tim Cobbold. Also in attendance were UBM Asia president and CEO, Jime Essink, and senior vice president, Wolfram Diener.
For more information on the event, please visit www.JNAawards.com
About JNA
JNA is the flagship magazine of UBM Asia's Jewellery Group. First published in 1983, the title is the leader in providing up-to-date international jewelry trade news with an Asian insight. It features original, in-depth reports by experienced journalists covering the latest developments in the diamond, pearl, gemstone, jewelry manufacturing, and equipment and supplies sectors.
Rapaport News is not responsible for, and does not endorse, the content of any press release. Press releases are not written by us and are provided only as additional information for our clients.
`
|
|
|
|
|