INTERNATIONAL DIAMOND CONFERENCE 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Vivanta by Taj Hotel
Mumbai, India
Marc Brauner
Co CEO International Gemological Institute (IGI) Worldwide
From 1983 to 1987, Marc Brauner was a diamond polisher in Antwerp. After
that he worked as an independent diamond trader before joining IGI Worldwide in
1991. Since 2004 he has served as the co CEO of IGI Worldwide based in the the IGI
Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. In 2007, Marc was also appointed as Diamond
Consultant to the Belgian Ministry of Foreigh Affairs.
Mehul Choksi
Chairman & Managing Director, Gitanjali Gems Ltd.
Mr. Mehul Choksi is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Gitanjali
Group - one of the largest integrated Indian diamond and jewellery manufacturing
and retailing companies with an annual turnover of over USD 2.5 Bn. He is been considered
as father of brands in India. Mr. Choksi is today one of the best known entrepreneurs
in the gems and jewellery industry not only in India but globally as well. Driven
by a keen sense of business excellence, exceptional vision and foresight, Mr. Choksi’s
initiative and charismatic leadership has led the transformation of a closely held
family business into one of the largest, most professionally managed and publicly
listed corporate in the gems and jewellery field. Gitanjali Gems Ltd. (GGL) is one
of the largest integrated diamond and jewellery manufacturers and retailers in India.
The company is engaged in sourcing of rough diamonds from primary and secondary
source suppliers in the international market, cutting and polishing the rough diamonds
to retailing with more than 4000 outlets in India. They are also having retail presence
in USA with chain of stores of Samuels and also having retail presence in China,
Dubai & Japan.
Vishal
Doshi
Group Executive Director, Shrenuj Group
Vishal Doshi is presently the Group Executive Director at Shrenuj Group.
He is also the Hon. Consul for Botswana in Mumbai. He is a commerce graduate from
Mumbai University and has attended a course in finance at Harvard Business School.
His areas of expertise range from strategy formulation, cost efficiencies, financial
management to creation of brands and retail operations. He is known for his sharp
intellect and effective decision-making. He has been instrumental in the creating
a number of successful jewellery brands worldwide. He is an active reader and thinker
and has earned remarkable respect in the corporate world.
Matthew Hall
Director, GIA India Laboratory Mumbai
Matthew Hall has been working for GIA for the past 13 years. He is currently
the director of the GIA India Laboratory in Mumbai, and has held this role since
June 2008. He has a bachelor’s degree in geology from Franklin and Marshall College
and a master’s degree in geology and geochemistry from the University of Maryland.
Matt specializes in the identification of natural and treated diamonds. Prior to
his assignment in Mumbai, Matthew was manager of Identification Services at the
GIA Laboratory in New York.
Manish Jeloka
Head of Consumer Bank Treasury for India & South Asia Region, Standard Chartered
Bank India
Manish Jeloka has worked with the Standard Chartered Bank India for over
4 years before which he worked for American Express Bank and Citibank. He has rich
experience of over 19 years in Fixed Income, ALM, Capital Markets & Foreign Exchange.
His area of expertise is Treasury Solutions for Institutional as well as SME and
Private Bank clients.
Sanjay Kothari
Vice-Chairman, The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council
Mr. Sanjay Kothari, coming from a background of medical sciences, is a
man with extraordinary leadership quality. He belongs to the genre of people who
believe time is money. Currently Sanjay Kothari has been elected as Vice- Chairman
for the tenure of 2 years till 2012. His leadership qualities saw him being elected
as a Chairman for 4 and half years, which is the longest period served by any Chairman
of the Council. He has held various positions in the council including being Convener,
Exhibitions for many years before becoming Convener, Promotions & Marketing. Under
his able leadership, council initiated ‘ANANT” diamond promotion program & also,
‘India International Jewellery Week’ India’s first ever Jewellery Week .He has also
led, or been member of various Gems & Jewellery Industry delegations, organized
by the Council to Countries such as Latin America, Middle-East. His philanthropic
nature has earned him immense respect in the industry; he is a member of Gem & jewellery
National Relief Fund and Jagat Maitrai Trust. Both of these are charity organizations
contributing towards social welfare. He is also one of the Directors of M/s. Diatrends
Jewellery Pvt. Ltd.
Avi Krawitz
Senior Editor, Rapaport Group
Avi Krawitz is Senior Editor at the Rapaport Group, where he provides extensive
content and analysis about the diamond industry for Rapaport’s various publications
and products. Prior to joining Rapaport in 2007, Avi worked as a chief business
correspondent at The Jerusalem Post, the leading English daily newspaper in Israel.
Born in South Africa, Avi moved to Israel in 2002 and has served in the Israeli
Defense Force. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg with majors in business finance and accounting. He currently resides
in Tel Aviv.
Ashish Mehta
Partner, M/s. Kantilal Chhotalal
Ashish K. Mehta is a partner of M/s. Kantilal Chhotalal, one of the leading
players in Diamond and Jewellery industry. M/s. Kantilal Chhotalal is one of the
pioneers of this business in India having been established in 1941. Educated in
Mumbai and the US, Ashish has been associated with several trade bodies in India
including The GJEPC and The Bharat Diamond Bourse. Ashish has been a speaker at
various forums, including Financial Times conference in London and the 1st and the
3rd Mines to Markets conference in Mumbai. His views and comments on the industry
are widely respected.
Russell Mehta
Managing Director, Rosy Blue (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Russell Mehta is presently the Managing Director of Rosy Blue (India) Pvt.
Ltd. He is a commerce graduate from Mumbai University with a diploma in Diamonds
from Gemological Institute of America. With his expertise he has transformed his
family run business into a professionally managed organization. He has extensive
experience in various areas of business management at local and international level
- from strategic planning to tactical execution.
Vasant Mehta
Founder and senior partner, M/S. V. Rameshchandra & Co. Mumbai India
Mr. Mehta grew up in the family business, which went through many facets.
Initially in the twenties and thirties, the business supplied gemstones to the royal
families of India. During the same period and up to the late 50´s, they manufactured
Rose Cut diamonds and sold them all over the world. The demands of local royal families
for larger stones were met by foreign sellers visiting them in India. The business
also included the export of color gemstones mainly to Far Eastern countries. He
joined the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) as an honorary member
in the year 1988 and consequently held several important positions including that
of Vice Chairman of the Council. In 2008 he was elected as Chairman, to serve until
2010. He has also been a senior member of the Banking Insurance and Taxation Committee
for over 15 years. He has served as a member of the committee of the Bharat Diamond
Bourse and has been an advisor to the legal committee. Currently, Vasant also serves
as the Vice President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).
He has been an active participant in the formation and implementation of the Kimberley
Process system. Currently he is the Chairman of Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery
(IIGJ). He also serves as Hon. Director in National Skill Developement Corp. (NSDC)
and in Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC).
Vikram Merchant
Manager, Rio Tinto Diamonds, India Representative Office, Diamond Sales & Marketing
Vikram has an extensive background in the diamond industry, spanning more
than 30 years, with various sales and marketing roles in London, Antwerp and Mumbai
including direct involvement in the initial cutting tests on the Argyle production
in India. As Manager of Rio Tinto Diamonds India Representative Office, Vikram is
responsible for all elements of sales and marketing support for Rio Tinto Diamonds’
predominantly Indian customer base, along with a pivotal role in working in partnership
with the Indian diamond industry.
Martin Rapaport
Chairman, Rapaport Group
Martin Rapaport began his career in the diamond industry in 1975 as an
apprentice diamond cleaver in Antwerp Belgium. In 1978, he established the Rapaport
Diamond Report, the primary source of diamond price and market information. In 1980,
he created RapNet – The Rapaport Network, the first and world’s largest electronic
diamond trading network. RapNet currently provides daily diamond listings of 950,000
diamonds worth over $6.2 billion dollars. It has over 7,300 members of the diamond
trade in 80 countries. The Rapaport Group provides diamond grading and certification
services with GIA Lab Direct services in India, Israel and Belgium. The Group’s
trading division operates rough and polished diamond tenders and provides international
clearing house services providing guaranteed cash transactions, consolidated shipping
and quality control services. The Group employs 180 employees in ten countries.
The Rapaport Group is a primary advocate of free, fair, efficient and competitive
diamond markets. Martin Rapaport played an integral part in the establishment of
the Kimberley Process. He is a strong advocate of diamonds for development, an ethical
diamond trade, and the establishment of a Fair Trade Jewelry sector that will improve
the lives of millions of impoverished artisanal diggers, diamond cutters and jewelry
makers. The Group employs 180 employees with ten offices in the U.S., Belgium, Israel,
India, Dubai, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Rohan Shah
Managing Partner, Tax Practice of Economic Laws Practice India
Rohan Shah: Rohan leads the Tax Practice of Economic Laws Practice, (“ELP”)
as its Managing Partner in India. He is well known as a litigator on indirect tax
and trade remedial disputes, and has been rated as among the leading tax lawyers
by several international tax publications. “India Today” in January 2000 Edition
included him in a listing of ‘50 Indians for the Next Millennium’.
Dr. Suresh Surana
Founder RSM Astute Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
Dr. Suresh Surana is the founder chairman of RSM Astute Consulting Group,
which has offices across 10 cities in India and about 950 personnel. RSM Astute
Consulting Group is the Indian member of RSM International, the sixth largest global
network of accounting and consulting firms. Dr. Surana is a Chartered Accountant
and doctorate in ‘Business Policy & Administration’. He is one of the most reputed
tax consultants in India with specialization in International Taxation, Corporate
Structuring and Forex Regulations. He has authored several articles in leading publications
and is a regular speaker at various professional forums. He also sits on the board
of several companies.
Sumesh Wadhera
Managing Director, AOJ Media Pvt Ltd
Publisher & Chief Editor, ‘The Art of Jewellery Magazine’
Mr. Sumesh Wadhera distinguished himself with remarkable vision and outstanding
leadership abilities in the publication industry by providing cutting edge information
to the Gem and Jewellery Sector. AOJ Media’s flagship magazine, The Art of Jewellery
is an industry-leading publication which facilitates information exchange and influences
opinions with positive empathy in the gem and jewellery trade. He is on the GBOD’s
of the GJF and the FICCI. He is also associated with several jewellery training
institutions in an advisory capacity, such as the Manipal Institute of Jewellery
Management and JSS Academy, Bangalore.