Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to host 2015 Presidents’ Meeting participants in Jerusalem
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to host a delegation of the participants in the 2015 Presidents’ Meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence at the close of the three-day event.
The Presidents’ Meeting delegation will make its way up to Israel’s capital after three days of intensive deliberations during which they will be discussing the numerous challenges that affect the entire diamond supply pipeline such as, among others, the supply of rough diamonds, the disconnect between rough and polished diamond prices, the need for broader and more diverse industry financing, the quest for a solution to uniform diamond grading parameters and the need for an encompassing global, generic diamond promotion and advertising campaign among consumers.
Israel Diamond Exchange President Shmuel Schnitzer, who is also an Honorary WFDB President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), noted that an unusual large number of the leaders and delegates of the 30 diamond bourses affiliated to the WFDB as well as of the 16 members of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) will be attending the 2015 Presidents’ Meeting at the Tel Aviv Hilton hotel June 14-16.
Among the Meeting’s attending dignitaries and industry leaders are, among others, WFDB President Ernest Blom (South Africa), IDMA President Maxim Shkadov (Russia); Edward Asscher, President of the World Diamond Council (Netherlands); Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation (Italy); Reuven Kaufman, President of the Diamond Dealers Club of New York; Anoop Mehta, President of the Bharat diamond Bourse of Mumbai, India; Marcel Pruwer, President of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse, Belgium; Eli Izhakoff, Chairman of the World Jewelry Hub at the Panama Diamond Exchange and Honorary WFDB President; Philippe Mellier, CEO, and Paul Rowley, Executive Vice President of the De Beers Group (UK and Botswana); and Andrey Zharkov, the newly minted president of the Russian diamond miner ALROSA. In addition, large governmental delegations will arrive from African diamond-producing countries such as Botswana, DR Congo, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
“We are pleased with and heartened by the support of so many major players and good friends in the international diamond industry and trade who will be joining us in Tel Aviv for this important meeting,” IDE President Shmuel Schnitzer said. ”
There is a good measure of work to be done and with this strong a field of participants, I am confident that we will take significant strides toward renewed growth of our industry, throughout the entire supply pipeline.”
About the 2015 Presidents’ Meeting
Registration to the 2015 Presidents’ Meeting is now open and delegates of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), as well as other industry operators and parties, are invited to go online, register for the Meeting and make their hotel bookings.
This year’s biennial Presidents’ Meeting is held at the Tel Aviv Hilton Hotel, June 14-16, 2015 and hosted by the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) and the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA).
Moti Besser, ISDE
