Diamantaires in Belgium casted their vote for their Antwerp Diamond High Council (HRD) representatives on May 3 & 4, electing six members to the new board. These elections are the first phase of the restructuring of the umbrella organization.

 

The elected board members are:

Category 1 (>100 million euros turnover):

Kaushik Mehta (Eurostar),

Shimson Parnas (Arodiam),

 

Category 2 (100 – 30 million euros):

Nishit Parikh (Diarough),

Mehul Kothari (Sushang),

 

Category 3 (<30 million euros):

Nilang Mehta (Genesis Diamonds),

Joshi Mukund (Belindiam).

 

This is the first time in the history of the HRD that members of the Board of Directors are elected directly by the diamond dealers themselves. Of the approximately 1,800 registered diamond dealers entitled to vote, 678 took part in the elections.

 

The three representatives of the bourses are Jacky Roth, president of the HRD, Willy Rotti, president of the Diamond Club and David Wahl, resident of the Diamantkring. They were appointed to the board according to the old system.

 

Stephane Fischler and Michel Bovy, who were already members of the previous board, will again represent the industry.

 

The composition of the new board of directors will be formally confirmed by the General Assembly on Monday, May 8, by the 13 member organizations of the HRD.  It is expected that the new board will meet for the first time sometime next week.

 

When it does meet, one of the board's first tasks will be to designate a new managing director and select the 12th independent director.

 

“The HRD hopes that the internal frictions of the last year will be done with as the diamond dealers are now directly involved in the organization and that peace in the diamond sector will be restored. The actual composition of the board of directors, where five of the 12 mandates are filled by the members of the Indian community, is a more correct reflection of the relations within the sector”, says Philip Claes, spokesman of the HRD.