ZEROUKI WILL BE THE

Feriel Zerouki, De Beers’ Senior Vice-President of International Relations & Ethical Initiatives, will become the first woman to head the World Diamond Council (WDC), which aims to keep conflict diamonds out of the supply chain.

ACCORDING TO WDC RULES, Zerouki will automatically become President when Edward Asscher’s current term ends in two years’ time. Asscher, President of the Amsterdam-based Royal Asscher Diamond Company, was Vice-President of the WDC and took over from Stephane Fischler in June. This is his second term at the helm, after serving as President from 2014-2016.

Last year Zerouki was the recipient of the Initiatives in Art & Culture (IAC) Award for Leadership in Responsible Practice in Jewellery. The award recognised her elevation to an international level of the conversation about sustainability through De Beers’ Best Practice Principles and provision of working solutions to help track responsibly sourced diamonds in Sierra Leone.

The award is presented annually to a member of the jewellery indus

Zerouki will be the first woman to head the WDC

try or part of a jewellery-focused organisation which has made a transformational contribution to ethical sourcing and responsible practices in the worldwide gem and jewellery trade. Zerouki received the accolade at “Gold: Legacy, Leadership, Luminescence”, a conference which was held at the Bohemian National Hall in New York City.

She joined the De Beers Group as a Supply Chain Analyst in 2005 at the Diamond Trading Company, where she gained expertise in pricing rough diamonds and forecasting mine production. She was then appointed Best Practice Principles Manager for the group in 2009, tasked with embedding its sustainability programme. More recently she was appointed Senior Vice-President: International Relations & Ethical Initiatives.

In 2018, De Beers partnered with the Diamond Development Initiative to launch GemFair, a pilot programme which aims to create a secure and transparent route to market for ethically sourced, artisanal and small-scale mined diamonds. The initiative combines on-the-ground training and engagement with miners about ethical standards with a digital solution to support the traceability of the product. Each site adheres to standards that are aligned with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development’s due diligence guidelines and GemFair’s own rigorous ones.

Zerouki’s contribution to developing this initiative is part of her work as GemFair’s General Manager. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Responsible Jewellery Council.