London – The Responsible Jewellery Council has terminated the contract of CEO Ashish Deo, who has been with the organization for only eight months, and is transitioning to an executive director-led model.
The executive director will work alongside long-serving Chief Operating Officer Catherine Sproule to provide continuity.
Deo’s departure comes amid a time of turmoil and change for the not-for-profit organization, which is scheduled to have its annual general meeting a week from now in Mumbai.
The RJC said Tuesday that its new management structure will include a standards director, as it attempts to rebuild that department following recent turnover, including the resignation of long-serving Director of Standards Development Fiona Solomon, who was based in Melbourne, Australia.
The RJC also lost Marieke Van Der Mijn, its certification and impacts manager, in recent months.
New to the organization is Kinjal Shah, the RJC’s head of India who will be based in Surat and responsible for establishing the organization in the Indian market, a focus for the RJC.