Gaborone, Botswana – This week marks De Beers’ inaugural sight in Gaborone following the relocation of its sales activities from London to Botswana, a move that has been two years in the making.
De Beers first announced that it would be moving its sorting operations some 5,400 miles south in September 2011 when it inked a new 10-year sales agreement with the Botswana government.
The move impacted about 120 members of De Beers’ London-based staff and about 80 of them opted to make the move, with Batswanas accounting for the other 50 percent of the 160-member Botswana-based team.
Among those who won’t be making Gaborone a permanent home is Varda Shine. About two weeks ago, news surfaced that Shine, the executive vice president of global sightholder sales, would be stepping down at the end of January to “explore other opportunities.”
Picture Idexonline
