London – The Responsible Jewellery Council recently elected Wilfried Hoerner of Argor Heraeus SA as its new chairman of the board during its annual general meeting.
It took place June 5, coinciding with the JCK Las Vegas show and marking the first time the RJC has had its annual meeting in the U.S.
During the meeting, the RJC membership also re-appointed Mark Jenkins of Signet Jewelers Ltd. as its honorary secretary.
Members also elected to the board were: Michael Steinmetz of Leo Schachter Diamonds LLC; Ankur Goyal of MMTC-PAMP India Pvt Ltd.; Jean-Baptiste Dembreville of Baume & Mercier; Bernard Malek of Cartier SA; and Harriet Kelsall of Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design Ltd.
Following the meeting, RJC hosted an open discussion moderated by Signet Jewelers that featured a selection of panelists from across the jewelry pipeline, including representatives from De Beers, Metalor, Venus Jewel, Richline, the Fair Trade Jewellery Company and the Diamond Development Initiative.
The panelists talked about the value proposition of RJC Certification and its impact on their companies’ performance against issues such as mandatory legislation, access to global markets and how businesses can prepare for the next group of discerning consumers.
The day also featured the launch of the RJC 2016 Annual Progress Report, which reflects the organization’s accomplishments in 2015 and demonstrates how it is continuing to work on membership growth, certification benchmarks, standards development and auditor engagement.
The report is available now in a hard copy from the RJC office in London. A digital copy is available on the RJC website.
