Rubel & Ménasché was present at the 9th Annual Meeting of the World Diamond Council, in Tel Aviv, on May 5 and 6 2013. It was an opportunity for Élodie Daguzan, Communications Director, and Michaël Dreyfus, Sales Director, to represent the Dali Diamond group among the key industry players and to be involved in strategic debates.
Élodie Daguzan, why did you take part in the annual meeting of the WDC? What were you expecting from it?
We represent the Dali Diamond group, which is an important sightholder. It therefore seemed fundamental to us to be at the heart of the debates that concern our industry by attending the gathering of these corporations and key players: the Presidents of the diamond exchanges, the Mining Ministers from South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, the US State Department, representatives of professional associations in our sector, etc.
Rubel & Ménasché also attaches great importance to Social Responsibility. We were hoping to find out more about the progress being made in terms of ethical matters and we wanted to be present for the formal establishment of the administrative management organ (Administrative Support Mechanism) between the KP and the WDC.
What did you learn and what were the highlights of the meeting?
Without question, the highlight for me was the meeting with all these players: Avi Paz, the future President of the WDC, Peter Meeus, President of the Dubai Diamond Exchange and, on a more personal note, our favorite market analysts Edahn Golan and Avi Kravitz…
I found Peter Meeus’s speech particularly interesting. He questioned the WDC about the absence of the Dubai Diamond Exchange within this organization, even though it is strategically placed on the “new Silk Road”. He also reminded that previously the WDC had endorse publicly the lifting of the sanctions against Zimbabwe, but without any following.
In your opinion, to which major strategic areas will the WDC give impetus this year?
Well we mustn’t forget that Avi Paz will be the WDC’s Acting President until the elections planned for early 2014. But, as he is a manufacturer and industry player himself, I think that he will be committed to defending the interests of his peers. Those, like us, in the middle of the diamond pipeline.
