LONDON — In an extra bid to streamline its administration construction, De Beers stated that Céline Assimon, presently chief govt officer of De Beers Jewellers, will tackle the extra function of CEO at De Beers Forevermark and lead each jewellery homes.
The firm stated that Nancy Liu, presently CEO of De Beers Forevermark, has determined to depart the enterprise.
Assimon will proceed to report back to Stephen Lussier, who’s chairman of each jewellery homes, and “will shape a coordinated offering focused on beautiful diamonds, inspiring design and connecting consumers to De Beers’ Building Forever mission.”
De Beers stated that positioning the 2 jewellery homes underneath Assimon’s management “represents the latest step in the evolution to a ‘one De Beers’ strategy.”
Assimon joined De Beers Group as CEO of De Beers Jewellers in September 2020 and has “outstanding international experience in leading the growth of a range of leading businesses in the high-end jewelry and luxury sector,” the corporate stated.
Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group, stated: “Céline has already shown in her time with De Beers that she has a deep passion for diamonds and sustainability, allied to an extremely keen eye for detail and consumer tastes. She is the ideal person to lead both our jewelry houses in the exciting next phase of their development as we work to grow consumer desire for De Beers’ inspiring diamond jewelry and our commitment to creating a positive, lasting legacy for the people and places where our diamonds are discovered.”
The change will take impact Sept. 5, and the corporate stated Liu will stay with De Beers Group till Sept. 21 to make sure a clean transition.
Cleaver stated that Liu “has been instrumental in leading the development of De Beers Forevermark to its position as an internationally recognized and trusted name for responsibly sourced, beautiful diamond jewelry. Personally, I have enjoyed learning from and working with Nancy, and all of us at De Beers Group thank Nancy for her outstanding work, and we wish her all the best for the next chapter in her career.”
The firm stated that in her 13-year profession at De Beers Group, Liu performed “a key role in the global development of the De Beers Forevermark business. Nancy led the growth of the business in China, building a new team and establishing De Beers Forevermark as a leading player in the rapidly growing Chinese consumer market for diamond jewelry.”
She went on to change into chief working officer earlier than being appointed De Beers Forevermark CEO in 2019, and has led the event and implementation of the enterprise’s wholesale and retail technique.
According to De Beers, lower than one p.c of the world’s diamonds are eligible to change into Forevermark. The firm stated that every Forevermark diamond is “responsibly sourced, originating at a carefully selected mine that benefits the people, community and country where it is located. Forevermark traces each diamond along its journey, ensuring strict business, environmental and social standards are met at every step.”
The diamonds are bought in a choose group of Authorized Forevermark Jewelers, and can be found as unfastened diamonds or in completed jewellery. They are also inscribed with a microscopic model brand and distinctive quantity.
As reported, De Beers has been seeking to streamline and consolidate administration and operations. Last yr, the group mixed its Consumer & Brand and Corporate Affairs groups into a brand new single unit often known as Brands & Consumer Markets.
The new unit is “fully accountable for the development of the group’s brands, and the expansion of its consumer businesses,” De Beers stated.
The firm famous that the reorganization “represents an innovation in luxury: The consolidation of brand marketing and a company’s social purpose into one focused team. The unit is dedicated to engaging consumers in both the beauty of a De Beers diamond, and the beauty of its story.”
