World Diamond Council Board of Directors elects officers, Edward Asscher to serve as new WDC President

The vote for WDC officers took place during the first formal meeting of organization’s 20-person Board of Directors, which was elected on April 28 by a vote of the organization’s full membership.  According to the WDC statutes, the new President will serve a single two-year term, following which he will be succeeded by the sitting Vice President.

Mr. Asscher, who was born in 1946, began working at the family-owned Royal Asscher Diamond Company in 1970 after completing a Masters Degree in Economics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. With a long history of public service in the industry, he served as president of the International Diamond Council from 1990 to 2008, is a past president of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), and is vice president of the European Council of Diamond Manufacturers. Outside of the diamond industry, he is a past president of the Dutch Liberal Party and served as a Senator in the Dutch parliament from 2007 to 2011.

Thanking the WDC Board of Directors for its vote of confidence, Mr. Asscher paid tribute to the outgoing officers.

“I am looking forward to continue the work of both my predecessors to whom we all are grateful,” he said. “The Board and I will give new energy to implement the Kimberley process, which has been so successful in preventing conflict diamonds getting into the trade. Consumers must remain able to maintain confidence in our products, and the wellbeing of all who are involved in the diamond trade must be the focus of our mission. That is the legacy which I want to be able to pass onto the next generation of young adults who work in the diamond industry, wherever in the world.”

“I am honored to have been elected by my peers to this responsible position and my thanks go out to all who were involved in the process,” said Mr. Bone. “I look forward to working closely with Edward and Ronnie, fellow board members and, very importantly, the wider membership, to build further on the successes achieved under Eli Izhakoff and Avi Paz. Our task is to ensure that together we can rise to the challenges that await us and take advantage of the opportunities presented to us.”

“I greatly appreciate the trust that our colleagues have shown in us,” said Mr. VanderLinden. “I look forward to working closely with Edward and Andy, as well as the Board of Directors and the membership of the WDC, on behalf of our great industry.”