Gaborone: Addressing a Sightholder reception yesterday, during the first De Beers Sight of 2015, Philippe Mellier, Chief Executive, De Beers Group, said that maintaining success in the diamond industry is dependent upon investment to sustain supply, finance and demand.

Mr Mellier pointed to De Beers’ investment in mining projects in Botswana, South Africa and Canada to deliver sustainability of supply, in its distribution strategy to ensure the most efficient ways of bringing the product to market, and in the sustainability of demand through Forevermark.

Highlighting the role of Sightholders investing for growth he said: “Whether your focus is on economies of scale, improved use of technology or more efficient distribution, sustainably capturing value in the midstream requires ongoing investment so that your own customers’ demand remains strong and reflective of the true value of your product and service proposition.”

Marking the first anniversary of Global Sightholder Sales’ move from London to Gaborone, Mr Mellier praised “the seamless transition [that] is testament to all the hard work put in by Government, the Sightholders, the local community, and the men and women at the De Beers Group of Companies.”

Mr Mellier concluded by saying: “We believe that the industry is approaching one of the greatest periods of opportunity in living memory, and we are committing to major investments across the pipeline so that we can unlock the full value presented by the industry’s outstanding fundamentals.”