Antwerp: With the wrap-up of the 36th World Diamond Congress, the International Diamond Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) concluded its meetings with the election of its officers. Maxim Shkadov was unanimously re-elected for a second term as IDMA President and Ronnie VanderLinden and Stephane Fischler were re-elected as Secretary General and Treasurer, respectively.
IDMA Vice President Edward Asscher, who was recently elected to serve as President of the World Diamond Council (WDC), stepped down as vice president. Mr. Asscher is a former IDMA president, and also served for many years as president of the International Diamond Council (IDC).
Ronald Friedman, immediate past president of the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America (DMIA), also tendered his resignation as an IDMA vice-president and was thanked for his service to the diamond community.
IDMA also accepted the resignation of its long-serving vice president Vasant Mehta, of India. IDMA members thanked Mr. Mehta, a former chairman of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), for the many years of service he devoted to IDMA and the international diamond industry at large, stating that “his participation, wisdom and contributions to our discussions and decision making will be sorely missed.”
The meeting appointed Suresh Shah, Convener of the GJPEC’s Diamond Panel, to replace Mr. Mehta on the board and to serve as vice president in his stead.
Edward Denckens of Belgium, and David de Toledo, of Israel, were re-elected as vice presidents. Phillipe Roolant, a vice president of the Thai Diamond Manufacturers Association, was newly elected to the position of vice president.
Finally, Avraham (Bumi) Traub, president of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association, was appointed chairman of the IDMA Executive Committee. IDMA joined its sister organization, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, and approved the organizations’ joint proposal to hold the 2015 Presidents’ Meeting in Ramat Gan, Israel, and to accept the offer of the Dubai Diamond Exchange to host the 37th World Diamond Congress in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in 2016.
