Antwerp: The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) will hold its bi-annual Presidents’ Meeting from February 23 – 25, 2022, at Almas Tower in Dubai. The meeting, the first in-person WFDB meeting since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, will be attended by presidents and officials from the 29 member bourses of the WFDB. It will be the concluding event of the Dubai Diamond Week.

The Opening Session of the Presidents Meeting, which will be held in conjunction with the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), will feature speakers from throughout the diamond world. The Keynote Address will be delivered by the Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Hon. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo. Other speakers will be Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO, DMCC; Yoram Dvash, President, WFDB; Ronnie Vanderlinden, President, IDMA; Peter Karakchiev, Head of International Relations, Alrosa; Susanne Swaniker-Tettey, CFO Midstream, De Beers; Edward Asscher, President, WDC; Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President, CIBJO and Anoop Mehta, President, Bharat Diamond Bourse.

Directly after the Opening Session, there will be a panel of high-level international bankers and finance professionals who will speak about the challenges of financing the diamond sector. Speaking at the panel will be Bijayananda Pattanayak, Head of Gem & Jewellery Sector, IndusInd Bank, India; Davy Blommaert, Head of Diamonds, Government and Large Corporates, National Bank of Fujairah, Dubai, Pierre de Bosscher, Head of European Operations, Delgatto Finance and Dror Zur, Head of Diamond Finance, Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank, Israel.

The meeting will include working sessions to discuss the state of the diamond industry throughout the pipeline, as well as deliberations concerning future directions for the WFDB.

WFDB President Mr. Yoram Dvash said, “We are thrilled to be able to hold the Presidents’ Meeting in person, especially in Dubai, which is one of the most important diamond trading centers. I am convinced that this event signals a much-desired return to normality, and I am very excited about that. However, we still have much work to do, to steer the diamond industry through the challenges ahead.”