Grading

Anna Martin Is Retiring From GIA

GradingNov 16, 2023

Anna Martin Is Retiring From GIA

She will step down from her position as senior vice president of institute and industry relations at the end of the year.

Anna Martin, GIA’s senior vice president for institute and industry relations
Anna Martin, an industry leader with more than four decades’ experience, will retire from her current position at GIA at the end of the year.
Carlsbad, Calif.—After nine years, Anna Martin is retiring from the Gemological Institute of America, the organization announced Wednesday.

Her last day will be Dec. 31.

After the end of the year, Martin wants to spend time with her family. After that, she will consider whether she wants to take another job or stay retired, the longtime industry leader told National Jeweler.

Before joining GIA, Martin spent decades on the banking side of the industry, first with ABN Amro and then with Standard Chartered Bank, where she served as managing director and head of global marketing for diamonds and jewelry.

She came to GIA in August 2014 as senior vice president of global development, a position in which she worked to broaden GIA’s relationships with industry leaders while overseeing the institute’s global beneficiation efforts.

In January 2022, GIA named her senior vice president for institute and industry relations

 Related stories will be right here … 

Martin also served as a member of the GIA Board of Governors from 1997-2011 (including as vice chair from 2008 to 2011), is the current board president for Diamonds Do Good, and is on the advisory boards of the Women’s Jewelry Association and JCK.  

Over the years, she has won a number of awards, including the American Gem Society’s Triple Zero Award (2008); the WJA Award for Excellence in the Special Services category as well as the organization’s Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award (2007); and the Premier Patron, Guiding Light, and Doyenne of the Year awards from the Indian Diamond and Colored Stone Association.

GIA President and CEO Susan Jacques said during her time at GIA, Martin helped build GIA’s capabilities as a global organization, expand its mission, and secure its future.

“Her wisdom, experience, and dedication to our mission enabled GIA to grow and remain relevant in the face of unprecedented challenges,” Jacques said. 

“I know Anna’s expertise will continue to benefit the global gem and jewelry industry; for GIA, she is irreplaceable.”   

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

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