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RJC Executive Director Melanie Grant Is Stepping Down
An experienced jewelry writer and curator, Grant led the organization for two years.
Melanie Grant is resigning as executive director of the Responsible Jewellery Council. John Hall will serve as interim executive director while the organization searches for a replacement. (Photo credit: Andrew Werner)
London—The Responsible Jewellery Council announced that after two years on the job, Executive Director Melanie Grant is leaving the organization.
The organization said she will stay on for a time as a consultant to support John Hall, who will serve as interim executive director while RJC searches for Grant’s successor.
Hall, an industry veteran who’s worked for Rio Tinto and Signet Jewelers, has been with RJC since its inception in 2005 and served as interim executive director from April 2022 to January 2023, after Iris Van der Veken left and before the organization hired Grant.
“While it has been an honor and a privilege to lead the RJC, I’m stepping down from ED into a part-time consulting role to enjoy some more personal time and pursue other projects,” Grant said in an email to National Jeweler.
“I’ve learned a lot, but I’ve promised myself a 2025 with a bit less on my plate.”
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The organization said she will stay on for a time as a consultant to support John Hall, who will serve as interim executive director while RJC searches for Grant’s successor.
Hall, an industry veteran who’s worked for Rio Tinto and Signet Jewelers, has been with RJC since its inception in 2005 and served as interim executive director from April 2022 to January 2023, after Iris Van der Veken left and before the organization hired Grant.
“While it has been an honor and a privilege to lead the RJC, I’m stepping down from ED into a part-time consulting role to enjoy some more personal time and pursue other projects,” Grant said in an email to National Jeweler.
“I’ve learned a lot, but I’ve promised myself a 2025 with a bit less on my plate.”
Grant was named RJC executive director in January 2023.
A jewelry journalist and curator with more than 20 years’ experience, Grant has worked at The Financial Times, The Independent, The Guardian, the BBC, and The Economist, where she served as luxury editor of its sister publication, 1843 Magazine.
Her first book, “Coveted: Art and Innovation in High Jewellery,” was published in October 2020, and she was the curator of Sotheby’s groundbreaking “Brilliant & Black” selling exhibition in 2021 and 2022.
Grant won the Gem Award for Media Excellence in 2022.
“It is with mixed emotions that we announce Mel’s transition from her role at the RJC,” said Richline Group President and CEO Dave Meleski, who serves as RJC board chair.
“While I am sorry for her to step down, I am thankful for all that she has accomplished in her two years as executive director of the organization, and how she has transformed it positively into a much better place today than when she arrived … It has been my pleasure working with Mel this past year in my role as chair of the board.”
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