Sara Yood Named Co-Chair of RJC Standards Committee

London—The Responsible Jewellery Council has appointed two new co-chairs to its Standards Committee.

They are Sara Yood, president, CEO and general counsel of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, and Eduard Stefanescu, sustainability manager of C.Hafner GmbH + Co. KG, a precious metals refiner based in Germany.

Their appointments are effective Jan. 1.

Their combined leadership brings deep regulatory, technical, supply chain, and governance expertise to the committee, RJC said.

The organization said the Standards Committee plays a central role in ensuring its Codes of Practice, Chain of Custody, and Laboratory-Grown Materials standards remain “robust, credible, and aligned with evolving global expectations on responsible business conduct.”

“With expanding membership and increasing regulatory complexity, the committee’s work is more critical than ever,” RJC said.

Yood took over at JVC in 2024 and leads the group’s work on legal guidance, compliance, and integrity in the U.S. jewelry market.

She previously served on the Standards Committee as a non-industry member.

RJC said her expertise strengthens its commitment to alignment with international laws, due diligence frameworks, and high ethical standards.

Yood said she is looking forward to co-chairing the committee. 

“Not everyone would be excited to review and revise such a dense text, but I find the process invigorating,” she said.

“We know that the nuance of the text is vitally important to the businesses that rely on it, but many may not fully grasp just how many hands it passes through before approval. Serving as one of those layers is a challenging yet gratifying exercise.”

Stefanescu, a geoscientist by profession, oversees international operations in refining, recycling, and supply chain integrity at C.Hafner.

He is also chair of the European Precious Metals Federation’s Sustainability Platform and chair of the German Precious Metals Federation’s Sustainability Working Committee.

He previously served on the Standards Committee as a “guest,” a representative who joins in their individual capacity and areas of expertise.

His technical and sustainability expertise supports the Standards Committee’s mission to advance responsible sourcing, environmental stewardship, and transparency, RJC said.

“Little did I know that joining the Standards Committee as a guest would lead to becoming co-chair. The experience exceeded my expectations in terms of mutual respect and teamwork among diverse stakeholders from different sectors, collaborating to shape standards that drive progress across the industry,” Stefanescu said.

He continued, “My goal is to help RJC remain the frontrunner in developing standards and guidance that embed sustainability, ESG principles, transparency, and responsible supply chains while encouraging collaboration and constructive dialogue across the industry.”

RJC also announced new industry and non-industry Standards Committee members.

New industry representatives are:

Ben Ronca of Leach Garner;
Donald Bray of Fura Gems;
Melanie Mater of De Beers Group;
Valerie Michel of Rosy Blue;
Wafa Jaffery of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre;
Alethea Inns of Gemological Science International; and
Raluca Angel of Natural Diamond Council.

New non-industry members are Antonino Serra Cambaceres (consumer representative); Chris Vandome (senior research fellow at Chatham House); and Abbi Buxton (human rights, gender, inequality representation).

New guests of the committee members are Laure Williams of Richemont; Francesco Giunta of Heraeus; and Kesah Trowell of Watches of Switzerland.

“Their combined experience strengthens the committee’s multi-stakeholder approach and reflects the breadth of expertise needed to shape globally credible standards,” the organization said of the new members.

The Standards Committee will meet in London from Dec. 16-18.

RJC also extended thanks to the committee’s outgoing members, noting that their contributions have been instrumental in advancing the organization’s standards and the integrity of the sector.

The outgoing members are:

Former Co-Chair Purvi Shah of De Beers Group, who will step into her new role as RJC executive director in February;
Robin Kolvenbach of Argor-Heraeus SA;
Didier Backaert of Bonas & Co.;
Ilan Keplan of International Diamond Manufacturers Association;
Trisevgeni Stavropoulos of Antwerp World Diamond Centre;
Joelle Ponnelle of Richemont; and
Tehmasp Printer of International Gemological Institute, India Pvt. Ltd.

The outgoing non-industry members are former committee Co-Chair Ainsley Butler of Building Markets; Jennifer Hillard of Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct/Consumer Interest Alliance Inc.; and Salah Husseini of BSR.