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Gareth Penny to Give Opening Speech at CIBJO Centenary Congress
The former De Beers CEO, and perhaps its next owner, will be a featured speaker at the event, slated for Sept. 4-7 in Italy.
Former De Beers CEO currently leads the consortium that reportedly is a frontrunner to buy De Beers Group. He will deliver the opening address at CIBJO’s Centenary Congress in Italy next month.
Milan—The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has named Gareth Penny as the featured speaker for the opening of its Centenary Congress.
This year’s meeting, named in honor of the organization’s 100th anniversary, will be held during the Vicenzaoro show from Sept. 4-7 at the Fiera di Vicenza in Vicenza, Italy.
Penny currently serves as chairman of Ninety-One Plc. and Ninety-One Ltd., a global business with more than $247 billion of assets under management and the consortium that is reportedly Anglo American’s preferred bidder to purchase De Beers Group.
Although he has held senior leadership roles across the financial services, mining, metals, and natural resource sectors, Penny is most known for his 22-year career in the diamond industry.
He was CEO of De Beers from 2006 to 2010.
During his tenure, Penny played a “central role in advancing responsible sourcing initiatives through the Kimberly Process” and introduced the Supplier of Choice strategy, which shifted the industry from a supply-driven to a demand-led model, CIBJO said.
While with De Beers Group, he also spearheaded the creation of Forevermark, its first proprietary consumer diamond brand that launched in 2008.
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This year’s meeting, named in honor of the organization’s 100th anniversary, will be held during the Vicenzaoro show from Sept. 4-7 at the Fiera di Vicenza in Vicenza, Italy.
Penny currently serves as chairman of Ninety-One Plc. and Ninety-One Ltd., a global business with more than $247 billion of assets under management and the consortium that is reportedly Anglo American’s preferred bidder to purchase De Beers Group.
Although he has held senior leadership roles across the financial services, mining, metals, and natural resource sectors, Penny is most known for his 22-year career in the diamond industry.
He was CEO of De Beers from 2006 to 2010.
During his tenure, Penny played a “central role in advancing responsible sourcing initiatives through the Kimberly Process” and introduced the Supplier of Choice strategy, which shifted the industry from a supply-driven to a demand-led model, CIBJO said.
While with De Beers Group, he also spearheaded the creation of Forevermark, its first proprietary consumer diamond brand that launched in 2008.
In addition to leading Ninety-One, Penny is chairman of EnQuest Plc, a U.K.-listed integrated energy company that is focused on the responsible management and decommissioning of mature oil and gas assets.
In the past, Penny has served as chairman of MMC Norilsk Nickle, the world’s leading producer of nickel and palladium.
He was also a non-executive director and chair of the Remuneration Committee of Julius Baer Group, an independent Swiss wealth management group.
Prior to beginning his career in business, Penny was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
For more information on CIBJO’s Centenary Congress, visit its website.
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