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DEF to honor Botswana president at Las Vegas event
The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) announced Wednesday that it will hold a third Diamonds in the Sky event in Las Vegas next year where it will honor Botswana’s President Ian Khama.
New York--The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) announced Wednesday that it will hold a third Diamonds in the Sky event in Las Vegas next year where it will honor Botswana’s President Ian Khama.
The black tie-optional event will take place in the Four Seasons Ballroom on May 29, 2014, beginning at 7 p.m. It takes place in the midst of the early summer jewelry trade shows, also known as Las Vegas market week.
The organization will present the Diamond Empowerment Fund 2014 Global Diamond Industry Achievement Award to Khama and the Government of the Republic of Botswana in recognition of “their global leadership and contributions to democracy, sustainable economic development and the growth and expansion of the international diamond industry,” DEF said.
The affair will include networking, a live auction, music and a special performance.
Proceeds from the event will benefit DEF’s “Diamonds Do Good” mission of providing higher education scholarships for youth from diamond-producing countries.
Diamonds in the Sky was first held in 2010 in London, when DEF honored Nicky Oppenheimer, then chairman of the De Beers Group, and Peter Sands, group CEO of Standard Chartered Bank.
The following year it took place in Hong Kong and honored Cheng Yu-tung, chairman of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, and Cynthia Carroll, then CEO of Anglo American PLC.
More information about the Diamonds in the Sky event can be found on the DEF’s website.
DEF was co-founded in 2007 by music mogul Russell Simmons and a number of diamond industry leaders. It funds programs that provide African youth with higher education opportunities, including leadership development and entrepreneurial skills building.
DEF’s beneficiary organizations are CIDA City Campus, African Leadership Academy, and the Botswana Top Achievers program.
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