Johannes
Diamond producer De Beers' executive vice president of global sightholder sales Varda Shine will be succeeded by Paul Rowley early next year, the company said on Thursday. De Beers Group CEO Philippe Mellier thanked Shine for her contribution over the last three decades.
"... I would like to thank her wholeheartedly for her tireless commitment to the success of De Beers, its partners and the wider diamond industry.
"I am delighted to have a successor with Paul’s expertise in diamonds and experience in Africa to take global sightholder sales forward..."
Rowley, who is the company's senior vice president of midstream operations for global sightholder sales, would take over from Shine at the end of January in a comprehensive handover process.
Shine would also step down as chair of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Botswana board and as deputy chair of the Namibia DTC board. Successors for these positions would be announced in due course.
Rowley joined De Beers in 1983 and has served in a number of senior positions within the company.
Shine said she had enjoyed managing the relocation of the company's global sightholder sales operations from the United Kingdom to Botswana and wished Rowley well in his new post.
Rowley said he was excited about taking up his new role.
"I have been fortunate enough to have worked all over southern Africa, forming strong relationships with our government partners, and to have built up decades of experience with rough diamonds.
"It will be a privilege to work more closely with our sightholders, who are among the world’s leading diamantaires, and I look forward to starting a new chapter for global sightholder sales in Botswana."