In the wake of our organization’s Board elections, Isidore Mörsel was elected yesterday as President of the Board of Directors of AWDC. Isi succeeded himself in this position while Ravi Bhansali, who is joining AWDC’s Board for the first time, was appointed Vice-President. The appointments were conducted at the first official meeting of the Board of Directors, where the board members voted for these crucial roles.
Isi brings a wealth of experience as CEO of the leading diamond company Dali Diamonds and is deeply respected within the Antwerp diamond community. 10 months ago, he took over the helm from David Gotlib, who resigned as President in late September 2023.
Ravi Bhansali, who is steering the operations of one of the world’s largest diamond trading and manufacturing companies Rosy Blue, symbolizes a young generation of diamantaires taking over leadership positions in Antwerp’s diamond companies in recent years.
They both embark on this assignment with a lot of enthusiasm, while also being aware of the important transformation the diamond industry is in the midst of and the big challenges ahead for the diamond industry, including for Antwerp.
Both Isidore Mörsel and Ravi Bhansali are seizing their election as President and Vice-President to, once again, stress the importance of the establishment of multiple rough diamond verification nodes, including in diamond-producing countries which play a pivotal role in ensuring the diamond supply chain meets the highest standards of ethical and sustainable trade.
They address this message primarily to the decision-makers within the G7 by emphasizing that AWDC will continue to advocate this principle. “We believe that this approach is both feasible and fair, promoting unity and shared responsibility among all stakeholders. According to them, this concept will enable and empower the timely and effective integration of major African producing and polishing countries into this new global reality.”
They see AWDC as an industry organization playing a significant role in guiding and directing the industry, having been honored by the G7 to act as a model node for rough diamond verification. Both Isi and Ravi believe that this recognition will allow Antwerp to lead by example, supporting the successful implementation of this initiative and fostering stronger global cooperation within the international diamond community.
Karen Rentmeesters, CEO ad-interim at AWDC let it be known that she is looking forward to continued cooperation with Mörsel in his role as the President and with Bhansali as incoming Vice-President of the Board of Directors. “The combined expertise and drive of President, Vice-President, and the entire AWDC Board is crucial to steer the future of Antwerp’s diamond industry towards growth, together with AWDC’s management team.”
