After 30 years with De Beers, Varda Shine will be leaving her position at the end of January 2014 as executive vice-president of global sightholder sales.
The news comes as De Beers shifts its operations from London to Gaborone, Botswana. Shine will be replaced by Paul Rowley, senior vice-president of midstream operations for global sightholder sales. She will also step down as chair of the DTC Botswana board and deputy chair of the Namibia DTC board. Successors have yet to be announced.
“Varda’s contribution to De Beers has been immense over three decades with the business and I would like to thank her wholeheartedly for her tireless commitment to the success of De Beers, its partners, and the wider diamond industry, said Philippe Mellier, chief executive officer (CEO) of the De Beers Group of Companies.
“I am delighted to have a successor with Paul’s expertise in diamonds and experience in Africa to take global sightholder sales forward. He will provide excellent continuity of leadership as the business settles in its new home.”
Over the years, Shine had become the face of De Beers in the international diamond community, travelling extensively and receiving numerous awards, including the Women’s Jewellery Association Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a governing board member of the Diamond Empowerment Fund and the first woman to be awarded honorary lifetime membership of the Israel Diamond Exchange.
“I am very proud of all I have achieved with De Beers, both on the commercial side as well as establishing beneficiation at the heart of the organization,” Shine said.
“I have really enjoyed working with our sightholders over the years, witnessing their businesses transform, and with our government partners in the establishment of the DTC Botswana and Namibia DTC joint ventures and in managing the relocation of the global sightholder sales operations from the United Kingdom to Botswana. I believe De Beers has a very bright future in southern Africa and Paul has all the right ingredients to take the business on to further success.”
Rowley joined De Beers in 1983 and filled a variety of senior positions. He has served on both the DTC Botswana and Namibia DTC boards and was acting chief executive officer of DTC Botswana prior to his current role.
“I am very excited to take up this new role,” Rowley said. “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.”
