Anna Martin Leaves ABN Amro

By Rob Bates -- JCK Online, 12/1/2008 2:00:00 AM

Anna Martin, an industry legend and mainstay of the ABN Amro Diamond and Jewelry Division for over 40 years, resigned in October to take a position with another bank, where she again will work with the diamond and jewelry business.

ABN has appointed Rob Broedelet to succeed her. Broedelet “has been with ABN Amro since 1980, and he has a similar background to mine,” says Loet Kniphorst, the head of the global ABN Amro Diamond and Jewelry Division. “He has worked with Latin America and the Far East and the Middle East and done some work with the diamond line.”

Kniphorst notes that, despite Martin's departure, ABN “has no intention to change things. In terms of exposure and credit lines, we have actually increased, rather than decreased, our commitment.”

The fate of the ABN Amro Diamond and Jewelry division has been the subject of much speculation. The bank was first purchased by Fortis. When Fortis collapsed, ABN became the property of the Dutch government.

Kishore Lall, who worked with Martin as global head of business development, left ABN prior to Martin's departure to develop a diamond and jewelry portfolio for Standard Chartered Bank.