Botswana President, Howard Lutnick to Headline WFDB Meeting

By Rob Bates | May 27, 2025

Botswana president Duma Boko (pictured) and U.S. commerce secretary Howard Lutnick are scheduled to address the World Federation of Diamond Bourses’ (WFDB) biennial presidents’ meeting, to be held June 10 and 11 in New York City.

Boko, a former human rights lawyer, was elected president of Botswana, the world’s largest diamond producer, last November. Lutnick, former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, is one of the leading figures shaping the Trump administration’s trade policies.

The WFDB meeting, dedicated this year to “Natural Diamonds: Tariffs and Creating Demand,” will be hosted by the Diamond Dealers Club of New York and its president, Elliot Krischer. It is timed to coincide with the JCK show, which ends June 9.

Other government officials set to appear at the WFDB event include Angola’s minister of mineral resources, petroleum, and gas, Diamantino Azevedo, and Botswana’s minister of minerals and energy, Bogolo Kenewendo.

Trade notables who will be speaking at the conference include Paul Rowley, De Beers executive vice president for global sightholder sales; Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of the Kimberley Process; Feriel Zerouki, World Diamond Council president; David Bonaparte, Jewelers of America president and CEO; Sara Yood, president, CEO, and general counsel of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee; Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO (World Jewellery Confederation); Ronnie VanderLinden, president of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association; Tiffany Stevens, International Gemological Institute’s chief business officer and head of sustainability for North America; and Tom Moses, GIA executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer.

WFDB president Yoram Dvash said in a statement: “The diamond industry is facing many challenges today. We are bringing together the top decision-makers and stakeholders in the industry to share their views and to formulate policy for the industry going forward.”

Industry members can register for the event here.

The author of this article will moderate some of the WFDB panels.

(Photo courtesy of the government of Botswana)