Former De Beers CEO Philippe Mellier Dies

By Rob Bates | July 14, 2025

Philippe Mellier, the French auto executive who was the first outsider to head De Beers, serving as its CEO from 2011 to 2016, died on July 8. He was 69.

Mellier originally trained to be a mechanical engineer, but discovered he preferred the world of business. After receiving an MBA from INSEAD business school in Fontainebleau, France, he had to choose between working at a consultancy or at Ford Motor Co. In a 2015 Financial Times interview, he recalled leaning toward the consultant job—then considered a “golden path” to success—until a Ford executive bluntly upbraided him.

“He said, ‘How can you pretend to give advice as a consultant when you have never worked before? It is a joke. Come and learn, and after that you can become a consultant when you want to,'” Mellier told the FT. “I thought about it for a few days and I thought that he was maybe right.”

Mellier rose to become Ford’s European vice president of marketing, sales, and services. In 2000, he was named chairman and CEO of Renault Trucks. Four years later, he became president of Alstom Transport, a manufacturer of systems and equipment for railway companies—which, he would occasionally point out, had higher revenue than De Beers.

In 2011, De Beers’ then chairman Nicky Oppenheimer tapped Mellier to lead the gem giant, making him the first person without a diamond background to head the company. (Current CEO Al Cook is the second.) Oppenheimer said he wanted someone who would view the business with a “fresh pair of eyes.”

Mellier generated consistent profits for De Beers during his tenure, even as sightholders complained they were being squeezed. Like all De Beers CEOs, his tenure was marked by a series of shocks and changes, including the Oppenheimer family’s decision to sell its shares, the relocation of the company’s sales from London to Botswana, and the settling of De Beers’ antitrust issues in the United States.

In 2016, Mellier was replaced by Bruce Cleaver. During a final appearance at that year’s JCK show, Mellier said leading De Beers had been a “privilege.”

Post-De Beers, Mellier returned to the automotive sector. He joined Fraikin, a vehicle leasing company, in 2018 as chairman. He was later named its CEO.

De Beers tells JCK in a statement: “Philippe led De Beers through a time of big changes—both in the diamond industry and within the company itself, including the transition from Oppenheimer family management to becoming part of Anglo American. He played a key role in shaping De Beers with the energy and vision he brought to the business. He’ll be remembered not only for his leadership but also for his commitment to De Beers and its people. Our thoughts are with his wife Beatrice, his family, and friends during this difficult time.”

At press time, no further information on survivors was available.