The board of directors of the HRD, which is the umbrella organization of the Belgian diamond sector, has selected Jacky Rot, the chairman of its Public Relations Committee, to succeed Charles Bornstein as the organization’s president. This follows Bornstein’s resignation earlier this week after four years in the position. The board also honored the outgoing president by naming him as its honorary president.

Rot first joined the HRD board of directors in 1993, where he served uninterrupted as chairman of the Public Relations Committee.

“The HRD has ambitions to permanently reinforce the leading role that Antwerp plays as a distribution center and trendsetter,” Rot said. “New rough diamond producers will be attracted to use Antwerp as their operational base for distribution.”

Rot also defended Antwerp’s role as a production center. “One of the major challenges is to continue supplying the Antwerp diamond industry with sufficient oxygen,” he stated. “Manufacturing is an essential part of the range of services that Antwerp offers.”

Bornstein joined the board of directors of the HRD in 1993. Two years later he was chosen as vice president, and from 1999 held the position of chairman.

JCK