As promised when it first unveiled its "Supplier of Choice" strategy, De Beers is making strides toward becoming more "customer friendly."
The company recently announced a new account manager system that was supposed to debut with "Supplier of Choice." But while the launch of "Supplier of Choice" has been delayed, the account manager program has already been implemented.
Jonathan Kendall, an executive formerly with the brand-heavy perfume industry, has been appointed to the newly created position of head of client management. He will supervise a new department of "key account executives" who will have regular contact with sightholders and their brokers.
"One of the things that came out in De Beers' strategic review is that we have to approach our customers in a different way," he says. "We need to focus on building long-term business relationships with them. We need to understand t