Natural Diamond Council CEO David Kellie steps down

David Kellie, previously CEO of the Natural Diamond Council, has announced his retirement. This step had apparently been planned for some time. He wants to stay out of public debates in future, but the financial support of the Natural Diamond Council is close to his heart. Part of this is now secured by the newly signed "Luanda Accord".

Left: David Kellie, CEO of the NDC until the end of the year. © Natural Diamond Council

Retirement: a long-planned step

After five years as CEO of the Natural Diamond Council (NDC), David Kellie has now announced his intention to retire. He will continue in his current role until the end of the year. A successor has not yet been appointed.

Kellie told JCK online that he had been thinking about retiring for some time. The fact that he did not publicise this wish earlier also has to do with the "Luanda Accord", a resolution that is intended to secure future funding for the NDC from countries in the diamond industry. According to Kellie, his retirement announcement was not intended to interrupt the process of signing the Luanca Accord.

The Luanda Accord: Support from the industry for the industry

The "Luanda Accord" was only officially signed on 19 June. The decision takes its name from the capital of Angola, Luanda, where the heads of the international diamond industry came together. With this decision, countries that are part of the international natural diamond industry affirm that this industry creates a livelihood for many people and contributes to the economic development of diamond-producing countries. 

"Natural diamonds are more than just valuable stones, they are a livelihood for millions of people and a cornerstone for economic opportunities in many of our countries," said Diamantino Azevedo, Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas of Angola during the conference in Luanda.

With the Luanda Accord, the signatory nations from the natural diamond industry commit to donating 1 per cent of their profits to the Natural Diamond Council in order to strengthen and secure the future of the natural diamond industry. The role of the Natural Diamond Council is mainly related to education, marketing and storytelling in connection with natural diamonds. 

Kellie: "NDC not fully funded"

Despite the successful step through the "Luanda Accord", NDC CEO David Kellie emphasises that the current budget is still only 40 million US dollars. 

"Despite all the joy associated with the Luanda Accord, I don't want people to think that the NDC is fully funded."

Kellie is planning to retire from the world of work completely, but a very exciting offer could tempt him to return. However, he wants to stay out of the current market debates and is quite pragmatic about it: 

"Everyone has a subjective opinion, but subjective opinions are not decisive, numbers are. It's not me who decides what we do or don't do. If the numbers are positive, we do more of it. If not, then we do less."

Sources: JCK online, Natural Diamond Council