Dilip Mehta is highly esteemed in the diamond trade, having led family business Rosy Blue as CEO from 1973 to 2007. His achievements extend beyond the company though as he was instrumental in bringing about pivotal industry-wide changes.

Under his guidance, Rosy Blue flourished into a global powerhouse, generating an impressive US$2 billion in revenue. It now operates in four continents.

An industry luminary, Mehta is most proud of helping restructure the HRD (Hoge Raad voor Diamant, the Diamond High Council) board to include more companies, apart from large players. He was bestowed the prestigious title of Baron by the King of Belgium in recognition of his invaluable role in promoting Belgian businesses. 

During the 2008 financial crisis, Mehta advocated for an HRD-organised symposium, instead of a traditional diamond conference, to gather stakeholders and work on rebuilding consumer confidence. "Our objective was to work together to rebuild confidence among both consumers and industry players,” he recalled.

Mehta also proposed the creation of a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) laboratory in Mumbai to accommodate soaring demand for diamond grading services. This was the first GIA facility to service the identification report for diamonds outside of the US.

An advocate of change and innovation, Mehta likewise recognised the inevitability of evolution. A relevant example is the rise of lab-grown diamonds, which are now part of his son Vishal's company Lumex in India and Dubai.

While maintaining his strategic investment in Rosy Blue as Chairman Emeritus, Mehta now focuses on providing senior advisory services, thanks to his extensive experience and  comprehensive understanding of the jewellery retail landscape.
 

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