HRD Antwerp has appointed Ellen Joncheere as its new CEO as of January 2020. The current interim CEO, Michel Janssens, will be retiring next summer, the company announced recently.

Formerly general manager at European automotive components supplier Fremach, Joncheere has worked in a wide range of other sectors where she transformed companies and strengthened their market position. 

“She plans to help HRD Antwerp overcome the obstacles currently in its path, as well as prepare the entire organisation for the future,” remarked HRD Antwerp. 

Over the past few years, HRD Antwerp said it had focused on its core services of certifying polished diamonds, providing professional training and developing technological devices to detect laboratory-grown diamonds. This involved reorganising its global structure and hierarchy.

HRD Antwerp has diamond-grading labs in Antwerp, Istanbul and Mumbai. The company also has representative offices and drop-off locations in Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Shanghai, Surat and Tel Aviv.