De Beers Group's current COO Burger Greeff is retiring at the end of the year following three decades with the company. Kevin Smith, De Beers executive vice president for Corporate Affairs & Strategy, will replace him as interim COO.

Eirik Waerness, currently senior vice president & chief economist, will move into the role of acting executive vice president, Corporate Affairs & Strategy. Changes will take effect from December 1, 2025.

Greeff joined De Beers Group in August 1993 as a senior research officer at De Beers Consolidated Mines. Throughout his career with De Beers, he has held numerous pivotal leadership roles across the business, including senior research manager: Strategic, general manager at De Beers Marine SA, and executive head of Technical & Sustainability. 

His leadership has spanned technical innovation, operational excellence and sustainability.

Meanwhile, Smith joined De Beers in 1996 and has held many leadership roles across both De Beers and Anglo American plc, including operational, technical and commercial positions. Most recently, as executive vice president of Corporate Affairs & Strategy, he has been instrumental in leading the delivery of the Origins strategy. Prior to that, Smith played a key role in developing the Upstream Origins strategy, as well as leading the organisational redesign programme across the group.

Waerness joined De Beers Group on September 1, 2025 as senior vice president and chief economist, head of Global Market and Price Analysis. He joined De Beers from Equinor in Norway, where he held the role of chief economist for the past 12 years, as well as a period as head of Strategy. 

Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, cited Smith's experience working alongside De Beers' government partners in Botswana and Namibia.

The executive-level changes were announced in the midst of Anglo American plc's US$4.9-billion sale of De Beers. The mining conglomerate announced in 2024 that it was planning to divest its 85 per cent stake in De Beers. Botswana owns 15 per cent of the diamond miner.

De Beers has extensive mining operations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada. Botswana and Angola are reportedly looking to secure majority ownership of De Beers.