The jewellery industry is witnessing a changing of the guard this year as several trade luminaries make way for new leaders, both in trade organisations and in corporate boardrooms.

This next generation of leaders maintains deep respect for legacy and tradition while infusing fresh strategies and innovative concepts to ensure their establishments thrive in an increasingly digital and complex business environment. 

At Pandora, President and CEO Alexander Lacik is set to retire in March 2026 after almost seven years in his post. Replacing him is Berta de Pablos-Barbier, the company's chief marketing officer. She will be tasked to lead the company’s continued strategic evolution as a full jewellery brand, building on the strong results during Lacik’s tenure.

Pablos-Barbier joined Pandora as CMO and member of Pandora’s executive leadership team in November 2024. As CMO, she has led strategies geared towards positioning Pandora as a full jewellery brand. Brand awareness has since reached an all-time high, and the company’s product assortment and marketing mix have been infused with new innovations.

Under the leadership of Lacik, who joined Pandora as president and CEO in April 2019, revenue grew by 45 per cent, and the global workforce has expanded from 24,000 to 37,000. 

Legacy

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) looked within when Susan Jacques, who led the institute through the industry’s heyday as well as the challenge-riddled Covid years, announced her retirement as president and CEO last year.

This August, GIA Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Pritesh Patel succeeded Jacques, who stays on as Strategic Advisor till yearend.

 

Gemological Institute of America Strategic Advisor Susan Jacques and President and CEO Pritesh Patel

 

In a chat with JNA, Jacques said she was looking forward to retirement but had mixed emotions on leaving the trade after 45 years, including 11 years with the institute and 20 as president and CEO of Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts.

When she took over at GIA in 2014, the institute was experiencing significant growth in diamond intake and grew rapidly. While this led to a challenging hyper hiring phase, she seized the opportunity to provide more services to clients, ultimately fulfilling GIA’s mission of consumer protection.

“Managing through Covid has obviously been very difficult. But in 2021, we had an exceptional year, as most in the industry did,” Jacques recalled. “And then the downturn, geopolitical issues and other challenges, disruption with lab-grown diamonds certainly brought about some challenges, but we have a very passionate, committed team and managed to work through those.”

An optimist, Jacques believes the best days of the gem and jewellery industry still lie ahead. There is great opportunity for next generations to learn about, understand and appreciate owning Mother Nature’s greatest treasures, she noted. 

“GIA was founded in 1931 with the sole purpose of ensuring consumer confidence. And consumers must have confidence in the products they buy to enable us to be successful as an industry. Times have changed dramatically with increased technology and the adaptability of lab-grown diamonds, particularly in the US. As an organisation, you continually evolve and adapt and seize the opportunities that come your way during the challenging times,” Jacques said.

The next phase

Her successor agrees. Patel tells JNA that his strategic priority is to continuously build consumer confidence in the gem and jewellery industry through research, education, laboratory services and instrumentation.

“Our focus will remain on what is at the heart of GIA – trust. GIA is the most trusted organisation in the industry,” he shared.

Technology – particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and traceability – plays a pivotal role in Patel’s vision for GIA. Apart from using AI in diamond grading and coloured gemstone origin determination, the institute is offering more courses on the use of AI in jewellery design, bench jeweller programmes and content creation.

On the traceability front, GIA has taken an equity stake in industry platform Tracr, reinforcing its ability to bring the trade together in collaborative projects and to address major industry challenges.

According to Patel, GIA with him at the helm will continue to be rooted in science, with greater focus on innovation, speed and agility.

“GIA is turning 100 in 2031. I want our institute to be future-ready, anchored in science, powered by technology and trusted by consumers globally. That is my vision moving forward,” Patel said.

(Full story in JNA November-December 2025) 

 

Technology and talent

AI and technology also figure prominently in the agenda of Tommy Lee, who started his two-year term as chairman of the Hong Kong Jewellery Manufacturers’ Association (HKJMA) in September.

A second-generation jeweller, Lee has an eye on replenishing the industry’s workforce with new talent while encouraging Hong Kong companies to adopt new approaches to marketing and customer service.

 

Hong Kong Jewellery Manufacturers' Association Chairman Tommy Lee

 

The jewellery industry’s pivot to e-commerce has made it more attractive to younger generations in family businesses. “This is the part that younger executives find more interesting as they apply their technical know-how to the business,” Lee said. 

Manufacturing has evolved as well, going beyond production to marketing to help customers promote the collections to consumers. Given challenges such as high gold prices and US tariffs, he suggested allocating 60 per cent of budgets to production and the rest to promotions. 

“Aside from social and multimedia promotions, we use AI to create marketing assets so our clients can easily sell our products,” Lee said. “Unlike the old days when the focus was purely on inventory, we can now offer more personalised services to customers.”

The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) is also poised for a leadership change. CEO David Kellie is retiring at the end of the year, and his successor has yet to be named.

Kellie said, “My plans after the NDC? To enjoy a life of retirement, spending more time with friends and family, and travelling more. Unless something exciting tempts me to do otherwise!”

 

JGW & JNA: 42 Years, 42 Stories is an online series running throughout 2025 to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong and JNA. A new story of creativity, craftsmanship and innovation will be released every week. Subscribe to free JNA News Alerts to be notified when the next story is out.