JNA Awards 2012 Jewellery Industry Best Practices

24 JNA AWARDS 2012 Judging Panel VICHAI ASSARASAKORN Secretary General Thai Chamber of Commerce & Board of Trade of Thailand Vichai Assarasakorn has been active in the jewellery industry since the 1980s and sits on several leading trade authorities. He is currently the Secretary General of The Thai Chamber of Commerce & Board of Trade of Thailand, President Advisor of The Thai Chamber of Commerce – Committee on Gems and Jewelry, and Vice President of World Trading Company Limited and Group of Companies. A pioneer in promoting Thailand’s jewellery trade, he served as President of The Thai Chamber of Commerce – Committee on Gems and Jewelry from 2003 to 2011, and President of the Thai Gems and Jewelry Traders Association from 2007 to 2011. ALBERT CHENG Managing Director World Gold Council – Far East Albert Cheng joined the World Gold Council in 1993 and became its Managing Director, Far East, in 2003. In this capacity, he is responsible for all operations in the region. Earlier in his career, Cheng worked for Dentsu, Young and Rubicam, Hong Kong as Dentsu Account Director; and the Royal Canadian Mint, where he marketed the Maple Leaf family of bullion products. He also helped build the Asia-Pacific marketing and distribution network for the International Olympic Committee, Centennial Coin Programme. A member of CAM in the UK, Cheng holds a degree in Business Administration with a major in marketing from the Chinese University in Hong Kong. JAMES COURAGE Chief Executive Officer Platinum Guild International James Courage has been the Chief Executive Officer of the PlatinumGuild International (PGI) since September 1996. Based in London, he is responsible for PGI’s global jewellery development. Courage’s experience in the jewellery industry started nearly 40 years ago when he worked for De Beers in corporate PR. He then joined the company’s Consumer Marketing Department where he ran the diamond marketing programmes in Europe and South Africa, before moving to work on the US and Canadian markets. In 1993, Courage set up De Beers’ marketing office in Hong Kong, the company’s first outside London. HIDETAKA KATO Honorary Dean Tokyo Diamond Exchange Hidetaka Kato is one of Japan’s most recognised jewellery industry experts, with a career spanning nearly six decades. He is the Honorary Dean of the Tokyo Diamond Exchange, past President of Japan Jewellery Association and past President of All Japan Jewellery Wholesalers Association. He started his career in 1954 at Mitsuwa Co Ltd, a leading gem and jewellery organisation, and then worked in New York at the Japan External Trade Organisation. In 1960, he joined Kashikei Shoten and was appointed President of Kashikey Co Ltd when the company was created in 1970. He took office as Chairman of Kashikey Co Ltd in 1986 and retired in 2011. LIN QIANG President and Managing Director Shanghai Diamond Exchange A key player in the establishment of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, Lin Qiang has been the bourse’s President and Managing Director since 2000. His responsibilities include lobbying and working with the Mainland Chinese government on formulating and implementing effective policies for the country’s diamond industry. The Shanghai Diamond Exchange is the only official diamond trading platform in Mainland China.