JNA Awards 2020 - Jewellery Industry Best Practices

72 JNA AWARDS • 2020 KGK Diamonds SA Pty Ltd – a KGK Group Company As the leading representative of a global jewellery enterprise, KGK Diamonds SA Pty Ltd has achieved significant successes in diamond sourcing, manufacturing and distribution in the EMEA region. These cover an entire spectrum of operations in South Africa, Angola, Botswana and Namibia, as well as in Russia and the Middle East. “Our values and ethics differentiate us from the rest. They empower our people to master their business and technological domains, build meaningful relationships with their colleagues and clients, and design a positive framework,” says Sandeep Kothari, Managing Director of KGK Group. The company has more than 2,000 employees. A De Beers Sightholder, KGK Diamonds SA supplies to a wide variety of businesses ranging from international brands, chain stores, online platforms, auction houses and boutique-sized retailers. It also champions an ethical approach towards business – mining and selling only fully certified diamonds from its African sites before distributing them in South Africa, Russia, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Despite its success, the company is acutely aware of challenges that plague the industry. These include financial institutions exiting the diamond trade for a number of reasons, leading to tighter credit conditions within the sector; lack of skilled workers, and the very real threats posed by COVID-19 to the luxury sector. But instead of dwelling on the negative, the company’s leadership team quickly put their thinking caps on and got down to work. “KGK Diamonds SA’s business ideology strongly supports the inculcation, development and polishing of entrepreneurial skills in its employees. We believe our success is delivered and sustained through our people and their expertise,” says Kothari. Category: Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – EMEA Country / Region: South Africa 1