World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) President Ernie Blom says the organization's Presidents and their delegations are all set to hold in-depth debates and brainstorming sessions at the 2019 Presidents Meeting in Dubai from September 23 to 25.

"The challenges that the industry is facing from a number of directions are without precedent," said Blom. "Our thousands of members across the globe expect us, as their elected leadership, to debate them and search for solutions that can take us forward, and that is exactly what we will be doing."

In addition to the usual meetings of the WFDB and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), special panel sessions will take place with leading industry figures debating two of the most important issues facing the trade.

The first panel – Lab-grown diamonds: a call for action – will feature Israel Diamond Exchange President Yoram Dvash, IDMA President Ronnie VanderLinden, Diamond Producers Association CEO Jean-Marc Lieberherr, Bonas Diamond Brokers & Consultants India's Parul Marchant, and Rapaport India's Sathi Nair.

Meanwhile, the second expert panel will debate the issue of How Traceability, Provenance and Blockchain Technology are becoming the new mantra in rough diamond trading. The panelists are De Beers Group's Feriel Zerouki, NAMDIA's Kennedy Hemutenya, London Diamond Bourse President Alan Cohen, Alrosa's Head of International Relations Peter Karachiev, African Diamond Producers Association Executive-Secretary Edgar Carvalho, James Bernard, Director of Sales for the DMCC; and Iris Van Der Veken, Executive Director of the Responsible Jewellery Council.

"These panelists have been carefully selected for their deep industry knowledge so that they can provide a vast wealth of information," said Blom. "In addition, there will be an opportunity for audience members to ask questions and add their comments. The panel will debate subjects that have been carefully selected because they are the two leading issues that we face as a trade today.

"I have no doubt that this is going to be one of the best Presidents Meetings we have ever held in terms of content and discussing the range of challenges that we face. I would highly recommend that any diamond industry representatives who have not yet registered do so very quickly since we are only a little more than a week from the opening," Blom added.

WFDB President Ernie Blom.