Press Release

Gem and Jewelry Leaders Gather for GIA’s Global Leadership Program at Harvard Business School

Industry professionals who participated in GIA Global Leadership Program at Harvard
Photo © GIA
Pictured above are participants of the 2017 GIA Global Leadership Program (alphabetical order): Edward Asscher, Royal Asscher Diamond Company Ltd.; Vaishali Banerjee, Platinum Guild International; Rami Baron, Q Report; Sumay Bhansali, A. Jaffe; Ravi Bhansali, Rosy Blue NV; David Bindra, B&B Fine Gems; Klaas Compagner, ABN AMRO Bank N.V.; Linus Cortez, Stuller, Inc.; Erica Courtney, Erica Courtney; Wes Crape, Helzberg Diamonds; Meir Dalumi, Dalumi Group; Amit Dhamani, Dhamani Jewels; Peter Engel, Fred Meyer & Littman Jewelers; Michelle Hartwell, Rio Tinto Diamonds; Uchihara Ichiro, Uchihara Group; Susan Jacques, GIA; Chirag Kakadia, Sheetal Manufacturing Company Pvt. Ltd.; Leanne Kemp, Everledger; Joshua Kersh, Rapaport Group; Kathryn Kimmel, GIA; Bobby Kothari, Jewelex NY Ltd.; Cory Kwiat, Kwiat; Sailesh Lakhi, Sparkles and Colors USA, Inc.; Thierry Lamouroux, Boucheron; Lisa Locklear, GIA Governor; Theodore Ma, MaBelle Jewellery Co. Ltd.; Tim Matthews, Jewelry Television; Frank Mayer, Heinz Mayer OHG; Nilang Mehta, Genesis Diamonds; Alok Mehta, IDD USA LLC; Tom Moses, GIA; Scott Murphy, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company; Niveet Nagpal, Omi Gems, Inc.; Nirav Narola, Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt Ltd – SRK; Aalay Parikh, Unidesign Jewels Pvt Ltd.; Vishwas Parikh, Mouawad; Pritesh Patel, GIA; Faried Sallie, De Beers; Stuart Samuels, Premier Gem Corporation; Barbara Sawrey, UCSD and GIA Governor; Sohil Shah, Star Rays; Nikunj Shankar, Shivam Jewels; Betty Sou, Richline Group Inc.; David Tearle, GIA; Bhavesh Virani, Dharm International LLC; Keval Virani, KARP; Kent Wong, Chow Tai Fook; Victor Yiu, Brilliant Trading Company; Alan Zimmer, Reeds Jewelers.

Harvard professors will offer a program at GIA’s 2018 Symposium

CARLSBAD, Calif. – July 20, 2017 – Executives from across the global gem and jewelry industry convened in Cambridge, Mass., in late June for the fourth annual GIA Global Leadership Program offered by the Harvard Business School (HBS). The 50 industry leaders – all CEOs or senior executives – examined the theme “Transforming Business by Leveraging Big Data,” applying lessons learned from cases highlighting the impact of transformative data-driven businesses like Uber and Amazon. GIA and HBS will include themes and insights from the Global Leadership Program as part of the business track for the GIA International Gemological Symposium to be held in Carlsbad, CA, in October 2018.
 
From June 26 to 29, GIA’s Global Leadership Program at HBS hosted 50 senior executives representing the full diversity of the global gem and jewelry industry. The participants from 12 countries covering the gem and jewelry value chain from mining to manufacturing and retail participated in a custom program based on the renowned HBS case study method. Participants then drew on Harvard’s vast repository of business intelligence in interactive lectures and small study groups to ensure lively, insightful discussions and the exchange of innovative ideas.
 
Peter Engel, president of Fred Meyer & Littman Jewelers, said, “The assignments were so thought-provoking and interesting; it was one of the best experiences I have had in a long time.”
 
“We are thrilled that top leaders from various sectors of our global industry were able to come together and learn from one another and the distinguished Harvard case study method,” said GIA President and CEO Susan Jacques. “This valuable learning experience and opportunity for collaboration is exactly what GIA hoped for when we began this program in 2014.”
 
The next GIA Global Leadership Program at HBS will be held June 25 to 28, 2018 on the Harvard campus in Cambridge, Mass. Participants will explore the theme, “Authentic Leadership Development: Unleashing the Power of the People.” The four-day event is by invitation only.
 
Professors from Harvard will also lead a separate track on business concepts and innovations at the sixth International Gemological Symposium in Carlsbad, California Oct. 7-9, 2018. The three-day event focuses on the theme, “New Challenges. Creating Opportunities”, and will offer insight into the latest gemological research, including recent findings by GIA and other leading researchers. Upon successful completion, all participants who take the HBS track receive a Harvard Business School certificate.
 
Launched in 2014, the GIA Global Leadership Program’s aim is to provide in-depth exploration of the strategic and leadership hurdles facing international business and to investigate solutions from a variety of industries. The program was developed by the Harvard Business School and is led by their renowned faculty.
 
Preliminary information about the 2018 GIA International Gemological Symposium is available on symposium.GIA.edu
 
 
 

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.
 
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism.