Embracing Sustainability Amid New Consumer Expectations

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Consumer demand for corporate social responsibility is growing. Companies small and large need to incorporate sustainability into their day-to-day operations. In “Embracing Sustainability Amid New Consumer Expectations,” leaders from the gem and jewelry industry will offer their views and discuss how their organizations are tackling this trending topic.

A complimentary light lunch will be provided.

Moderator

Susan Jacques
President and CEO, GIA

Panelists

Dr. Saleem Ali
Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware

Lisa Bridge
President and CEO of Ben Bridge Jeweler

Marcus ter Haar
Managing Director of Okavango Diamond Company

Claire Piroddi
Sustainability Manager for Watches and Jewelry at Kering

Nadja Swarovski
Member of the Swarovski Executive Board

Panelist Biographies

Dr. Saleem H. Ali is the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment and directs the Gemstones and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub at the University of Delaware. He is also a senior fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Sustainable Investment. Dr. Ali is a member of the United Nations International Resource Panel. He was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011 and received an Emerging Explorer award from the National Geographic Society in 2010. His books include Treasures of the Earth: Need, Greed, and a Sustainable Future; Environmental Diplomacy (with Lawrence Susskind); and Mining, the Environment and Indigenous Development Conflicts.

Lisa Bridge is the president and CEO of Ben Bridge Jeweler. She previously was the vice president of education, overseeing the education and professional development of the company’s 1,200 associates. In 2015, Lisa designed the Lisa Bridge Collection, a fashionable jewelry collection. The collection combines contemporary styling and heirloom quality workmanship to inspire a new generation to embrace fine jewelry as part of their lifestyle.

Lisa graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis and earned her Graduate Gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America. She also completed the Certified Gemologist diploma from the American Gem Society, where she now sits on its executive board. Lisa previously chaired its education committee and revitalized the organization’s Young Titleholders group.

Marcus ter Haar received a bachelor’s (Hons) in development studies from the University of East Anglia in the UK and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Reading. He then joined De Beers in 2005 and was appointed the executive assistant to the CEO of the De Beers Group of Companies. Marcus then moved to Botswana where he worked for Debswana as the group manager for Business Development. In 2010, he joined the Diamond Trading Company Botswana as the head of sales. In 2013, Marcus assisted in the establishment of the Okavango Diamond Company where he became the deputy managing director, and subsequently managing director in 2017. Marcus currently serves on the boards of Wilderness Holdings, the Lady Khama Charitable Trust and the Diamond Empowerment Fund.

Susan M. Jacques became GIA’s president and CEO in January 2014. She received her GIA Graduate Gemologist (GG) diploma in 1980 and is a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain. Early in her career, Jacques joined Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry and Gifts in Omaha, Nebraska. Jacques was appointed president and CEO in 1994 by Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., which had acquired Borsheim’s in 1989. She is active in several trade organizations, is a board member of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, and has served on the boards of Creighton University, Jewelers of America, and Jewelers for Children. She joined the GIA Board of Governors in 1996 and was chair from 2008 until 2014.

Claire Piroddi joined Kering in 2012 and is the sustainability manager of the Watches & Jewelry division (brands include Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo, Qeelin, Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin). She is responsible for leading the group’s efforts to develop a sustainability strategy and implement sustainability programs for the Watches & Jewelry division. Claire has been instrumental in the creation of Kering’s Responsible Gold purchasing platform and has a key role in the development of responsible supply chains of precious materials. On a day-to-day basis, Claire is in charge of managing each brand’s sustainability operational strategy. The goal is to achieve Kering’s sustainability targets by 2025.

Prior to joining Kering, Claire was sustainability manager at the French company Christian Dior Couture. Claire holds a degree in politics and finance and a master’s in environmental science and engineering.

Nadja Swarovski is a member of the executive board of Swarovski, the world’s leading crystal manufacturer, which was founded in 1895 in Austria by her great-great-grandfather Daniel Swarovski. Her career at the family business started in the mid-1990s, when she began showcasing Swarovski’s vast product line to the fashion, jewelry, architecture, lighting and home décor industries, encouraging designers to experiment with crystal’s creative potential. This laid the foundations for a series of collaborative relationships that have established her as one of the 21st century’s most significant patrons of design talent. In 2016, she was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Today, Nadja drives the brand strategy of Swarovski’s €3.5 billion global business, as well as overseeing Swarovski’s global sustainability efforts. Consolidating Swarovski’s long-term commitment to charitable giving, she has established the Swarovski Foundation to support projects that foster culture and creativity, meet social needs and promote human empowerment, and conserve natural resources.