HONG
KONG /PRNewswire/ -- The JNA Awards is pleased to
announce that some of the most respected names in the jewellery and
gemstone industry will form the independent judging panel this
year. Three of the industry's most recognised names will continue
on in their roles as judges since the event's launch in 2012. They
are James
Courage, Chairman of the Responsible Jewellery Council
(RJC); Albert
Cheng, Managing Director of the World Gold Council, Far East
(WGC); and Lin Qiang, President and Managing Director of the
Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE). Nirupa
Bhatt, Managing Director of GIA India and
the Middle
East, is returning as a judge for the third consecutive
year, and Yasukazu
Suwa, Chairman of Suwa & Son, Inc, is joining the panel
for the first time.
The JNA Awards
honours companies and individuals that have demonstrated excellence
and innovation in the jewellery and gemstone industry, with a focus
on their accomplishments in the Asian region.
The judging
process for the JNA Awards is independent, robust, transparent and
intellectually rigorous. The selection panel consists of a group of
distinguished individuals who are widely recognised for their
expertise and insights into specific industry segments, and
represent regions that are key to the jewellery and gemstone
trade.
"We are truly
grateful to have such a distinguished group of experts on this
year's judging panel. We look forward to working with them in
recognising and identifying unique business models, innovative
ideas and exceptional visions," said Letitia
Chow, Founder of JNA and
Director of Business Development -- Jewellery Group at UBM
Asia.
RJC's Courage
commented, "Participation in the judging process for the last three
years has provided me with a real insight into the dynamics of the
jewellery business and how, in many areas, the industry is a
pioneer in the use of technology, in the application of social
media and web platforms for business and communications, and in
social responsibility and CSR along the supply chain -- something
close to my role as Chairman of the RJC. I am fortunate that in my
extensive travels, I have been able to witness change on the ground
and to learn, at first hand, of the respect in which the JNA Awards
is held across Asia. I am honoured to have been invited to be
a judge for the JNA Awards 2015." Courage has been involved in the
jewellery industry for many decades as PGI's CEO until this year,
as Chairman of RJC, and with many years of international experience
with De Beers in the 80s and 90s.
"It is my
greatest pleasure to join other respected leaders from the industry
in the JNA Awards 2015 judging panel. I value the experience
and knowledge that I have gained as a judge of the JNA Awards for
the past three years, and I look forward to seeing more qualified
entries and first-time entrants sharing their best business
practices and innovative approaches to advance the development of
the trade," WGC's Cheng said. Cheng joined the WGC regional office
in Singapore in March
1993 as Regional Manager for planning and business
development in the Far East. In 2003, he was appointed to his
current role with responsibility for operations in the entire
region.
Lin of SDE
remarked, "Having been part of the awards since its inception four
years ago, it is extremely encouraging to see it gain international
recognition within the industry and grow in size in terms of both
entries and attendees over such a short period of time. I am deeply
honoured to be invited once again as a judge in this industry-wide
event." Since 2000, Lin has been the President and Managing
Director of SDE, the only official diamond trading platform in
mainland China,
which leads the implementation of an effective government policy
for the country's diamond industry.
"I am pleased to
participate in this important industry event as a member of the
judging panel. The awards judging process is important since it
encourages businesses to get to the next level. It is an honour to
share valuable insights on outstanding industry practices with
distinguished experts from the business community," commented
Bhatt, who has received several global honours for her
contributions to the gemstone and jewellery industry. She is
also a member of the Board of Directors of the All India Gems and
Jewellery Trade Federation, and Gem and Jewellery Skill Council
of India,
as well as an invitee to the marketing committee of the Gem &
Jewellery Export Promotion Council in India.
Suwa of Suwa
& Son added, "I am honoured to be invited to serve as a judge
for the 2015 JNA Awards and to work with such a prestigious
group. For an event of such high standards and quality, I
anticipate that the judging process will not be an easy task, but I
look forward to approaching it with an open mind. We hope
that this year's awards will continue to inspire members of the
industry to strive for excellence and to share the passion we have
for the jewellery industry." Suwa is chairman of Suwa & Son,
Inc, a Japanese gemstone dealer business established in 1908. He
was the first Japanese national to earn his Graduate Gemologist
certification from the GIA in 1965.
The JNA Awards
will culminate with a ceremony and gala dinner on Sunday, 20
September, at the Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong, which will be held
on the sidelines of the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem
Fair 2015. The Awards is led by Rio Tinto Diamonds and Chow Tai
Fook as Headline Partners, with Diarough Group, Gubelin Group,
Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies, SDE and Guangdong Land
Holdings Limited as Honoured Partners.
For more
information about the JNA Awards, visit www.JNAawards.com or
contact:
JNA Awards
Marketing
UBM Asia (Hong
Kong)
+852 2516-1683
[email protected]
Notes for
Editors:
1. About JNA (www.jewellerynewsasia.com)
JNA is the
organiser of the JNA Awards and is the flagship magazine of UBM
Asia's Jewellery Group. First published in 1983, the title is the
leader in providing up-to-date international jewellery trade news
with an Asian insight. It features original, in-depth reports by
experienced journalists covering the latest developments in the
diamond, pearl, gemstone, jewellery manufacturing, and equipment
and supplies sectors.
2. About the Headline
Partners
2.1 Rio Tinto Diamonds
(www.riotinto.com/diamondsandminerals)
Rio Tinto
operates a fully integrated diamonds business from exploration
through to sales and marketing. It is one of the world's major
diamond producers through its 100 percent control of the Argyle
mine in Australia,
60 percent interest in Diavik mine in Canada,
78 percent interest in the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe and
100 percent interest in the Bunder project in India.
Rio Tinto's share
of the production from its three operating diamond mines is sold
through its sales and marketing office in Antwerp,
with representative offices in Mumbai, Hong
Kong and New York. It also operates a niche
cutting and polishing factory in Perth for
the rare pink diamonds from its Argyle mine. Rio Tinto is a leading
supporter of the Kimberley Process, as well as a founding member of
the Responsible Jewellery Council.
2.2 Chow Tai Fook
Jewellery Group Limited (www.chowtaifook.com)
Chow Tai Fook
Jewellery Group Ltd, one of the world's leading jeweller and the
largest in terms of sales, was listed on the Main Board of The
Stock Exchange of Hong
Kong in December
2011. Chow Tai
Fook is now a constituent stock of the Hang Seng China
50 Index and the Hang Seng Mainland 100 Index.
The iconic brand
"Chow Tai Fook" of the Group has been widely recognised for its
trustworthiness and authenticity, and renowned for product design,
quality and value. The recent acquisition of Hearts On Fire, an
internationally acclaimed luxury jewellery brand, has further
underpinned the Group's stature as a diamond expert in the
industry.
The Group has an
extensive retail network comprising over 2,250 Chow Tai Fook and
Hearts On Fire points of sale spanning nearly 500 cities
in Greater
China, Singapore, Malaysia, South
Korea and the
United States, as well as a strong and fast growing e-tail
network through operating its Chow Tai Fook e-Shop and various
e-tail accounts on other online shopping platforms.
The Group's
sophisticated vertically integrated business model provides an
effective and tight control over the entire operation chain from
raw material procurement, design, production, to marketing and
sales through its extensive POS and e-tail channels.
3. About the Honoured
Partners
3.1 Diarough Group
(www.diarough.com)
Diarough Group
was established in Antwerp in
1975 and owns diamond polishing factories in China, India,Thailand and Botswana,
with a network of sales offices around the world. Diarough is known
among the most professional and respected names in the
international diamond industry.
Diarough believes
in building and nurturing long-term business relationships based on
mutual trust, finding solutions to business and marketing problems,
creating marketable opportunities through innovative products and
providing excellent client services.
Its jewellery
manufacturing unit Uni-Design has produced many award-winning
jewellery pieces, which have been proudly worn by celebrities on
the red carpet over the years.
The Group employs
over 3,500 people and is engaged in a wide range of diamond
business activities like rough trading, cutting, polishing,
jewellery manufacturing and marketing to retailers, chain stores,
global brands and private labels worldwide. Diarough employs
advanced technology and modern work speed with traditional ethical
business practices upon which the Company was founded.
3.2 Gubelin Group (www.gubelin.com)
Since 1854, the
name Gubelin has stood for the very highest standards in gemstones,
jewellery and watches. With its selection of the most sought-after
timepieces and jewellery of its own design, the family-run business
is represented at all the prime locations in Switzerland:
Lucerne, Zurich, Basel, Bern, St.
Moritz, Lugano andGeneva.
Last November, Gubelin Jewellery established its presence
in Hong
Kong.
Besides the
jewellery boutiques and the Gubelin Ateliers, the group has a
newly-established Academy and a world-renowned Gemmological
Laboratory. The Gubelin Gem Lab is one of the oldest and most
respected institutions of its kind, relied on by dealers, auction
houses, royal families and collectors since the 1920s.
3.3 Israel Diamond
Institute Group of Companies (www.israelidiamond.co.il)
The Israel
Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI) is a non-profit, public
interest company representing all institutions involved in the
Israeli Diamond Industry. Israel is
one of the world's leading diamond centres and IDI works to
enhance Israel's position
as a major trading and manufacturing hub.
IDI works to
benefit Israel's diamond
industry in a variety of areas including: marketing and PR,
technological innovation, encouraging local manufacturing,
training, and security consulting. IDI seeks out new markets for
Israeli diamonds and develops existing ones. As part of this
effort, IDI organizes industry participation in major trade fairs
around the world, establishing Israeli Diamond Pavilions and
sponsoring events at these shows.
IDI operates a
representative office in Hong
Kong, which fosters trade relations with Asian markets.
3.4 Shanghai Diamond
Exchange (www.cnsde.com)
Authorised by the State Council, the Shanghai Diamond
Exchange (SDE) is the only diamond exchange in Chinaand
provides diamond dealers a fair and safe transaction venue under
close supervision. It also enjoys a favourable taxation policy and
is operated in accordance with international best practices of the
diamond industry.
Established in
2000, the SDE is a non-profit, self-regulating membership
organisation and a member of the World Federation of Diamond
Bourses.
3.5 The Guangdong
Land Holdings Limited (www.gdland.com.hk)
The Guangdong
Land Holdings Limited (GDLAND), with its headquarters
in Hong
Kong, is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited,
and is a subsidiary of GDH Limited, which is Guangdong
Province's largest conglomerate operating outside
Mainland China.
The principal
business of GDLAND is property development and investment,
including but not limited to the development and operational
management of the innovative commercial real estate, urban complex
and industrial business complex. As the strategic arm of GDH
Limited, GDLAND engages in the business development of commercial
real estate, as well as the projects of urban and industrial
complex.
GDLAND's flagship
project, namely the "Buxin Project", is planned to become the
biggest and most advanced jewellery mart in the world, including a
large-scale jewellery trading and exhibition centre along with
other facilities, with a lot size of over 87,000 square metres and
the construction scale (floor area) is expected to be more than
700,000 square metres. The Buxin Project, which is located in the
Buxin area of Luohu district inCentral
Shenzhen, close to the Shuibei Gold and Jewellery Base, is
expected to develop the area into one of the most influential gold
and jewellery trading and exchange platforms in China and
around the world.
4. About UBM Asia
(www.ubmasia.com)
Owned by UBM plc
listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade
show organiser in Asiaand
the largest commercial organiser in China, India and Malaysia.
Established with its headquarters in Hong
Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and
in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 24 major cities
with 30 offices and 1,300 staff.
With a track
record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 20 market
sectors with 230 dynamic face-to-face exhibitions and high-level
professional conferences, 23 targeted trade publications, 20
round-the-clock online products for over 1,000,000 quality
exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and
subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop
diversified global service for high-value business matching,
quality market news and online trading networks.
UBM Asia has
extensive office networks in China, Southeast
Asia and India,
three of the world's fastest growing B2B events markets. UBM China
has 11 offices in the major cities in mainland China,
including Beijing,Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou,
Guzhen and Shenzhen,
where we organise 90 exhibitions and conferences. In ASEAN, UBM
Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the
Philippines with over 40 events in this region. UBM
India teams in Mumbai, New
Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennaiorganise
40 exhibitions and conferences every year across the country.
Photo
- http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150505/8521502847
Photo - http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2010/04/19/20100419602891.jpg