Industry leaders take home trophies at 2014 JNA Awards
HONG KONG, 16 September, 2014 – Anoop Mehta of the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) and Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) – exceptional and inspiring leaders who are making an incredible impact in the gemstone and jewellery industry – led this year’s crop of 20 JNA Awards recipients. The awardees were feted in a spectacular ceremony and gala dinner that drew more than 600 industry stakeholders at the InterContinental Hong Kong on September 16.
Organised by JNA, the awards gala dinner was the culmination of a year-long effort to recognise individuals and companies that are raising the bar for quality, innovation and excellence in the jewellery industry. The event was held on the sidelines of the world’s No. 1 fine jewellery B2B show, the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.
Mehta, president of the BDB, was the recipient of JNA’s Lifetime Achievement Award – one of the highest accolades in the global jewellery and gemstone industry and the most esteemed tribute conferred by the JNA Awards. Mehta was honoured for his work at the BDB, which ensures that the diamond trade between India and the rest of the world is fair, efficient and robust.
Bin Sulayem, executive chairman of DMCC, was conferred the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award for his accomplishments that have had an extraordinarily positive and enduring impact, not only on DMCC and Dubai, but on the global gemstone and jewellery industry. Under Bin Sulayem’s strong leadership, Dubai has become one of the leading diamond trading centres in the world, serving a pivotal role as the “New Silk Road.”
Other recipients of the 2014 JNA Awards are:
1. Brand of the Year – Retail: Paspaley
2. Employer of the Year: Pandora Production Co Ltd
3. Retailer of the Year: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd
4. E-tailer of the Year: Shanghai Wisdom Jewelry Trading Co Ltd (Zbird)
5. Industry Innovation of the Year – Manufacturing – Business: Frank Wu Design
6. Industry Innovation of the Year – Manufacturing – Technology: China Stone Co Ltd; Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory; Diamond Services Ltd and Shenzhen United BlueOcean Technology Development Co Ltd
7. Manufacturer of the Year – Diamond Cutting & Polishing: Kiran Gems Pvt Ltd
8. Manufacturer of the Year – Gem-Set Jewellery: Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewelry Industry Co Ltd
9. Manufacturer of the Year – Precious Metals-Only Jewellery: Shenzhen Bofook Jewellery Co Ltd
10. Sustainability Initiative of the Year: Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt Ltd
11. Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Age 40 or below): Shreyansh Kapoor and Zheng Huanjian
12. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – ASEAN Countries: Jewelmer Joaillerie
13. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – India: Hari Krishna Exports Pvt Ltd
14. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – Mainland China: Shenzhen Ganlu Jewellery Co Ltd
“The JNA Awards 2014 remains true to our purpose of recognising the companies and individuals who have contributed to the advancement of the industry in Asia and across the world. I am delighted that this year’s recipients reflect the qualities the JNA Awards stand for: excellence, innovation and success. Again, my warmest congratulations to all of the Recipients and Honourees,” said Letitia Chow, founder of JNA, Director of Business Development – Jewellery Group at UBM Asia and Chair of the JNA Awards judging panel.
Jean-Marc Lieberherr, Managing Director at Rio Tinto Diamonds, said: “Rio Tinto is very proud to be a Headline Partner of the JNA Awards for the third consecutive year. We are especially appreciative of JNA for creating a platform that allows the industry to pay tribute to the designers, manufacturers, and retailers who continuously strive to grow new markets for diamond jewellery in mainland China. Their innovation, spirit of partnership and passion for the industry is second to none.”
Kent Wong, Managing Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, added, “As a proud Headline Partner of the JNA Awards for three consecutive years, we have witnessed the growth and achievement that the JNA Awards has made in terms of both scale and reputation. The Awards, which aims to promote excellence and achievement, is an exemplar by itself. In view of the growing number of high-quality entries and the stringent judging criteria, winning at the increasingly competitive JNA Awards is no easy task. Our heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and awardees!”
In addition to the Headline Partners, Diarough Group, Gübelin Group, KARP Group, Paspaley Pearling Company, Shanghai Diamond Exchange, the Israel Diamond Institute and Guangdong Land Holdings Ltd supported the JNA Awards 2014 as Honoured Partners.
Major industry representatives who attended the event included Wong of Chow Tai Fook; Lieberherr of Rio Tinto Diamonds; Raphael Gübelin, CEO of Gubelin Group; Ramesh Virani, Director of KARP Group; Lin Qiang, President and Managing Director of Shanghai Diamond Exchange; Nishit Parikh, Director of Diarough Group; Nissim Palomo, Chief Marketing Office of Israel Diamond Institute; Russell Hanigan, Senior Pearling Manager of Paspaley Pearling Company; and Ye Xuquan, CEO of Guangdong Land Holdings Ltd.
Also in attendance were Yang Yi, Deputy Director-General and Head of the Commercial Office, Economic Affairs, Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in HKSAR; Ahmed Naser Alkhaja, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Hong Kong; Prashant Agrawal, Consul General of India to Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR; and Evert Marechal, Consul General of Belgium in Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR.
Representing UBM plc was CEO Tim Cobbold. Also in attendance were UBM Asia President and CEO Jimé Essink and Senior Vice President Wolfram Diener.
For more information on the event, please visit http://www.jnaawards.com/ or contact:
JNA Awards Marketing
UBM Asia (Hong Kong)
+852 2516-1683
[email protected]
