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Appointment

Amit Pratihari appointed GIA India MD

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GIA India Laboratory Pvt Ltd  has appointed Amit Pratihari as its Managing Director, effective October 1, 2025. In his new role. He will oversee the operations of GIA’s gemological laboratories in Mumbai and Surat, along with the GIA India School in Mumbai, bringing his extensive experience from De Beers and Forevermark to strengthen the institute’s presence in India’s growing diamond market.

Pratihari brings with him more than 20 years of experience across retail, brand management, and the diamond sector. Most recently, he headed De Beers India and Forevermark India, where he played a pivotal role in strengthening the brands’ presence in India and the Middle East. His career spans key leadership positions at De Beers retail in India, preceded by a decade in consumer-focused retail and brand strategy.

GIA India said his proven expertise and leadership will be vital in reinforcing the institute’s mission of ensuring public trust in gems and jewellery, particularly as India’s role in the global diamond market continues to expand.

“Amit’s deep experience in retail and brand management, including more than a decade in the diamond industry, make him ideally suited to build on the success and importance of the GIA India laboratories,’ said Sriram Natarajan, a director on the GIA India board and senior vice president of laboratory operations for the Gemological Institute of America, Inc. (GIA), the parent organization of GIA India. “His expertise in strategic growth and team leadership is especially relevant given India’s importance to the global diamond market and its emerging role as a key consumer market.”

Commenting on his new position,Amit  Pratihari said, “I am deeply honored to join GIA India. GIA India is a vital part of the diamond industry in India and around the world. I look forward to contributing to the ongoing success of GIA India.”

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Appointment

India Gold Metaverse Appoints ex-CEO Of Diamond India As MD Of Its Bullion Market Vertical BullionX™

Nirakar Chand to lead BullionX™ as IGM strengthens its vision for a technology-driven, integrated bullion market.

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India Gold Metaverse (IGM) today announced the appointment of former CEO of Diamond India Ltd., Mr. Nirakar Chand, as the Managing Director of its bullion market vertical, BullionX™, which is a technology-enabled ecosystem for modern bullion markets.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Chand had spent 22 years at State Bank of India (SBI) — 6 years in Bullion and 16 years in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking and general management. After that, and prior to joining IGM, he was CEO for 16 years at Diamond India Ltd., a prominent nominated agency authorised for import and distribution of bullion, which mainly supported over 1,200 small and mid-sized exporters across the country.

With this nearly four decades of experience, Mr. Chand brings a strong understanding of bullion markets and the broader precious metals ecosystem, providing valuable industry insight and strategic vision that will further strengthen IGM’s position in the market.

In his new role, Mr. Chand will drive growth initiatives, industry engagement, and nationwide market development efforts at BullionX™, which delivers real-time spot and futures pricing, one-click buy/sell execution, comprehensive order management and integrated market intelligence for institutional traders, bullion dealers and large jewellers. Working on the IGM theme of ‘One Nation, One Market, One Price’, this inclusive market model provides a one-shot dashboard of demand/supply using an all-open API for online and offline bid & ask and offers many more features, including Gold TV as well as an Academy (for certification courses).

IGM combines blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cutting-edge financial market technologies across four proprietary pillars:

· Elanzia™: A digital metaverse uber tech platform of B2B & B2C for jewellers and bullion participants.

· RamMudra™: Blockchain-enabled digital gold, coins and GBST (Gold Backed Stable Token).

· GoldSense™: An AI-powered 1st Karat Check of Gold, that is, a purity verification engine (an AI-powered Digital Karatometer).

· BullionX™: An institutional trading infrastructure designed to enable efficient price discovery, liquidity and settlement.

With Indian households holding an estimated 25,000 tonnes of gold valued at approximately $2.4 trillion, IGM addresses the structural challenges of a largely unorganised market by bridging trust deficits, fragmented pricing, and limited digital adoption.

This key leadership appointment comes at a pivotal juncture as IGM accelerates its mission to build India’s first integrated digital infrastructure to formalise and redefine the nation’s gold and precious metals economy through an inclusive business model to empower the industry and make each participant an ‘emperor’.

Nirakar Chand, Managing Director – Bullion Market, IGM, said:

“I am delighted to join IGM, which has laid out an exceptionally visionary and timely blueprint to revolutionise the gold industry through transparency, digital accessibility, and robust institutional infrastructure. I look forward to working closely with the IGM management and our industry partners to unlock the true potential of our bullion markets and build an inclusive, trusted ecosystem that benefits every stakeholder.”

Welcoming him to the leadership team, Lamon Rutten, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, IGM, said:

“With his vast experience in the bullion market, Mr. Chand will be an invaluable addition to the IGM executive team. His profound domain expertise, deep-rooted relationships across the bullion industry, and operational mastery will provide tremendous impetus to IGM’s objectives. We look forward to his strategic leadership as we build a transformative, world-class market infrastructure.”

Backed by a visionary entrepreneur, who is the mentor & coach, along with prominent family offices and marquee investors, IGM is dedicated to formalising traditional markets and unlocking immense value for consumers, jewellers, institutional investors, and banks across India in the gold value system on the central theme of ‘Gold is Technology’. Recently, IGM concluded a very select Angel placement round, valuing the company at Rs 2,500 crore.

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