Connect with us

Appointment

Paul De Wachter Appointed as CEO of HRD Antwerp

Published

on

The Board of Directors of HRD Antwerp, a subsidiary of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), has appointed Paul De Wachter as its new CEO. Bringing over twenty years of experience and a proven track record in the international diamond industry, De Wachter is to take charge as CEO from January 5, 2026. As CEO, he is tasked with strengthening HRD’s position as a reliable partner for the international diamond trade and leading the organisation through a period of significant transformation.

De Wachter began his career in the diamond sector in 2002 and rose to the position of Senior Relationship Manager at the Antwerp Diamond Bank. After a brief period at Channel Capital Advisors in a similar role, he joined the National Bank of Fujairah (NBF), where he has been active for more than seven years. He started there as He ad of the Antwerp Representative Office, focusing on building a strong local client portfolio. Since 2020, he has served as Head of the Diamond Unit, where he expanded the bank’s brand and significantly strengthened its market position.

“With his extensive experience in the international diamond industry, his strong and relevant network, and the concrete results he has achieved as Head of the Diamond Unit at NBF, Paul convinced the Board that he is the right person to lead HRD Antwerp into the future,” says Bart De Hantsetters, on behalf of the Board of Directors.

“I am very much looking forward to taking on this new challenge at HRD Antwerp, especially at a time when the international diamond industry is facing major challenges — from shifting consumer expectations to the emergence of lab-grown diamonds. I am honoured by the trust the Board of Directors of HRD Antwerp has placed in me and am deeply committed to strengthening HRD’s role as a trusted partner to the industry,” says Paul De Wachter.

HRD Antwerp is Europe’s leading authority in diamond grading, jewellery grading, and education. HRD Antwerp draws upon 575 years of experience passed down through Antwerp’s diamond trade and strive for perfection by delivering the highest quality in all our products and services. In 2012, HRD Antwerp opened a diamond grading laboratory in Mumbai to serve local and international demand for diamond certification. This marked the company’s entry into India’s certification landscape. By 2018, HRD Antwerp expanded to offer Jewellery Certification in India, reflecting a broader certification portfolio beyond diamonds alone. HRD India, maintains its headquarters in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) with a dedicated diamond grading lab. The organization extends its jewellery grading labs and drop-off points for diamonds to key diamond & jewellery hubs including Mumbai’s Mega CFC in SEEPZ, Surat, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata,and Hyderabad.

Continue Reading
Advertisement JewelBuzz Banner
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted

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.

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Trending

JewelBuzz is Asia’s First Digital Jewellery Media & India’s No.1 B2B Jewellery Magazine, published by AM Media House. Since 2016, we’ve been the trusted source for jewellery news, market trends, trade insights, exhibitions, podcasts, and brand stories, connecting jewellers, retailers, and industry professionals worldwide.

We would like to hear from you...

GET WHATSAPP NEWS ALERTS

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x