News from our businesses and markets

De Beers is pleased to announce the appointment of Nigel Simson as Senior Vice President of Global Sightholder Sales. Mr Simson will take over from Mahiar Borhanjoo following Mr Borhanjoo’s decision not to relocate to Botswana as part of the migration of De Beers’ London-based Sales activity, which will be completed later this year.

Mr Simson brings nearly 30 years of diamond expertise to the role that includes four years as Head of Sales in De Beers' South Africa Sightholder Sales. Prior to this, Mr Simson spent nine years as a Key Account Manager working with Sightholders based in the major international cutting centres. His most recent role at De Beers is as Head of Beneficiation, based in London, where he has been closely involved with Sightholders based in producer countries.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Simson said “I am delighted to accept this important role and be part of such an exciting new chapter for De Beers and the diamond industry as a whole. Together with the rest of the team, I look forward to working with our Sightholders and producer partners, and building an even stronger platform for shared success in the years to come.”

Varda Shine, Executive Vice President of De Beers’ Global Sightholder Sales said, “It’s great to have someone as skilled and experienced as Nigel to lead the Sales team to further success as we move our international sales activities to Botswana. This is an important time for De Beers and our Sightholders, and Nigel was the standout candidate for the role. His wealth of experience in diamonds, De Beers and southern Africa make him perfectly prepared to take the business forward in this exciting period.

“I am sad Mahiar has decided to leave us. Mahiar brought considerable experience to the role and his ability to form strong, lasting relationships, both internally and externally, has been an invaluable trait in an industry where personal interactions remain so important to success. I would also like to thank Mahiar wholeheartedly for his outstanding contribution to De Beers’ success over the last five years, and wish him every success in his future career.”

Mr Borhanjoo will remain with the organisation for the coming months and, in the intervening period, will undertake a detailed handover process with Mr Simson.

Contact

Lynette Gould: Tel: +44 (0) 20 7430 3509;Cell: +44 (0) 774093260; [email protected]

About De Beers Group of Companies

De Beers is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 23,000 people (directly and as contractors) across the diamond pipeline, and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to Living up to Diamonds by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers visit www.debeersgroup.com.