Editor’s Note
The Responsible Jewellery Council has appointed Purvi Shah, a veteran of De Beers with extensive experience in sustainability and ESG standards, as its new executive director.
LONDON —
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), a trade body for the high-end watch and jewelry industry focusing on supply chain issues, has named former De Beers Group manager Purvi Shah as its executive director. She will assume the role on February 7th.
RJC described Shah as a respected leader with over 15 years of experience advancing sustainability and responsible business practices in the jewelry industry, as well as setting and evolving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.
“My focus will be to position RJC as not just a value enabler, but a driver of value creation, enhancing brand trust, fostering collaboration, and supporting long-term business resilience for our members,” Shah told WWD. “My plan is to take deliberate steps to keep RJC at the forefront of shaping a responsible and resilient global value chain.”
She also emphasized her goal to strengthen RJC’s role “as a trusted partner for the entire global watch and jewelry supply chain.”
“Rather than focusing on one material — whether gold, diamonds, or colored gemstones — our approach must be holistic. Consumers and stakeholders increasingly expect transparency and responsibility across every part of the value chain, so our standards and support need to reflect that breadth,” she added.
Background and Vision
Shah was formerly De Beers Group’s head of ethical and sustainable value chains, spearheading initiatives that embedded responsible practices into commercial strategy and operations across the diamond value chain. She led the evolution of De Beers’ best practice principles and pipeline integrity programs, which RJC noted are recognized as “industry benchmarks for advancing ethical standards, provenance assurance, and supply chain accountability.” Under her leadership, De Beers also integrated sustainability into its value chain, “advancing ESG performance and ambition in line with evolving stakeholder expectations.”
“One of the biggest lessons I learned at De Beers is that credibility is everything. Standards and frameworks only work if they are trusted — by businesses, by consumers, and by stakeholders,” Shah said. “At De Beers, I focused on building systems for ethics and provenance that were internationally recognized, yet practical for implementation, and could be scaled. That balance of rigor and practicality is something I’ll carry forward at RJC.”
She also highlighted the importance of collaboration.
“I’ve seen how inclusive dialogue — bringing together industry, civil society, and external experts — creates solutions that raise the bar in a meaningful way. This diversity of perspectives and lived experiences is what transforms ideas into outcomes that truly move the industry forward, creating practical, thoughtful standards that inspire trust, innovation, and long-term resilience across the global value chain,” she stated.
Shah has served as an RJC board member since 2023 and as co-chair of RJC’s standards committee since 2018, helping to develop and launch the council’s rule book.
Leadership Endorsement
RJC Chairman Dave Meleski commented on the appointment.
“Purvi has demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision in advancing ethical business practices across the jewelry and watch sector. Her ability to connect commercial realities with sustainability ambition, and to unite stakeholders behind shared goals, makes her the ideal leader to guide RJC into its next chapter,” said Meleski.
RJC added that Shah will lead the council into its third decade, “building on 20 years of progress to shape the next era of responsible practice in the watch and jewelry industry.”
