De Beers Names New Head of Tracr Platform

RAPAPORT… De Beers has revamped the management of its Tracr blockchain platform as the project moves into its second stage of development.

Wes Tucker, the miner’s senior vice president of digital transformation, took over as Tracr’s head earlier this year, a De Beers spokesperson confirmed to Rapaport News this week. He replaced Jim Duffy, who had been general manager of the platform since mid-2018.

De Beers launched Tracr in January 2018 with the aim of creating a tamper-proof record of a diamond’s journey through the supply chain. The platform is now shifting from phase one — which focused on developing the technology solution — to phase two, which concentrates on proving the value of end-to-end tracking using mainly De Beers’ own production, the spokesperson explained. The company is installing a new leadership team to execute this phase, he added.

This stage “will enable Tracr to work closely with our mining businesses and De Beers sightholders to build the in-market experience and further develop the platform to meet our customer and consumer needs,” the spokesperson commented. “Upon completion of phase two, we will announce details of the phase-three industry expansion plan.”

Image: Wes Tucker. (De Beers)