Dubai Diamond Exchange Welcomes New Board Members

The Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) has appointed Neil Ventura, Weizhang Liang and Wafa Jaffery to its board of directors.

The expansion of the bourse’s board will enhance its industry expertise and strengthen its position in the global diamond trade, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) said Tuesday.

Ventura will be secretary of the DDE’s board. He has more than three decades of international experience throughout the diamond and precious-stone chain, covering mining, trading, jewelry and technology. Ventura has also held senior roles at De Beers and its parent company, Anglo American. Meanwhile, Liang brings expertise in international diamond policy, the Kimberley Process and the Chinese diamond industry. He was the founding president of the Guangzhou Diamond Exchange in China and advised the Kimberley Process custodian chair.

Jaffery joins the board as a member of the DMCC’s precious-stone team. Elected to the World Diamond Council (WDC) board in 2026, she also serves on the Kimberley Process Task Force and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) standards committee, and is a certified mediator on the DDE dispute committee.

“By bringing together leaders with experience spanning global diamond markets, industry governance, responsible sourcing, and international trade, we are further enhancing the exchange’s ability to support the industry’s continued growth and evolution,” said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and CEO of the DMCC. “These appointments reflect the caliber of leadership that DMCC has developed over many years and reinforce Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading centers for the diamond and precious-stones trade.”

Image: The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. (DMCC)