WDC Executive Director Exits Organization

RAPAPORT… Marie-Chantal Kaninda has
stepped down as executive director of the World Diamond Council (WDC) after two and a half years in the position.

“Marie-Chantal’s influence on the WDC has been profound,”
WDC president Stephane Fischler said Tuesday.“As a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a veteran of
the African mining sector, she brought to the position a sensibility and intuitive
understanding that was particularly important to an organization such as ours.”

Kaninda, who replaced Patricia Syvrud in the position in March
2017, had previously worked for mining companies Rio Tinto, De Beers and Anglo
Gold, primarily in Africa. She was the chair of the Anti-Corruption Initiative
for the private sector for the DRC. In July, Forbes Afrique ranked
Kaninda number 14 on its list of Africa’s 100 most influential women.

“The time has come for me to move on,” Kaninda explained. “I
certainly do not do so from a place of disillusionment or disappointment, on
the contrary, but simply because [a] new opportunity has presented itself, and
at this stage of my career I feel that I must seize it.”

Although Kaninda’s employment ended August 31, she will
attend and provide support to the WDC at the organization’s annual general
meeting in Belgium in October and at the Kimberley Process (KP) plenary in
India in November.

Image: Marie-Chantal Kaninda. (World Diamond Council)