Stephane Fischler
The first meeting of the newly elected Board of Directors of the AWDC announced some new appointments. Mr. Stephane Fischler was elected as President for the AWDC.
Upon receiving his new appointment, and paying homage to his predecessor, Mr. Nishit Parikh, Stephane Fischler said, "Antwerp has a unique peoples infrastructure and a unique pool of talents, in and outside our industry. Together, we must strengthen and promote our common and rich history for the benefit of all. I firmly believe we need to focus on further anchoring our industry in our local society; share the value of our entrepreneurship and global networks with Antwerp, Flanders and our country."
The Board of Directors also appointed Mr. Kaushik Mehta as Vice-President, representing the trade, and Mr. Philippe Barsamian as Vice-President representing the Bourses.
AWDC's CEO Ari Epstein: "Firstly, I sincerely congratulate Mr. Fischler on his election as AWDC President. Mr. Fischler can bow on many years of in-depth experience in the diamond industry and a long record of public service. He is highly respected in and well known for his dedication towards the Antwerp diamond community and beyond. With Mr. Fischler leading the Board, I'm confident we will successfully continue our ambitious Masterplan projects in the future."
Mr. Fischler is a third-generation diamantaire who started working at Fischler Diamonds in 1979. The company was founded in 1953. Stephane Fischler is currently a partner in the company. Mr. Fischler has held many executive positions in various industry bodies including - Vice President of SBD (the Belgian Diamond Manufacturers Association) since 1994; Vice President of IDMA from 1996 to 1997 and Secretary-General/Treasurer of IDMA from 1998 to 2008; President of WTOCD (the HRD research center) from 1998 to 1999, and a member of its board for several years. Mr. Fischler is a founding member of the World Diamond Council (WDC). He has also been HRD’s Treasurer from 2005 till 2008 and served as Vice President of the AWDC over the past two years. He is the current Chairman of the International Diamond Council.