David Prager, De Beers’ executive vice president and chief brand officer and a frequent company spokesperson, will leave the company in 2024 after 18 years.
Prager, one of the company’s few U.S.-born executives, was recently elected chair of the Natural Diamond Council, and will continue to serve in that role until a successor is appointed.
Also leaving in 2024 is Ryan Perry, the company’s current acting executive vice president of strategy and innovation. He has served in that role since October 2022, when he replaced Neil Ventura. Perry has been with the company since 2002.
Perry and Prager will also continue to serve on De Beers’ executive committee while overseeing the transition of their responsibilities.
De Beers has also appointed Tom Johnson to the role of general counsel, effective Jan. 1. Johnson currently serves as De Beers’ head of legal and company secretary. He joined the company in 2016 as legal manager for synthetics subsidiary Element Six.
De Beers’ new executive committee can be seen here. It includes not only Johnson but Sandrine Conseiller, the recently appointed head of De Beers brands.
On LinkedIn, CEO Al Cook said that the new executive committee is “our most diverse in our 135-year history.” In a statement, he noted it “combines members with deep experience of De Beers with new leaders who bring fresh perspectives.”
In the same statement, Cook said that Prager “transformed our brand and marketing strategy; managed complex issues in a way that built trust with stakeholders and strengthened our reputation around the world; and he designed a sustainability framework that has protected the natural world, improved people’s lives and deepened our clients’ connection to our diamonds. While I will be very sorry to lose David, I know that his values and ability to build common ground will stay with De Beers for years to come.”
Cook added that Perry “has contributed outstandingly across the De Beers Group. He has always been effective in bringing different parties to work together successfully, leading change programs during the global pandemic, leading strategy development and leading the creation of the Diamonds for Development Fund in Botswana.”
Photo courtesy of De Beers
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