DIAMONDS: Alrosa names female exec to lead US business

NEW YORK – Following the reopening of its offices in New York last year and the announcement of growing sales in the US, Alrosa decided to recruit an experienced female executive to lead operations in American territory. Rebecca Foerster, former VP of strategic planning and marketing at Leo Schachter Diamonds, was appointed president Alrosa USA. Besides her previous position, which she held for four years, Foerster was Vice President at the US Representative office of Rio Tinto. She has also performed leadership roles at Frederick Goldman Inc., Revlon, Unilever, and Benckiser. "The United States is the world's largest market for diamond jewelry consumption. For this reason, special requirements are placed on the person who will represent Alrosa’s interests there. Foerster has a wealth of experience in companies that represent almost all parts of the diamond pipeline, from diamond mining to diamond jewelry sales. She knows the specifics of the diamond business and is well aware of American market needs," Yury Okoemov, deputy CEO of Alrosa, said in a media statement. The world’s No.1 diamond producer by output cited “organizational reasons” for the closure of its offices in the Big Apple in 2016. However, the 2018 reopening is said to have been so successful that from two rough diamond auctions held there last year, the firm will increase its competitive sales events to four in 2019. The miner also plans to offer polished diamonds to the United States market. This story first appeared on www.Mining.com.