South African diamond-sector personality Ernest Blom was re-elected chairperson of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) for a third consecutive term at the thirty-seventh World Diamond Congress, held in Dubai last month.

Israel's Yoram Dvash was elected VP, while former MD of Diamantclub van Antwerpen Rony Unterman will continue as secretary-general. Bharat Diamond Bourse VP Mehul Shah was elected treasurer-general, replacing the long-standing incumbent, Dieter Hahn, owner of Germany-based diamond manufacturing company Philipp Hahn Sons. Michel Schonfeld and Louise Prior were elected deputy secretary-general and executive director respectively.

The other board members are third-generation jeweller and Diamond Dealers Club of Australia president Rami Baron; diamond manufacturer and dealer Julien Drybooms, who is also deputy-treasurer-general and was made honorary life VP; Bharat Diamond Bourse president Anoop Mehta; Shanghai Diamond Exchange president Lin Qiang; Moscow Diamond Bourse president Alex Popov; Diamond Dealers Club of New York president Reuven Kaufman; US Diamond Club West Coast president Nikhil Jhaveri; and Dubai Diamond Exchange chairperson Peter Meeus.

The mission of the WFDB, which has 30 affiliated bourse members, is to protect the interests of affiliated bourses and their individual members, as well as to promote world diamond trade and encourage the establishment of new diamond bourses.

Blom founded Ernest Blom Diamonds in 1978. He served as chairperson of the Rough Diamond Dealers Association of South Africa from 1980 to 2005, as chairperson of the Diamond Bourse of South Africa from 1980 to 2007, as chairperson of the Diamond Foundation of South Africa from 1985 to 2007, as chairperson of the Diamond Merchants Association of South Africa from 1995 to 2003, as chairperson of the Diamond Training School, in Johannesburg, from 1996 to 1998, as chairperson of the Jewellery Council of South Africa from 1998 to 2005, and as chairperson of the Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa since 2003.

Blom is also a founding member of the World Diamond Council, which came into being in 2000.

He was elected VP of the WFDB in 2002, becoming the organisation's president in 2006, serving a two-year term.

At the thirty-third World Diamond Congress, in Shanghai, he was elected WFDB VP and was appointed an Honorary Lifetime President of the WFDB.