Council Members and Leadership
Our member companies are the bedrock of the Natural Diamond Council. As well as providing the financial resources we need to fulfil our mission, they offer strategic leadership on NDC’s priorities. All NDC members follow a set of rigorous requirements to uphold the highest standards of integrity through the diamond value chain.
Collectively, our member companies are responsible for a significant portion of the world’s rough diamond production, with operations in Canada and Africa. NDC members are deeply committed to supporting sustainable development in the diamond-producing countries in which they operate. They prioritize creating safe, high-quality jobs and strive to source goods and services locally.
Council Members
De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, recovery, sales, and marketing of diamonds. The Group is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with production operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of its strategy as it develops a portfolio of brands, including De Beers Jewelers and Forevermark, as well as a range of other pioneering solutions. These include the blockchain-enabled traceability platform, Tracr; the De Beers Institute of Diamonds’ Origin suite of services focused on diamond provenance; and the diamond sourcing initiative aimed at supporting formalization in the small-scale and artisanal mining sector, GemFair.
De Beers Group employees are focused on ‘Building Forever,’ their commitment to creating a positive lasting impact that will endure well beyond the discovery of their last diamond. Building Forever is a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – one that is fairer, safer, cleaner, and healthier; where safety, human rights, and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; and where communities thrive and the environment is protected. From their mining operations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Canada, through to the stores where they sell their diamonds, Building Forever guides De Beers Group’s work, decisions, and behaviors.
Through Building Forever and their enduring commitment to the protection of human rights and safety, De Beers Group strive to protect the natural world, partner for thriving communities, accelerate equal opportunity, and lead ethical best practices across the industry.
Okavango Diamond Company (ODC), located in Gaborone, Botswana, is a rough diamond marketing company wholly owned by the Botswana Government. It offers a global customer base open access to the full range of rough diamonds sourced from the country. With access to 25% of Debswana’s run-of-mine production, ODC is an important supplier to the market with sales in the region of $900 million per annum. Committed to building consumer confidence, ODC runs an open and transparent sales model with prices set by the market via a dynamic online bidding process.
ENDIAMA E.P. – Empresa Nacional de Diamantes de Angola (National Diamond Company of Angola) is Angola’s state-owned diamond mining company, responsible for managing the country’s diamond resources and ensuring their sustainable development for the benefit of the Angolan people.
SODIAM E.P. – Empresa Nacional de Comercialização de Diamantes de Angola (National Diamond Marketing Company of Angola) is the state-owned diamond trading company and unique channel for Angolan diamond export, overseeing the marketing and commercialization of Angola’s natural diamond production on the global stage.
Petra Diamonds, established in 1997 in the UK, is a leading independent diamond mining group with four active mines: Finsch, Cullinan, and Koffiefontein in South Africa and Williamson in Tanzania. Koffiefontein is no longer in operation and has been placed into care and maintenance ahead of closure or a potential sale. Petra is a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index, which measures the performance of companies demonstrating strong environmental, social, and governance practice.
Board of Directors
BOARD CHAIR: Sandrine Conseiller, Chief Executive Officer, De Beers Brands
Sandrine Conseiller joins the NDC Board and De Beers from Maus Freres Brands Group. She spent eight years at the Group, most recently as CEO of Aigle and before that, Group Marketing and Branding Executive Vice President for Lacoste. For almost two decades before joining Maus Freres Brands Group, Sandrine enjoyed leadership roles at Unilever spanning marketing, general management, and audit disciplines across various geographies.
Agostinho Cussomba, Director of Internal Audit, Compliance, Standards, and Quality, SODIAM E.P
Agostinho Cussomba is a senior financial executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in governance, compliance, and financial oversight. His career spans key roles in Angola’s diamond, energy (Oil&Gas), and industrial sectors, where he has directed Finance, internal audit, risk management, and corporate compliance functions.
Agostinho currently serves as Director of Internal Audit, Compliance, Standards, and Quality at SODIAM E.P., Angola’s national diamond trading company and holds the position of a Chairman of the Fiscal Council at Angola Polishing Diamond. In these roles, he oversees financial supervision, regulatory adherence, and international compliance, including active participation in ESAAMLG initiatives against money laundering and terrorist financing.
He holds a PhD in Financial Management from the University of Antwerp and a Master’s Degree in Finance Sciences from HEC Paris. Agostinho has a certification in international arbitratratino from ICC Paris and a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA). His expertise includes implementing integrated systems such as SAP S4 HANA, Investments appraisal advancing corporate governance frameworks, and lecturing in International Economics and Finance at the graduate level.
Elton Escrivão, Commercial Director of Angola National Diamond Company (ENDIAMA‑E.P.),
Elton Escrivão is the Commercial Director of Angola National Diamond Company (ENDIAMA‑E.P.), where he leads diamond marketing, trade strategy, and the development of an integrated diamond and jewellery value chain. He has held key roles at ENDIAMA since 2019, including legal advisor in the Commercial Division and Head of Commercial Relations, before becoming Commercial Director in August 2023. In this role, he oversees all aspects of diamond sales, pricing, client relations, and market access, while driving ENDIAMA’s ambition to move further downstream into cutting, polishing, and local jewellery manufacturing.
Elton holds a law degree and a postgraduate qualification in Business Management, with additional certifications in diamond valuation, mining law, governance, and contract management.
As a member of the Angolan Bar Association His background combines legal rigour, commercial strategy, and deep knowledge of diamond markets, making him a leading voice on Angola’s evolving diamond sector.
Vivek Gadodia, Chief Executive Officer, Petra Diamonds Limited
Vivek has nearly two decades of experience in the extractives industry and joined Petra in August 2021 as Head of Corporate Development, working closely with the CEO and CFO. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Planning & Corporate Development Executive in March 2024. In this role, he has overseen the sale of the Koffiefontein mine in South Africa and, more recently, the Williamson mine in Tanzania. Vivek was instrumental in the replanning work associated with the streamlining and re-engineering of Petra’s operations and capital replanning in 2024, which has led to significant cost savings and improved operating performance. In December 2024, Vivek was appointed as Chief Restructuring Officer to oversee a further streamlining of the business aimed at improved cash flow generation. In February 2025, Vivek became Joint-Interim CEO responsible for all corporate matters. This became a permanent role in November 2025. As a qualified Process Engineer, Vivek spent nearly 15 years with Sasol prior to joining Petra, where he filled a number of engineering, project management & corporate positions.
Lipalesa Makepe, Okavango Diamond Company, Acting Managing Director
Lipalesa was appointed Acting Managing Director of Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) in December 2025, having joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in April 2018. She is a seasoned business executive with extensive leadership experience across Botswana’s financial services sector and diverse international jurisdictions. Her career is distinguished by a strong track record in strategy execution, commercial growth, and organizational and cultural transformation.
She has over 20 years of progressive leadership experience spanning the banking, stock market and brokerage, and mining sectors. Ms. Makepe has held several senior leadership roles, including Finance Director at Barclays Bank of Botswana and Head of Financial Control, Africa, at Barclays Bank Africa Group.
Ms. Makepe is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) with the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA). She currently serves as a Board Member of the Bank of Botswana, the central bank of the Republic of Botswana.
Executive Leadership
Raluca Anghel, Global Head of External Affairs and Industry Relations, is responsible for global external engagement and public affairs. Raluca heads the ASSURE Program and leads consumer protection and industry impact communication initiatives. She also spearheads communication and marketing efforts in Europe. During her career, Raluca skilfully coordinated Microsoft’s European storytelling agenda before transitioning to the European Institutions. She has also held the role of Spokesperson for the Romanian Presidency of the European Union Council. With an extensive 12-year tenure in Brussels, Raluca now lives in the UK.
Kristina Buckley Kayel, Managing Director & CMO of North America, steers Only Natural Diamonds, the consumer facing editorial platform, advertising campaigns, trade and retail partnerships, education, press and consumer insights. Kristina oversaw marketing and communications at Van Cleef & Arpels for over a decade. She has also held senior marketing roles at Baccarat, Bottega Veneta and Ferragamo. Kristina currently lives in New York.
Richa Singh, Managing Director of India and Middle East, has worked in luxury marketing for over 25 years. An innovative strategist, Richa has a deep understanding of the luxury consumer landscape and leads the execution of consumer and partner facing activations aimed at boosting the natural diamond category. Richa has held senior positions at L’Oreal where she helped scale up and build brands across diverse categories encompassing beauty and luxury products. Richa currently lives in Mumbai, India.
Katja Thoelen, Chief Financial Officer, has worked with global companies across several industries for more than two decades. Katja is responsible for managing finance, accounting, legal, tax and human resources. Katja has held senior positions at Xella, DME Europe, ITAB Shop Concept, British Petroleum Belgium, and currently lives in Antwerp, Belgium.
Sissi Xu, Managing Director of Greater China, champions natural diamonds among Chinese consumers and nurtures key retail and trade partnerships in the region. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in marketing and brand promotion, Sissi directs strategic marketing, communication, training and education initiatives. With a professional background in PR and marketing of luxury goods, she brings a deep knowledge of the lifestyle industry and millennial consumers in China.
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