The World Diamond Council (WDC) has decided that, in light of the unusual set of circumstances currently prevalent, including those precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the terms of its senior leadership, scheduled to terminate this year, will continue into 2023.

As such, WDC president Edward Asscher, VP Feriel Zerouki and treasurer Ronnie VanderLinden will serve for another year, uninterrupted.

According to WDC bylaws, the president serves one term of two years, after which they will be automatically succeeded by the serving VP, while the WDC’s board of directors would elect, from among its members, another VP.

With the Kimberley Process having suspended regular activities in 2020 because of the pandemic, the WDC’s board of directors agreed that in the present situation it was appropriate to suspend the scheduled transition and election of new officers on an extraordinary basis until June 2023.