Life Time Award to Diamond King Navrattan Kothari

[ABS News Service/23.02.2022]

Letitia Chow, chairperson and founder of JWA at IMJ remarked, "The jewellery industry has once again demonstrated its resilience and ability to adapt with what we witnessed at this year's JWA. With the achievements and success stories shared by the recipients, we are inspired by their vision, innovative approach and thirst for excellence to move forward even in times of adversity."

The evening's highest accolade was given to Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Navrattan Kothari, who has shown compassionate and driven leadership in the past six decades. Aside from transforming his family business into a global conglomerate, he has also been dedicated to supporting the local communities where KGK Group operates in.

The Recipients are:

1. Lifetime Achievement Award

· Navrattan Kothari

2. Brand of the Year – Retail

· Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, Hong Kong

3. Industry Innovation of the Year

· Diamonds On Call Limited, Hong Kong

· Emerald Jewel Industry India Limited, India

· Picup Media, Hong Kong

· Shenzhen Link Gold Technology Co Ltd, China

4. Manufacturer of the Year – Diamond

· KGK Group, Hong Kong

5. Manufacturer of the Year – Jewellery

· Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company, Vietnam

6. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – APAC

· CHJ Jewellery, China

· YLG Bullion Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore

7. Outstanding Small Enterprise of the Year (50 full-time employees and below)

· Brilliant Cuts Pvt Ltd, Sri Lanka

8. Outstanding ESG Performance of the Year

· Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewelry Industrial Co Ltd, China

9. Young Entrepreneur of the Year (age 40 and below)

· Do Minh Duc, DOJI Gold & Gems Group JSC, Vietnam

· Joyee Zhao, BOJEM, China

James Courage, one of the principal judges of JWA said, "Judging from the participants' responses and initiatives, one can say that the industry continues to push the boundaries in order to safeguard the welfare of its employees and satisfy its customers — even in the harshest conditions. Their ability to innovate, adapt and meet the market's needs is testament to our Honourees' resilience, passion, drive and humanity."

Albert Cheng, also a principal judge added, "In the past 18 months, all our Honourees showcased resiliency, flexibility and rapid digitisation to battle the negative effects of COVID-19. On behalf of the judging panel, I salute all Recipients who have succeeded in these unprecedented times."

Kent Wong, Managing Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group (CTF), said, "We are honoured and proud to be a Headline Partner of JWA for 10 straight years. We look forward to collaborating with our peers and driving the industry towards more milestones and achievements in the future."

Lin Qiang, President & Managing Director of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE), who also is one of the judges noted, "The global jewellery industry is clearly recovering from the effects of the pandemic. The Chinese diamond business, for one, had a robust rebound. Such growth largely results from the unremitting efforts made by our colleagues in the industry. JWA continues to serve its purpose as a stage for celebrating these achievements and more."

JWA is supported by Headline Partners CTF and SDE, and Honoured Partners KGK Group and Guangdong GD Land Group Limited. JGT Dubai, jointly organised by IMJ and the Italian Exhibition Group, is supported by official partner, DMCC.