Natural Diamond Council Announces New Board Chair

New York—The Natural Diamond Council’s board of directors has announced a new chair as Stephen Lussier departs.

Lussier, the longest-serving board member, announced he is retiring as chair and board member.

Replacing him is De Beers Chief Brand Officer David Prager, who has served on the NDC board since last year.

“Across time and borders, natural diamonds stand apart as a source of value and values,” said Prager.

“I would like to thank Stephen for his singular contribution to the NDC since its inception. I am proud to serve as chairman of the NDC and support its dedicated team to connect more people around the world to the diamond dream.”

Lussier retired from De Beers in 2022, where he was most recently executive vice president of brands and consumer markets. He spent four decades promoting diamonds, working for De Beers’ former U.S. advertising agency N.W. Ayer, before going in-house with the miner. 

NDC noted Lussier’s essential part in bringing miners together to market natural diamonds through the formation of the Diamond Producers Association in 2015, which has since rebranded itself as the Natural Diamond Council. 

The organization said Lussier has served as the connector between it and its member companies. 

“It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with Stephen,” said Natural Diamond Council CEO David Kellie.

“His passion for building the desire for natural diamonds is unmatched in our industry and his experience and knowledge of the industry has been pivotal to the success of the NDC. Despite retiring from De Beers earlier this year, Stephen agreed to continue in his role with the NDC to ensure a smooth transition to our new chair. Personally, I’ll miss his mentorship, but also wish him a very happy retirement.” 

As the last of the original board members, Lussier said it has been an honor to serve as chair.

“Consumer desire for diamonds and consumer demand for diamond jewelry are the foundation upon which our industry is built, and the work of the NDC is pivotal in maintaining and building this consumer desire,” he said. 

“This could not be clearer than it is in the current market. I remain fully confident that with the right marketing, the diamond dream will live ‘forever.’”