JVC’s Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez Joins RJC

London—The Responsible Jewellery Council has named Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez as its new head of North American development. 

She was previously the director of membership and marketing at the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, a role she held for more than 6 years.   

“Taking on the role of head of North American development at the Responsible Jewellery Council is an exciting opportunity to make an impact. I am ready to build on my past experiences and, together with the RJC team, support meaningful change, leading our industry towards a more responsible and innovative future," said Jenkins-Pérez. 

Alongside her new position with RJC, Jenkins-Pérez will continue as vice president and co-founder of the Black in Jewelry Coalition, as well as president of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) NY Metro chapter. 

The RJC also announced that Effie Marinos has joined the organization as specialist advisor for technical standards. 

Marinos brings more than 25 years of experience in social accountability and work in the sustainability field. 

She has worked to improve audit quality, promote data sharing, and help improve supplier performance.  

Marinos was a founding member of the SEDEX Associate Auditor Group (AAG), now known as the SEDEX Stakeholder Forum, where she was involved in developing the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) protocol as well as the associated Service Provider Supplement covering labor providers and other offsite working practices.

She also worked with the U.K.’s non-departmental public body dedicated to protecting vulnerable and exploited workers—the Gangmaster Licensing Authority, now called Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).  

Marinos was involved in the development of GLAA’s approach to certifying labor providers under U.K. legislation.  

She has also worked for SGS Group, where she spent more than 30 years, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

Most recently, she was SGS’s global technical governance manager for responsible business services, where she headed the company’s global activities in relation to RJC certification services.  

Marinos also worked on several chain of custody programs. 

From 2015 to 2020, she chaired the Independent Governance Committee for Responsible Sourcing, a group established in January 2015 to provide oversight for the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) Authority Rules for Risk Based Due Diligence in the Gold and Precious Metals Supply Chain.    

“I am really excited to be working with RJC at this exciting time. We have a great opportunity to continue the drive for best sustainability practices in the jewelry industry and support our members to strengthen their processes to meet customer expectations,” said Marinos. 

Marinos’ appointment comes as RJC is reviewing its existing standards and planning to add new standards on lab-grown material. 

Additionally, RJC has promoted Yagmur Masmas from senior certification manager to general manager of membership and Samanphy Li from assistant certification manager to manager of certification.  

As for new members, Clement Eleseshie Nyadroh will join the council as senior assurance coordinator, and Ruksar Mazar as membership application administrator. 

“These are exciting times at the RJC as our members continue to grow and the team steps up in tandem. I’m so proud of the existing staff members who have worked hard and been promoted,” said RJC Executive Director Melanie Grant.  

“I also look forward to working with our new experts Effie and Elyssa who bring a wealth of industry experience and talent.”