Richard J. Whitby, who previously served as senior vice president of finance for De Beers group sightholder sales, has joined ALTR Created Diamonds as the company’s new chief financial officer.
Whitby worked for De Beers from 2007 to 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. His experience includes time in De Beers’ marketing, supply chain, and sales and distribution divisions. He most recently worked as a financial consultant for diamond companies based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“Lab-grown diamonds are a major innovation that is breathing new life into the diamond industry, and I look forward to applying my expertise to the future of this field at this exciting time,” Whitby said in a statement.
Amish Shah, founder and president of ALTR, said in the same statement, “Richard brings meaningful executive experience increasing the forward momentum of large international diamond businesses, and I’m confident his contributions will be key in helping us continue to grow and innovate in our category and the industry itself.”
He is not the first De Beers executive who has recently decided to explore the lab-grown diamond business. Last month, Toby Cruse, a two-decade veteran of De Beers, announced plans to join Diamond Foundry, though he is currently observing a six-month “cooling off” period.
ALTR is a division of R.A. Riam Group.
Source: DCLA