PDE OFFICERS
ELI IZHAKOFF
Founding Chairman
Founding Chairman of the Panama Diamond Exchange, Eli Izhakoff has over the years served in many of the most important positions in the international diamond and jewelry sectors.
He first joined the board of directors of the Diamond Dealers Club in New York in 1979, and was elected as its President in 1990. He served as President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses for an unprecedented three terms from 1991 to 1998, and today is an Honorary Life President of the organization. At the World Diamond Congress held in Antwerp, Belgium, in July 2000, Mr. Izhakoff was unanimously elected as chairman of the World Diamond Council and served in the position until 2013, when he was elected its Honorary Life President
Mr. Izhakoff is also a member of the board of directors of several other organizations, and also holds the titles of Honorary Chairman of the Diamond Industry Steering Committee, New York, USA; Honorary President of the Diamond Dealers Club, New York, USA; and Honorary Chairman of the Bangkok Diamonds and Precious Stones Exchange, Bangkok, Thailand.
ERNEST BLOM
Member, PDE Board of Directors
President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), as a third generation member of a South African diamond family, Ernest Blom became involved in the public life industry from his early days as a polisher. He served as Chairman of the Jewellery Council of South Africa from 1998 to 2005, and Chairman of the Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa from 2003 to date.
He was a founding member of the World Diamond Council in 2000. In 2002 he was elected Vice President of the WFDB, and was elected its President at the World Diamond Congress in Tel Aviv in 2006, after which he served a two-year term. At the 33rd World Diamond Congress in Shanghai he was elected WFDB Vice President, and was appointed an Honorary Lifetime President of the WFDB. He was elected to a second term as WFDB President at the 35th World Diamond Congress in Mumbai, India, in 2012.
DR. GAETANO CAVALIERI
Member, PDE Board of Directors
Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri has served since 2001 as President of CIBJO, The World Jewelry Confederation. In this role, he was responsible in July 2006 for the organization receiving “Special Consultative Status” with United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (ECOSOC), making it the first and only jewelry and gemstone representative to be officially recognized by the international body.
Dr. Cavalieri also serves as president of the Italian Federation of Gold, Silver and Jewellery Wholesalers, is a member of the International Executive Council of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company of London, a member of the European Assay Association, is a board member of the World Diamond Council, a member of Goldsmiths’ Hall London, and member of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA). He also is a consultant to the Italian Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and to the European Economic Commission in the areas of harmonization of standards and value added tax (VAT) on gold.
AVI PAZ
Member, PDE Board of Directors
Avi Paz served as President of the World Diamond Council in 2013 and 2014. He previously served two terms as president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, being first elected at the 33rd World Diamond Congress in Shanghai, China, in 2008. He previously served as vice president of the organization, having been elected to that post at the 32nd World Diamond Congress in Tel Aviv in June 2006.
In 2005, Mr. Paz was elected as president of the Israel Diamond Exchange, one of the leading bourses in the diamond industry, with 2,500 members and the largest and trading hall in the world. A descendant of the Goldberg family, well-established diamond traders in Russia and Belgium, Mr. Paz was born in Cuba.
EREZ AKERMAN
President, Panama Diamond Exchange
Erez Akerman is the founding and acting President of the Panama Diamond Exchange. During his career he has studied gemology and worked at the Israel Diamond Exchange and in the Antwerp and New York diamond districts in many different positions.
Since 2006 Mr. Akerman has resided in Panama, working closely with the government of Panama and with all relevant diamond and jewellery organizations for the development of the Panama Diamond Exchange, Latin America’s first and only hub for the diamond and jewellery trade.