The article in the url below is an interview with Gareth Penny, CEO of De Beers. Penny took over as CEO of the diamond company in 2006 in the middle of the ‘conflict diamonds’ crisis (Issues: Country of Origin, p223):
“Rapper Kanye West's "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" in 2005 and the movie "Blood Diamond" in 2006 were triggering a wave of negative publicity about buying "conflict diamonds," which were sold in the 1990s by African rebels to help pay for their wars.”
The interview asks Penny about what he has done to steer De Beers through this (“One hundred percent of De Beers diamonds today are conflict free. … It is estimated that 99.8% of all diamonds in the world flow through the Kimberley Process, which is extraordinary”) and other CSR-related issues. It also delves into his perspective on De Beers’ role as a leader in the diamonds industry today:
“Today, De Beers is "in transition," says Mr. Penny, 45 years old. The company, whose sales slipped 2.8% last year to $6.84 billion, has a new business model and is trying to polish its image. And Mr. Penny now casts himself as an unofficial ambassador for Africa who can help bring businesses and jobs to the continent.”
Take care
Dave
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
Boss Talk: De Beers Polishes Its Image --- CEO Penny Refashions Business Model to Tackle Diamond Giant's Flaws
By Vanessa O'Connell
1255 words
7 July 2008
The Wall Street Journal
B1
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121538963806131221.html
