Antwerp as an anchor, in a sea of change
September 23, 2011
By Ari Epstein, AWDC CEO
More than 50 years ago the then British prime minister, Harold Macmillan, coined the expression “the winds of change.” At the time he was speaking about an overwhelming force that was sweeping though Africa, bringing the end to colonial rule, as he said, “whether we like it or not.” Today, the winds of change are blowing strongly through the diamond industry, and the world that they leave behind them will be greatly different to the one that existed previously.
This process of accelerated change in the diamond sector began more than a decade ago, but it is not yet over. Our business today looks considerably different to the one that we knew in the year 2000, and I guarantee you the same will be true of the industry in the year 2020.
In forecasting the future, we are fortunate that there are aspects of our business which are constant, and by that I refer to factors that will be as valid in 2020 as they are today in 2011. The most obvious of these is our product, the diamond. This may sound obvious, but were I addressing a reader from the fashion industry or the consumer electronics industry, for example, the product itself would be considered a variable. True, there are issues like synthetics or treated diamonds, but still we essentially know what our core product will be in year 2020.
But the diamond is not the only rock solid factor in our business. For the past 500 years Antwerp has been one as well, and if we have our way it will remain rock solid for the next 500 as well.
But despite our 500-year heritage, we do not take our city’s fortunate position at as a fait accompli. Indeed, we recently launched a long-term strategic plan, called Antwerp 2020, the goal of which is to realise our vision that Antwerp retains its leadership role as the world diamond centre for the next 10 years and beyond. And we plan to do that by enhancing the critical mass that Antwerp already enjoys.
The plan is multi-dimensional, and rests on a number of pillars. One of the most important is the modernisation of the diamond market, making use of modern technology to develop a transparent system of supply and demand, which serves the interests of all the stakeholders in pipeline – producers, dealers, jewellers and consumers. The diamond business is inherently international, but it our mission and belief that it should be led from Antwerp.
Antwerp 2020 will ensure that our city remains the industry key business centre, and the world’s primary magnet for rough and polished diamonds. This will be achieved through the creation of new market mechanisms. Innovative skills and networks will emerge, which in turn will inspire the development of new and ground-breaking business models. It will be a ongoing and dynamic process will add consistently to our critical mass.
It was another politician, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who said that “neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” Sensible words indeed, but our mission in Antwerp today is not to avoid the future, and definitely not to be flattened by it. We need to understand, embrace and ultimately be empowered by the future. We need to look closely at that oncoming train, so that we may jump safely aboard and ride it on its journey over the horizon.
