In the midst of toughening conditions in the diamond market, De Beers has appointed Bruce Cleaver to take over as CEO, following the resignation of Philippe Mellier. Philippe Mellier was the head of the company for five years, during which time Bruce Cleaver was De Beer’s executive director responsible for strategy and commercial relationships up until 2015. Bruce Cleaver was previously Co-Acting CEO for a year before Philippe Mellier came in.
The diamond industry has been wading through its own recession of late, with low consumer demand and increased competition from other jewels. Before his return to De Beers, Bruce Cleaver served as the Group Director of Strategy & Business Development at Anglo American Limited. In his statement, Mark Cutifani – Chief Executive of Anglo American and Chairman of De Beers – cited Bruce Cleaver’s decade plus of experience with the company as a strong indicator of how well he will perform in the company and the need for continuity.
Bruce Cleaver began his career at De Beers as General Counsel in 2005, after being a partner at Webber Wentzel, the South African law firm.
