De Beers Group

It was a pleasure to host De Beers Global Ambassador and Academy Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o, in South Africa and Namibia last week, where she experienced first-hand the positive impact that natural diamonds create for the people and places they come from.   Lupita Nyong'o toured our world-class operations at Venetia mine in South Africa and visited the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) and Namdeb in Namibia, meeting our colleagues working across the value chain and seeing how De Beers Group’s activities contribute to the wider sustainable development objectives of our partner countries.   She also visited our 32,000 hectare Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, which provides a protected habitat for diverse flora and fauna in South Africa, and the #BeFree Campus in Namibia, a youth facility that provides reproductive health services and skills training.   Reflecting on her trip, Lupita said: “I’ve had a relationship with De Beers jewellery for a while now and I was very curious to go to the source and experience the journey a diamond makes first-hand. It was a pleasure to meet with people working in South Africa and Namibia’s diamond industries, and I was especially struck by the female staff who are breaking barriers and having real success in a sector that has traditionally been the realm of men. It was illuminating and inspiring to meet women from the surrounding communities who occupy and thrive in technical roles, as drill operators, geologists, and engineers. “I have come to this region to observe and absorb for myself what diamonds are doing for people here and I have already witnessed how much more there is to their story. They have touched the lives of very many people and it is clear that the effects of diamonds on the society are as prismatic as the diamonds themselves.” Read more about her trip here: https://lnkd.in/ed7aRrNp   #DeBeers #naturaldiamonds #BuildingForever

Strategy in Action One of the key highlights during the first half of this year was launching our new Origins strategy, designed to grow value across all parts of our business, from mining to retail, and reinvigorate desire for natural diamonds among a new generation of consumers.  Scroll through below to see some of the key progress so far this year across our core strategic priorities.

Our 2024 half year results are now live.  Commenting on the results, our CEO Al Cook, said: “De Beers made great progress in delivering our Origins strategy during the first half of the year. We have streamlined the business, materially reducing our costs and ensuring we are best placed to grow value from mining to stores as conditions improve. We’re revitalising demand for natural diamonds for a new generation of consumers through our collaborations with Signet, Chow Tai Fook and other leading jewellery retailers. And we continue to support consumer confidence in natural diamonds, with high demand for our new DiamondProof lab-grown diamond detection instrument. “While we expect the challenging rough diamond trading conditions to continue in the near-term, the actions we are taking will support the recovery in natural diamond demand and position De Beers well for the future.” Read the full results statement here: https://lnkd.in/eQABWRBH

At De Beers we have long been proud of how we ‘put the forever into diamonds’. But we are equally proud to see our Element Six division, a world-leader in synthetic diamond solutions for industrial applications, partnering with the tech business Lummus Technology to take the ‘forever chemicals’ out of the environment. 'Forever chemicals' - technically known as PFAS - are synthetic compounds that have been produced and widely used in industrial applications and consumer products since the 1930s. They do not naturally break down in the environment and can cause serious health problems, so finding ways to remove them is a global priority. Now, in partnership with Lummus, Element Six will use the amazing properties of synthetic diamonds to deliver an innovative and unique solution to this worldwide challenge. Learn more about this transformative new partnership here: https://lnkd.in/dqHEBzx7

Our Q2 2024 production report is now live.   Rough diamond production decreased by 15% to 6.4 million carats, primarily reflecting the lower production guidance announced in the first quarter production report in response to the higher than normal levels of inventory in the midstream, and the expectation for a protracted recovery in demand.   Read the full report here:  https://lnkd.in/epVGcQqJ

We are delighted to welcome actor and singer Tan Jianci as our new Brand Ambassador for China. Admired for his unique, contemporary style, his boundless energy and his magnetic charisma, he embodies the symbolism at the heart of the Enchanted Lotus collection.

Last week our ‘Real You’ network – open to all Anglo American and De Beers Group LGBTQ colleagues and their allies – attended #LondonPride.  Discover their stories about the importance of Pride and of representation in the workplace in the video below. You can also learn more about inclusion and diversity at Anglo American here: bit.ly/45V1zWx

Shaping a more diverse talent pipeline. We’re working to increase representation of women in technical roles, and a highlight from the last year was the @WomEng fellowship workshop in Musina, South Africa, allowing local women in the engineering field to share their experiences, identify challenges in the community and share innovations to address them. Learn more about our #BuildingForever goal to help engage women and girls in STEM - from school age, all the way into their early careers: https://lnkd.in/evQQ-6J2

On Saturday, members of Real You, the LGBTQ colleague network for Anglo American and De Beers Group, proudly marched with InterEngineering at #PrideLondon.   Paul Stanley, Co-Chair of Real You, looks back on the impact made within Anglo American and De Beers Group in the 6 years since its creation.   "In that time we have hosted numerous events, raising awareness, understanding and empathy towards LGBTQ issues and heard the lived experiences of people inside and outside of our organisation. We have heard from countless colleagues how the company’s support allowed them to be themselves, and in some cases, come out to their colleagues (myself included) - lifting a huge weight and exhausting process of concealment to protect themselves. This year has seen further events and talks hosted by our Real You colleagues in Australia, South Africa and Botswana and the growth of our chapters in South America and membership from across the globe. I, for one, don’t want anyone past, present or future to feel they need to hide a major part of what makes them, them, at work. I hope our efforts can make our workplaces safe spaces for everyone."   This year's theme focused on ‘Embracing Every Shade: Celebrating Diversity Together’ and our colleagues proudly marched to show support for the community and how we promote an inclusive and diverse environment throughout our business. Our Real You Network launched in 2018 and has since promoted a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQIA colleagues and allies at Anglo American and De Beers Group.

In the wake of International Day of Women in Engineering, we look back on last year’s #AskAnEngineer workshop held in Namibia in partnership with @WomEng and the Debmarine – Namdeb Foundation. Supported by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, the event brought together 261 high school girls and 4 female engineers from Debmarine Namibia, who shared their journeys in the world of engineering. Since the programme’s inception in 2019, 863 girls have attended face-to-face engagements in Namibia. With the next workshop planned for August, we continue our work towards our #BuildingForever goal of Accelerating Equal Opportunity by engaging 10,000 girls in STEM.