Executive Committee
Harry Levy, Honorary Life chairman
Harry Levy was named Chairman of the London Diamond Bourse in April 2016. He has over forty five years in the diamond and gemstone industry. He has also served the industry in a variety of capacities throughout his public career.
Prior to being our Chairman, Mr Levy served as President from 2011 to 2016 and several terms as Vice President of the London Diamond Bourse, and also held the Chairmanship of the British Jewellers Association and in addition was the President of GEM-A. He has served on the Coloured Stone Commission, the International Diamond Council and helped promote World Jewellery Confederation CIBJO. Furthermore he has served on the Laboratory Commission, and for ten years, through March 2008, was president of the Diamond Commission.
Harry Levy’s career began after dabbling in the gemstone trade while lecturing in his professional field of mathematics, in which he holds a Masters degree. A few years later he left the academic world and became fully engaged in the gemstone trade and founded his own company in London, Levy Gems. In addition to a Masters degree in mathematics, Harry Levy holds a degree in philosophy, and is a Fellow of the British Gemmological Association.
Alan Cohen, President
Alan Cohen has been in the diamond business since 1971. He trained as a rough and polished diamond sorter in South Africa. He is an independent dealer in polished and rough diamonds. Alan was based in London from 1974 – 1991 buying both rough and polished diamonds all around the world. He lived and worked in Moscow, Russia from 1991 to 2006. Became a member of the LDB council in 2012 and president in 2018.
David Troostwyk – Vice President
David Troostwyk began his career in Antwerp where he worked for several Sight holders. He then went on to establish one of the first online electronic diamond exchange. In 2011, David returned to his native UK to set up Salotro. a diamond trading company. He joined the London Diamond Bourse in 2011 and later, The Young Diamantaires Group. David has been on the London diamond Bourse Council of Management since 2018 and Young Diamantaire Management Committee since 2019. His extensive expertise cover many levels of the diamond pipeline and he uses this experience to implement initiatives to bring the next generation of diamantaires through both organisations.
David Joffe, Treasurer
David Joffe has been in the diamond trade for more than 45 years. His company was a De Beers sight holder in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1977 he moved to London. He has traded in both rough and polished diamonds and travelled to all parts of the world both buying and selling stones. David is part of the Executive Committee and holds the role of Treasurer of the London Diamond Bourse – a post he has held for more than 20 years. David has been on the board for some 25 years.
Paul Koppelman – Executive Officer
Paul Koppelman entered the diamond trade in 1970 after graduating in Political Philosophy and Government and Law. He spent two and a half years learning diamond cleaving and diamond polishing before joining the family business which dealt mainly in rough diamonds. Paul broadened the business into industrial diamonds. . Has been a member of the Council of management for over forty years and has been very involved with Government Diamond Office in implementing the Kimberley Process Certification scheme in the UK since its inception in 2003.
Trevor Sigsworth, Executive Officer
Trevor is a precious stone specialist. Having been in the trade for his whole career. He started out as a precious stone sorter and buyer, and started on his own in his early 20’s. He has travelled all over the world in pursuit of obtaining fine gem stones from the mines and cutters to supply manufacturers the best that is available. Trevor is a specialist in his field and is regularly relied on to give opinion on all types of stones.