Susan Jacques has been appointed president and CEO of the Gemological Institute of America.
Jacques, currently president and CEO of Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts and chair of the GIA board, will take up her new responsibilities on January 1.
At the board’s requests she has been interim president and CEO since June 2013.
Jacques said she is honoured and humbled by the opportunity to serve with the more than 2000 dedicated GIA professionals across the globe.
“Together we will continue to protect the global public by ensuring their trust in the gem and jewellery industry,” she said.
“With the leadership team, particularly senior vice president of laboratory and research Tom Moses, I look forward to working closely with all of GIA’s stakeholders to address their important issues as we build on the Institute’s successes and strengths.”
“I am blessed to come back to GIA, which contributed so much to my professional life, and am delighted to be able to give back to the industry of which I am so fortunate to be a part.”
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc which acquired Borsheims in 1989, said he couldn’t be happier or more proud of Jacques.
“While it is with great sadness that I accept her resignation after her long and stellar career with Borsheims, I know she is accepting a role at GIA that she is passionate about and allows her to give back to the jewellery industry.
“I am confident that she will bring the same style of professionalism and collaboration to her new and exciting role in the gem and jewellery industry that she has honed throughout her years of service at Borsheims.”
Jacques has a long-established relationship with GIA, having received her Graduate Gemologist (GG) diploma in 1980.
She was appointed to GIA’s Board of Governors in 1996 and elected chair in 2008. As president and CEO she will continue as a member of the board.