Inaugural JNA Awards Draws Impressive Number of Entries

Shortlisted finalists for the first 10 categories to be announced on 21 June

HONG KONG, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Jewellery News Asia (JNA) will announce the shortlist for the first 10 categories of the prestigious JNA Awards on Thursday, 21 June 2012.

The entries will be assessed by a panel of 8 judges, all international leaders with a vast amount of experience and well-respected within the trade.
(Top -- From left to right)
Vichai Assarasakorn, Secretary General of The Thai Chamber of Commerce & Board of Trade of Thailand; Albert Cheng, MD of World Gold Council - Far East; James Courage, CEO of Platinum Guild International; and Hidetaka Kato, Honorary Dean of the Tokyo Diamond Exchange;
(Bottom -- From left to right)
Biju Patnaik, Regional Head, Asia, International Diamond & Jewellery Group, ABN AMRO Group; Lin Qiang, President and Managing Director of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange; Matthew Runci, President & CEO of Jewelers of America; and Wilson Yuen, President of International Colored Gemstone Association.

Close to 70 entries from 15 countries and regions including Australia, mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the UK and the USA registered for the inaugural JNA Awards.

The industry-wide event for the jewellery trade is organised by Jewellery News Asia of UBM Asia in collaboration with UBM Awards. The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, 20 September 2012, at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

Letitia Chow, Founder of Jewellery News Asia and Director of Business Development -- Jewellery Group at UBM Asia, and the Chair of the judging panel said: "We are more than thrilled by the industry response to the inaugural JNA Awards. The number and calibre of the entries are exceptional and confirms the value and need for such an event within the jewellery and gem industry."

"The outstanding number of entries positions the JNA Awards as an important event in the global jewellery industry. Rio Tinto is proud to support an event which recognises excellence and innovation in the industry to the benefit of designers, manufacturers, retailers and ultimately, the consumer," said Rita Maltez, Manager of Rio Tinto Diamonds, Greater China Representative Office.

Kent Wong, Managing Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, added, "JNA Awards aims to honour the successes and achievements of the innovators and leaders in the jewellery industry. It can serve as a credit and recognition to the jewellery specialists or brands in different categories. This obviously shows that our industry values excellence and quality, we are determined to keep enhancing the industry standard. Our industry will definitely shine even brighter because of their support."

Judging for the first 10 categories has begun and will be finalised by 19 June. The announcement on the shortlisted entrants will be made at a press conference scheduled for 21 June 2012 at 11am at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (Rooms S226-227) -- the first day of the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

The Wonder of the World category, which is open only to AsiaWorld-Expo exhibitors during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 2012, will be accepting entries until 27 July 2012. The recipient of the award will be announced during the JNA Awards ceremony on 20 September 2012.

The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be selected by the main organisers and will be announced at a later date.

The categories include:

• Manufacturer of the Year
• Retailer of the Year
• Employer of the Year
• Brand of the Year
• Industry Innovation of the Year -- Manufacturing
• Industry Innovation of the Year -- Retail
• Sustainability Initiative of the Year
• Young Leader of the Year (Age 30 or below)
• 3 Decades of Excellence Award
• Outstanding Contribution to the Industry of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Wonder of the World Award

The final judging panel consists of eight judges:

• Vichai Assarasakorn, Secretary General of The Thai Chamber of Commerce & Board of Trade of Thailand
• Albert Cheng, Managing Director, World Gold Council -- Far East
• James Courage, Chief Executive Officer, Platinum Guild International UK Ltd
• Hidetaka Kato, Honorary Dean of the Tokyo Diamond Exchange
• Biju Patnaik, Regional Head, Asia, International Diamond & Jewellery Group, ABN AMRO Group
• Lin Qiang, President and Managing Director, Shanghai Diamond Exchange
• Matthew Runci, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jewelers of America
• Wilson Yuen, President, International Colored Gemstone Association

Industry leaders Rio Tinto, Chow Tai Fook, Robert Wan Tahiti, Israel Diamond Institute and the Shanghai Diamond Exchange are leading the event as JNA Awards 2012 (http://www.jnaawards.com/) partners.

The JNA Awards is an industry-wide event that honours and recognises excellence and achievement in the jewellery trade. The Awards ceremony and gala dinner will be held on September 20, 2012, during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. The event, the first of its kind in Asia, is organised by Jewellery News Asia (http://www.jewellerynewsasia.com/) of UBM Asia in collaboration with UBM Awards.

The JNA Awards 2012 is a ticketed event by application only. Interested parties may submit their request by logging on to http://www.jnaawards.com/.

Jewellery News Asia, first published in 1983, is the flagship magazine of UBM Asia's (http://www.ubmasia.com/) Jewellery Group. The publication is a leader in providing the latest industry updates and in-depth reports, covering the international jewellery trade with an Asia insight. Following its success, the publication launched its online edition, http://www.jewellerynewsasia.com/ in June 2011.

Note for Editors:

1. About UBM Asia (http://www.ubmasia.com/)

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia operates in 18 market sectors with headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia. We have over 240 products including trade fairs, conferences, trade publications, B2B/B2C portals and virtual event services. As Asia's leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in China, India and Malaysia, we stage the leading events of their kind across the region. Our 200 events, 24 publications and 16 vertical portals serve over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world with high value face-to-face business-matching events, quality and instant market news and industry trends, and round-the-clock online trading networks and sourcing platforms. We have 1,000 staff in 21 major cities across Asia, stretching from Japan to Turkey.

2. About UBM plc (http://www.ubm.com/)

UBM plc is a leading global company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, and from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,600 staff in more than 31 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business effectively and efficiently.

3. About UBM Awards

UBM Awards is UBM plc's awards organiser and producer. Based in London, UBM Awards specialises in end-to-end delivery of cross-sector awards programmes and bespoke events worldwide. UBM Awards organises more than 30 awards and bespoke events annually including the National Business Awards, the Asian Awards and the National Sales Awards.

Please contact:

Jewellery News Asia
UBM Asia (Hong Kong)
+852-2516-1683
enquiries@jnaawards.com

Paul Pimlett, Events Director
UBM Awards (UK)
+44 (0) 20-7921-8090
paul.pimlett@ubm.com