HONG KONG, Oct. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The JNA Awards, one of the most prestigious awards programmes in the global jewellery and gemstone trade has announced its highly anticipated list of Recipients at its inaugural hybrid ceremony – a live event combining online and physical elements that capped off the first day of the Jewellery & Gem Digital World on a high note.
L to R: Peter Suen of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, David Bondi of Informa Markets, Margaret Ma Connolly of Informa Markets, Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients: Lawrence MA Yung Yi, Kent Wong Siu Kee, Bernard Chan Pak-li, Under Secretary, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of Hong Kong, Letitia Chow of Informa Markets Jewellery, Hamilton Cheng of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, Chow Kit Shing of C. S. S. Jewellery Co. Limited, Abhishek Parekh of KGK Diamonds (HK) Ltd, Mark Lee of Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy
JNA Awards 2020
Informa Markets Jewellery
Established by Informa Markets Jewellery in 2012, the JNA Awards honours companies and individuals who uphold excellence, innovation and best business practices in the jewellery industry, regardless of scale, specialisation or geographical location. Now on its ninth edition, the Awards lauded a total of 32 Honourees across seven categories, from which 14 Recipients took home the night's top gongs.
Lawrence Ma and Kent Wong, two inspiring pillars in the global jewellery industry, also received the evening's highest accolades. The Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients were recognised for their tremendous contributions in shaping, transforming and advancing the jewellery industry in Hong Kong, and for enhancing global trade, over the past four decades.
Upon receiving the honour, Kent Wong expressed, "My heartfelt gratitude to JNA Awards for granting this prestigious award. This award is not just a great honour for myself, but also a testimony of the key position of Hong Kong Jewellery industry in the global scene, an important endorsement of the development of Chow Tai Fook and our contributions to the community over the years. I wholeheartedly thank all Chow Tai Fook staff, customers, industry and business partners for their trust and support, if it wasn't for them, I would not be who I am today."
Lawrence Ma shared during the ceremony, "I am so honoured, humbled and, of course, delighted to be one of the recipients of this year's JNA Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. I am here tonight to receive this honour on behalf of so many who have, knowingly or unknowingly, in the past years taught and showed me, enlightened and inspired me, encouraged and supported me as well as offered me invaluable opportunities and thus made tonight a reality for me. To all these amazing people, some of whom are here tonight, please accept my heartfelt gratitude!"
The 14 Award Recipients across 7 categories are:
1. Industry Innovation of the Year
1a. Customer Engagement
BOJEM – China
1b. Digital Business
Tracr – United Kingdom
1c. Marketing
CHJ Jewellery – Mainland China
Le Vian – United States
1d. Technology
KGK Diajewels Private Limited – India
2. Manufacturer of the Year
Emerald Jewel Industry India Limited – India
Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewelry Industrial Co Ltd – Mainland China
3. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – APAC
Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ) – Vietnam
4. Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – EMEA
KGK Diamonds SA Pty Ltd – South Africa
5. Retailer of the Year
Kashi Jewellers – India
MCLON Jewellery Company Limited – Mainland China
6. Sustainability Initiative of the Year
De Beers Group – United Kingdom
The Muzo Companies – Colombia
7. Young Entrepreneur of the Year (age 40 and below)
Nancy WONG, Luk Fook Holdings (International) Limited – Hong Kong
Letitia Chow, Chairperson & founder of JNA Awards at Informa Markets Jewellery remarked, "The Honourees and Recipients at the JNA Awards 2020 have displayed great perseverance, innovation and agility. Even in the midst of unprecedented challenges and negative news, they choose to have hope and continue to believe in the future of our industry. With their faith and vision, they see solutions to problems and aim to overcome them. I would like to congratulate all these exceptional members of the jewellery community for their achievements. We are thrilled to celebrate this special occasion physically in Hong Kong and virtually with our colleagues from around the globe."
Commenting on the 2020 JNA Awards, James Courage, one of the principal judges of the Awards shared, "Entries for this year showcased an innovative and effective response to COVID-19. They chronicled how jewellery businesses from around the world have accelerated their transformation to omni-channel marketing, as they increased support for their employees. There was a continued focus on new technology, sustainability, the environment, and in meeting retailers' and customers' demands for greater transparency."
Albert Cheng, another principal judges of the Awards expressed, "I thought that the participation rate and quality of entries to the JNA Awards 2020 would be compromised because of the COVID-19 situation. To our surprise, the Honourees and Recipients still did very well, proving themselves true leaders in their respective categories. We were also able to unearth some hidden gems from this year's entries."
Peter Suen, Executive Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, added, "Chow Tai Fook takes pride in being a Headline Partner of the JNA Awards for nine consecutive years. We are honoured to witness our peers' continuous pursuit of innovations that bring positive advancement to the industry. Through these concerted efforts, I am confident that we can make the jewellery industry shine for generations to come."
Lin Qiang, President and Managing Director of Shanghai Diamond Exchange further expounded, "It was an unprecedented year of challenges. Still, jewellers with noble aspirations, unyielding perseverance and tremendous courage overcame such difficulties and made new advancements. The exceptional achievements of the Recipients and Honourees brought us hope, strength and inspiration. They truly deserve our respect."
JNA Awards 2020 is supported by Headline Partners Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, and Shanghai Diamond Exchange; alongside Honoured Partners KGK Group and Guangdong Land (Shenzhen) Limited.
For more information, visit http://www.JNAawards.com/ or contact:
JNA Awards Marketing
Informa Markets
+852-2516-2184
marketing@jnaawards.com
Notes for Editors:
1. About the Headline Partner
1.1 Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (www.ctfjewellerygroup.com)
Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (the "Group"; SEHK stock code: 1929) was listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in December 2011. The Group's vision is to become the most trusted jewellery group in the world.
Founded in 1929, the Group's iconic brand "CHOW TAI FOOK" is widely recognised for its trustworthiness and authenticity, and is renowned for its product design, quality and value. A long-standing commitment to innovation and craftsmanship has contributed to the Group's success, along with that of its iconic retail brand, and has been embodied in its rich 90-year heritage. Underpinning this success are our long-held core values of "Sincerity • Eternity".
The Group's differentiation strategy continues to make inroads into diverse customer segments by catering to a bespoke experience for different lifestyles and personalities, as well as customers' different life stages. Offering a wide variety of products, services and channels, the Group's brand portfolio comprises the CHOW TAI FOOK flagship brand, with curated retail experiences including ARTRIUM and JEWELRIA, and other individual brands including HEARTS ON FIRE, ENZO, SOINLOVE and MONOLOGUE.
The Group's commitment to sustainable growth is anchored in its customer-centric focus and strategies, which are in place to promote long term innovation in business, in people and in culture. Another asset underpinning sustainable growth is a sophisticated and agile business model. This supports the Group by fostering excellence and extending opportunities along the entire value chain to communities and industry partners across the world.
With an extensive retail network in Greater China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and the United States, and a fast-growing e-commerce business, the Group is implementing effective online-to-offline ("O2O") strategies to succeed in today's omni-channel retail environment.
1.2 Shanghai Diamond Exchange (www.cnsde.com)
Authorised by the State Council, the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE) is the only diamond exchange body in China; and provides diamond dealers a fair and safe transaction venue under close supervision. It also enjoys a favourable taxation policy and is operated in accordance with international best practices of the diamond industry.
Established in 2000, the SDE is a non-profit, self-regulating membership organisation and a member of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.
2. About the Honoured Partners
2.1 KGK Group (www.kgkgroup.com)
The KGK Group was founded in 1905 by Kesrimal Kothari and Ghisilal Kothari of Jaipur (India), to trade gemstones between India and Burma. With a global presence across 15 countries today, the privately held group has evolved into one of the most preferred brands in the gemstone and jewellery industry, with a vertically integrated operation. KGK is one of the few conglomerates covering the entire spectrum of mining, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution of coloured gemstones, diamonds and jewellery for over a century. KGK Group has a resilient team of 12,000 employees with operations and offices in Asia, North and South America, Europe and Africa. Having achieved an impeccable reputation in the gemstone, diamond and jewellery trade, the group has recently diversified into real estate.
2.2 Guangdong Land (Shenzhen) Limited (www.gdland.com.hk)
Guangdong Land (Shenzhen) Limited (GD Land (Shenzhen)) is an indirect subsidiary of GDH Limited, the largest conglomerate from the Guangdong Province that operates outside of Mainland China. Headquartered in Hong Kong, GD Land (Shenzhen) is the listed company of GD Holdings for its HOPSCA business. It has been listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with stock code: 00124 since 1997.
GD Land (Shenzhen) currently has a number of upscale projects in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, including Guangzhou Riverside Garden, Guangzhou Ruyingju, Guangzhou Laurel House, Guangzhou Panyu Wanbo CBD Project, Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town Project, Foshan Nanhaiheshun Project and its flagship project, the Shenzhen GDH City.
The GDH City, a landmark HOPSCA comprised of grade-A office buildings, an experiential shopping mall of around 120,000 m2, a brewery heritage art street, a versatile space of 37-69 m2 and quality apartment buildings. Situated in Shuibei Buxin Business Circle in Shenzhen, the most sophisticated and largest centre for gold and jewellery trade in the country, the GDH City enjoys instant access to rich natural resources and an expansive transportation network. Indeed, GDH City allows one to enjoy fully everything it has to offer.
3. About Informa Markets (www.informamarkets.com)
Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.
4. About Informa Markets Jewellery
Our resources, industry experience, influence and focus as a partner are enhanced by our global jewellery portfolio consisting of 13 events in 9 key cities, a powerful digital platform -- JewelleryNet, a dedicated Jewellery Media team and one of the industry's most prestigious awards programmes -- the JNA Awards.
