Mahesh C. Khemlani Appointed President of PDE
October 06, 15
(IDEX Online News) – Mahesh C. Khemlani has been elected as the new president of the Panama Diamond Exchange (PDE). He takes over from Erez Akerman who left the PDE to become managing director of the World Jewelry Hub (WJH).
The PDE board also approved the appointment of Ali Pastorini, director of Marketing of the WJH, as senior vice president of the PDE.
Khemlani, has an extensive background in business and government. He joins the PDE from Grupo VerdeAzul, a private investment firm in Panama, where he is currently chief investment officer. Before joining VerdeAzul, he spent six years at the Ministry of Economy & Finance of Panama, most recently as vice minister of Finance.
“We are truly fortunate to have an individual of the caliber of Mahesh, with his wealth of experience, knowledge, insight, ability and acumen, leading the Panama Diamond Exchange to the next level and beyond," said founding chairman Eli Izhakoff.
"Our objective is to create a world-class organization that will power the development of the gemstone and jewelry business in our region, and simultaneously expand the commercial relationship between Latin American and the world,” said Khemlani.
“At this stage, our focus will be on increasing membership and attracting regional buyers. I firmly believe that we have the facilities, professional personnel and strategic vision to make that all happen.”