Antwerp, Belgium — Banking veteran Paul De Wachter has been appointed the next CEO of HRD Antwerp, the grading lab owned by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). He will officially begin his role in January 2026, succeeding Ellen Joncheere, whose contract “was not renewed.” Effective immediately, COO Stanley De Belie will step in as interim CEO during the transition.
De Wachter brings two decades of experience at the intersection of finance and diamonds. He began his diamond career in 2002 at Antwerp Diamond Bank, rising to senior relationship manager before joining the National Bank of Fujairah in 2018 as head of its Antwerp office. By 2020, he was leading the bank’s diamond unit.
“I am very much looking forward to taking on this new challenge,” De Wachter said in a statement. “I am fully aware of the amount of work that lies ahead, at a time when the international diamond industry is facing major challenges, including the rise of lab-grown diamonds. HRD needs a strong, clear vision and determined leadership to deliver on its role as a trusted partner for its clients.”
This leadership shift comes at a pivotal moment. In June 2025, HRD Antwerp became the first major grading lab to announce it would stop grading lab-grown diamonds, a controversial decision that split the trade. Critics argue the move risks alienating younger, sustainability-driven consumers, while supporters say it reaffirms the lab’s commitment to natural diamonds.
With De Wachter’s appointment, the industry is watching closely: Will he double down on HRD’s natural-diamond-only stance, or recalibrate in light of the undeniable growth of the lab-grown diamond market? Either way, his arrival underscores the clash between tradition and innovation at the very heart of Antwerp’s diamond trade.
Understand how the lab-grown diamond debate is reshaping global grading standards. Explore the AIDI Lab-Grown Diamond Guide for insights every jeweler needs.