Name Vartkess Knadjian | ||
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Backes strauss ceo vartkess knadjian interviewed by afp at the british embassy in paris
Vartkess Knadjian (born 12 January 1955) is an English Armenian entrepreneur and businessman, and the current CEO of the oldest diamond company in the world, Backes and Strauss.
Contents
- Backes strauss ceo vartkess knadjian interviewed by afp at the british embassy in paris
- Career
- Personal life
- References
Career
The son of a watchmaker, Knadjian joined Backes & Strauss in 1976, and was appointed CEO in 2001. He says, “I joined Backes & Strauss, London, as a trainee and was sent to Belgium to learn the trade – to polish, sort, value and price diamonds. That took me all of five years to learn. I went on to stay in Belgium for 30 years – and I am still learning! Within six years, I was running the Antwerp office, taking the company from a small buying office to a major international diamond company. I became the Managing Director in 2001.”
Personal life
Knadjian was educated at Kingswood School, in Bath, and studied International Relations at the LSE. He is married with two children.