Journalist Melanie Grant is new executive director of Responsible Jewellery Council

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jan 23, 2023

Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the sustainability standard-setting organisation for the UK jewellery and watch industry, has appointed Melanie Grant as its new executive director.

Described as a “celebrated thinker, writer and curator”, Grant brings more than 20 years’ experience in the watch and jewellery industry's “biggest and most influential outlets”. In addition to commissioning and editing luxury content, she also brings “significant leadership experience to the role”. 

Grant has been a journalist for over 20 years, having worked at The Times, The Financial Times, The Independent, The Guardian, the BBC and, until 2022, The Economist where she was also luxury editor of 1843 Magazine.

RJC said she’s been on a mission for the last decade “to dismantle boundaries between art forms so that jewellery is considered equal to fine art”.

David Bouffard, RJC Chairman, said she “has a deep love and knowledge of jewellery and watches, and a uniquely creative skillset which is both industry and consumer facing. I believe she will successfully take the RJC into a new era as we continue to deliver on our mission of continuous improvement in the integrity of the global jewellery and watch supply chain.” 

Grant added: “We are today with sustainability where we were with digital transformation 20 years ago. Those who embraced it thrived but also gained new and younger clients. Those who dismissed it in many ways got left behind. Sustainability is the greatest single issue facing watches and jewellery today, and I want to help everyone understand what they can do to be part of this movement.”