IRIS VAN DER VEKEN
Executive Director & Secretary General
Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030
Iris is the Executive Director & Secretary General of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, where she has been leading the initiative for over 3 years.
She has committed to advancing three core pillars of WJI 2030, including climate resilience, resource preservation, and fostering inclusiveness, with a focus on human rights and gender.
Iris is an advocate for multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral collaboration, working with all players across the value chain to embed sustainability at the heart of business strategy, building consumer trust and enabling business resilience in an ever-evolving regulatory and stakeholder landscape.
She spearheads strategic partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiatives in the watch and jewellery sector, leveraging over 20 years of experience across industries and on the ground in Africa, Armenia, China, India, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
Iris is a committed member of the Inclusive Leadership Council (100 Women @ Davos), the UNGC Coalition for Sustainable Procurement, Board Member of Diamonds Do Good, the Gold Principles Working Group, amongst others. She has also recently been appointed as an International Gender Champion, in Geneva.
Recognition is given to Iris for her leadership in fostering true collaboration, advocating for greater transparency and driving the human rights and the gender agenda across the global watch and jewellery industry.