Dominion Diamond Company announced that its former chairman and CEO, Robert Gannicott, has died, following a protracted battle with leukemia.
Gannicott was a member of the board of the directors of the company since its inception as a diamond company in 1992. He was chairman of the board from June 2004 until April 2016, and CEO of the company from September 1999 to July 2015.
He led the company through its growth following the founding of the Diavik Diamonds Project in 1994 and 1995, and through the acquisition of American luxury diamond jewelry brand, Harry Winston. He was instrumental in the purchase of the Ekati Diamond Mine and the sale of Harry Winston, which returned Dominion to its roots as a Canadian diamond miner.
“It is a sad day at Dominion,” said Dominion CEO Brendan Bell. “Bob Gannicott was a visionary and a pillar of the Canadian diamond industry. He built the company from the ground up, taking it from a junior mining company to what is it is today as Canada’s largest independent diamond producer. Bob was an exceptional leader as well as a good friend and mentor; he will be deeply missed by all who had the good fortune to work with him and to know him.”
