World Gold Council appoints Vipin Sharma as Director Jewellery in India

World Gold Council, the market development organisation for the gold industry, announced today the appointment of Vipin Sharma as Director Jewellery for India. Sharma will have the overall responsibility for the strategic development of the World Gold Council's Jewellery division in India, effective immediately. He will report directly to Ajay Mitra, Managing Director for India and Middle East at the World Gold Council.

Prior to his appointment at the World Gold Council, Vipin Sharma co-founded the "OyzterBay' retail chain, which focused on jewellery targeted at the younger audience in the country. Subsequently, he also played an instrumental role in strategic joint ventures for OyzterBay, while managing the overall retail business responsibility at Rajesh Exports Limited.

Sharma has also lead the teams in his previous role, to set up and manage retail chains under brand names "Shubh' and "Laabh', which targeted mainstream diamond and 22K Gold jewellery segments. Prior to co-founding "OyzterBay', Sharma was associated with Tanishq.

Ajay Mitra, Managing Director, India & Middle East, World Gold Council, said:

"Vipin is a highly accomplished professional who brings with him cross functional and leadership experience in organized jewellery retail and consumer markets in India. His expertise and experience will help the organization to continue building its strategic footprints with partners and consumers across the country. We are delighted to have Vipin on board and are certain that he will help us grow rampantly"

Vipin Sharma holds a Masters in Business Management from S.P. Jain Institute, Mumbai.