PEOPLE BEFORE POLICY
‘In our industry, where flawless legacy, credibility and reputation are prerequisites, I have learned that what differentiates one company from another is never the product alone, but also the people behind it.’
A member of the World Diamond Council’s Kimberley Process Task Force, Dr. Nirav Mandir is a seasoned human resources and sustainability professional with almost two decades of experience in the natural diamond industry.
As Chief Human Capital & Sustainability Officer at Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. (SRK), one of the world’s largest diamond manufacturing and export conglomerates, he shoulders strategic responsibilities for global HR, investor relations, sustainability, ESG and CSR.
FEBRUARY 12, 2026
My professional journey has been shaped by a deep interest in understanding people, nurturing trust, and strengthening the cultural frameworks that uphold the credibility and continuity of legacy‑driven businesses.
Over the years, I have worked on institutional governance, leadership development, cultural transformation and strategic sustainability initiatives across the natural diamond value chain. Through hands‑on engagement with manufacturers, traders, employees and global stakeholders, I believe I have gained a grounded perspective on what truly sustains this industry — people, ethical practices and trust.
I strongly feel that long‑term value creation begins with a business’s ability to rely on its human capital and to reinforce its own credibility. With that as my foundation, I focus on building resilient organizations and responsible business practices that can endure across generations.
Policies and procedures guide business corporations, but culture and trust are what make them endure. Understanding people is no less strategic than understanding products or markets.
The human factor
During my many years in the natural diamond industry, I have observed countless situations where policies existed on paper, but they were ineffective because the the culture behind them was misaligned with that of the people that they were meant to serve. At the same time, I have witnessed organizations with limited resources that outperform their peers simply because their values are people-centric.
In our industry, where flawless legacy, credibility and reputation are prerequisites, I have learned that what differentiates one company from another is never the product alone, but also the people behind it.
No form of certification, company policy or technology can replicate the impact of an empowered, motivated and reliable workforce. Understanding human behavior, building conviction and nurturing culture is not a soft skill — it is a strategic necessity.
Lessons from legacy systems
Trust has always been the core currency of the diamond trade. From miners and manufacturers to traders, retailers, and finally consumers, it is what has bound the entire value chain together
The author, during the Kimberley Process Plenary meeting in Dubai, IAE, in November 2025.
If I were to look back at history, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, artisanal diamond production in countries like Ghana, Angola and Sierra Leone operated in environments where formal regulatory systems were limited. To achieve success in such ecosystems one could not depend solely on procedure and rules. There was a heavy reliance on relationships, reputation, and shared understanding of fairness and ethical conduct.
Where trust was strong, informal systems functioned efficiently. Where it eroded, markets collapsed or became vulnerable to exploitation.
This lesson remains equally relevant within organizations today. Policies may define boundaries, but trust ensures ethical behavior when ambiguity arises. Innovation, accountability, and integrity are sustained not by enforcement alone, but by lived experience and shared values.
Culture is experienced, not prescribed
The nurturing of a positive corporate culture should never be viewed as corrective medicine that is prescribed after the damage has been done. In my view, culture is preventive by nature. It quietly shapes relationships long before problems arise.
Organizations often confuse compliance with culture. Manuals, standards of procedure and training programs provide frameworks, but the coporate culture is revealed in everyday moments – how mistakes are addressed, how feedback is received, and how decisions are not only implemented, but also explained.
I have seen organizations with strong reporting systems that employees hesitate to use, simply because the environment feels punitive. Conversely, when sense of psychological safety is present, teams achieve remarkable results with minimal oversight.
In a trade like diamonds, where every transaction is scrutinized by regulators, suppliers, clients and the public as well, integrity must be lived daily. Culture matters far more than additional policy documents.
Empowering people is a strategic decision
Empowerment is not a managerial luxury. It is a strategic tool.
When people feel ownership over what they do, they innovate, adapt and perform at higher levels. When that right is afforded them in the the diamond industry, employees routinely make complex decisions, assessing authenticity, navigating supplier relationships, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.
Providing them with trust, authority, and guidance builds accountability and reduces risk. Empowerment engenders learning and growth.
Mentorship, coaching, and structured skill development send a clear message that “people matter.” Over time, empowered employees become custodians of the corporate culture and ambassadors of its trust.
Institutional and tacit knowledge
I am of the firm opinion that both institutional and tacit knowledge are among the most undervalued assets in any organization. These are acquired through decades of meeting challenges, navigating crises and grappling with ethical dilemmas. These are opportunities that prepare a company and its workforce to deal with complex situations, without repeating past mistakes.
The diamond industry offers a clear examples. Lessons from conflict diamond crises, regulatory interventions, and supply chain disruptions have taught us a great deal. But they frequently remain undocumented or unspoken. This is mistake and underscores the necessity of systematically storing institutional memory. When that memory fades, the ethical guardrails, carefully assembled over decades, weaken and may one day fail.
HR and leadership play a critical role here. Beyond documentation, organizations must ensure that historical context is shared through mentorship, onboarding, and open dialog. These lessons must not only be prepared — they must be lived and discussed.
Risk of organizational amnesia when generations change
As organizations evolve, generational transition brings energy and innovation but also the risk that appreciation for context may be lost.
From my experience, there are two conditions that increase this level of risk. The first is that younger professionals may see longstanding systems as outdated bureaucracy, and the second is that senior professionals may exit without transferring their nuanced insights.
Assuming that knowledge is self-evident, this is one of the greatest risks organizations face. Bridging the gap requires deliberate leadership.
Curiosity about the past must be encouraged, and the rationale behind existing systems must be clearly articulated. Continuity and adaptability can coexist and, when they do, organizations become resilient.
HR as the strategic custodian of trust
The contemporary view of an HR department has evolved far beyond it’s administrative responsibilities. It is now required to play a strategic role in shaping culture, educating leadership, and consolidating a corporation’s organizational character.
When recruitment, onboarding, training, and performance management are aligned with values, every employee becomes a carrier of culture. When ethical decisions are recognized and rewarded, behaviors emerge that no policy can mandate.
In the diamond industry where credibility is existential, HR safeguards the most delicate and powerful intangible asset of all: TRUST.
A people‑centric path to resilience
As the industry continues adapting to ESG expectations, sustainability mandates, and changing consumer consciousness, the organizations that will endure are those that place people at the center of their strategy.
Technology, access to monetary capital and policies are important tools, but it is human judgment, culture and integrity that determine the company’s longevity.
Diamonds may be forever, but policies and procedures cannot guarantee enduring value. Culture, trust, and people are the true assets that allow organizations to thrive through uncertainty.
Our industry succeeds not merely because of rules, but because of the people who live them. Their ethical rigor remains a true “natural” diamond in our business.
The author addressing the CII Partnership Summit in New Delhi in March 2023. The summit was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Indian government’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and focused on fostering global and national partnerships in alignment with the country’s G20 Presidency.
A currency that never depreciates
I remain deeply grateful to stakeholders across our trade who embody integrity, curiosity, and commitment. Their dedication ensures that the natural diamond industry not only preserves its legacy but evolves with purpose, resilience and conviction.
In every era of the natural diamond industry, long before policies were drafted and certifications existed, it was people who carried trade forward. Their trust, their integrity, their quiet commitment to doing the right thing, even when no one was watching, became the invisible thread that held us together.
And over the years, as I walked through cutting and polishing workshops, boardrooms, and trading floors, I realized something deeply moving: the true shine of our industry has never come from diamonds alone, but from human hearts that share and give them meaning.
Policies provide our industry with structure, but people give it context. Procedures create order, but culture stipulates the sense of belonging.
In any legacy-driven industry, trust is the only currency that never depreciates because it is earned by people, not policies.
Banner photos courtesy of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. (SRK).