Sharookh Kocheck, C.E.O. - Goldie International Ltd.
Originally published in 7Stars Worldwide, March/April Issue, 2002
H. Goldie and Company has a liaison office in Bombay headed by Mr. Sharookh Kocheck
who is much respected both in India and London for his knowledge of the market as well as his
integrity. Here Sharookh Kocheck C.E.O. - Goldie International answers questions from
the 7Stars editorial team which met him recently.
7Stars: (a) When did H. Goldie & Co.
Ltd. start its Mumbai office ?
(b) What was the reason to start this
office in Mumbai ?
Sharookh Kocheck : H. Goldie &
Co. Ltd. opened its own office in
Mumbai in January 2001. This Indian
office is called Goldie International Ltd.
H. Goldie has, in recent years had a
very strong Indian focus. The
company's involvement with the Indian
diamond industry began in 1968 and
grew along with the industry. Athough
H. Goldie had representation in India,
it was felt essential, particulary in view
of the DTC's Supplier of Choice
initiative, that we opened our own office
dedicated solely to servicing our clients
in India.
7Stars : What is the function of the
Mumbai Office ?
Sharookh Kocheck : Goldie
Intenational Ltd. in Mumbai is H.
Goldie's Indian liaison ofice. Its function
is primarily to keep in close contact
with our clients, both Sightholders and
potential Sightholders to faciliate the
ongoing dialogue that takes place with
the DTC in relation to the Sight Cycle
and everything that relates to it. It is
also our responsibility to keep our
London office up to date with all the
latest developments in the market. At
the same time, we see it as a primary
role to convey to our clients a good
understanding of what is happening in
London and the diamond industry
worldwide; this communication is
conducted in English, Gujarat and
Hindi.
7Stars : How did you come to take
interest in diamonds as a career ?
Sharookh Kocheck : I began my
career in 1989 at Shrenuj & Co., which
was, and still is, an important H. Goldie
Sightholder client. At that time, H.
Goldie's Indian operation was managed
by an ex Banker, Mr. Vesuna who must
have had confidence in me and
proposed that I should be trained as
his sucessor. It was a great challenge
and it took me some time to gain the
confidence and trust of our clients but,
I must say, over the past 13 years I
have had the privilege to work closely
with many people in this trade and I
have found it very rewarding. There have
been a number of difficult situations in
the industry and we have had to stand
shoulder to shoulder with our clients
to deal with them and then move
forward.
7Stars : Are Goldies's operations
limited to India or do they extend to
other countries too ?
Sharookh Kocheck : As our clients
have offices in all the major trading
centres, we take a close interest in
their activites. I have been to major
diamond manufacturing centres and
New York in the past to acquaint myself
with how our clients operate in these
markets and meet the sales teams
who drive their marketing efforts. Last
month I visited our clients' offices in
Bangkok and Hong Kong and was able
to get a better understanding of these
markets which, of course, are
continuing to develop at a rapid pace.
7Stars: Please tell us something about
yourself.
Sharookh Kocheck: Over the years,
I have enjoyed my work with H. Goldie
& Co. Meeting people in the
diamond trade and being able to
contribute to their business has
given me a lot of satisfaction. No
other career would have given me
this opportunity to develop so
many personal relationships. I have
learnt that what clients are looking for
from me is not technical skills in
diamonds, because after all they know
much more about that than I ever will, but
they do expect me to understand their
requirements and problems and
contribute towards the solutions of the
same. Explaining the DTC's policies
and points of view to the Sightholders and the Sightholders'
expectations to the DTC has
enabled me to see the broad
picture. This has helped me to view
problems in their correct perspective
and advise clients accordingly.
7Stars : Is there anything about the
diamond trade you would like to
highlight?
Sharookh Kocheck: I would like to say
a few words on two aspects - the DTC
policies and the Indian diamond
trade.
Let me start with the DTC. Athough
the DTC policies have certainly
undergone tremendous change, the
DTC has continued to strive towards
ensuring the growth and development
of the global diamond business. The
Indian diamond trade has gone through
some serious crises in the past (the
Forex problem in the early 1990's, the
DTC-Argyle split, the difficult times in
late 1990's, etc). Each time, the DTC
has done a wonderful job of stabilising
the situation. What is commendable
is that the DTC takes a global view
and has the ability to pursue long
term goals while making short-term
adjustments. The Supplier of
Choice program is a step in the
right direction. With the emphasis
on creating demand for jewellery
and widening the market, diamond,
traders the world over are bound
to benefit. The DTC is backing its
policies by advertising heavily in all the
markets of the world. The Trilogy
concept is one such excellent global
campaign. In India, the Arisia and
Nakshatra campaigns are creating
additional demand for jewellery.
The second thing I would like to
mention is with regard to the Indian
diamond trade and industry. No
matter how serious the problems have
been, the Indian diamond industry has
proved to be resilient in its resolve to
overcome difficuly.
I am extremely proud to have been
associated with this industry over
the past 13 years and to have
worked closely with clients prior to
their becoming Sightholders till the
present time when they have
established their presence across
the globe. I am still awed by the
entrepreneurship of the Indian
diamond trade. The speed of
diversification into new types of rough,
incorporation of new technology, and
their ability to do business in extremely
competitive conditions has ensured
that the Indian Diamond trade will
maintain its place at the forefront of
the industry.
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