Mr. Shmuel Schnitzer

Honorary Life-President World Federation of Diamond Bourses

Shmuel Schnitzer, a former president of both the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the Israel Diamond Exchange, was born in Tel Aviv in 1949. He is a graduate of Tel Aviv University Law School (LLB) and became a licensed attorney in 1978.

Schnitzer joined the diamond industry more than 40 years ago and is a Chairman & CEO of S. Schnitzer Diamonds Ltd. He first became involved in public activity in the diamond industry in 1988, as a member of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association Executive Committee, where he served as vice-president, chair of the Finance Committee and chair of the Legal Committee. He is currently a member of the presidium at the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association.

In 1994 Schnitzer began his public activity at the Israel Diamond Exchange and was elected President of the Israel Diamond Exchange in 1998. Prior to that he served as vice-president, chair of the Industry and Export Committee and chair of the Legal Committee.

Schnitzer was elected vice-president of the WFDB in 2000. In that year he was also elected vice chairman of the World Diamond Council. He was elected president of the WFDB in 2002 and served four terms in office. In 2006, he was named an Honorary Lifetime President of the WFDB, in addition to being Honorary Lifetime President of the Israel Diamond Exchange.

Schnitzer is a member of the Schnitzer Foundation for Research of the Israel Economy and Society at Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan; a member of the International Board of Trustees of the Tel Aviv university; and a director at the Friendship Association of the Tel Aviv Ichilov Medical Center.

Schnitzer is married to Sharona. They have two sons, Shai and Ben, a daughter, Shani, and five grandchildren.