The JNA Awards 2020 panel of judges: (Top row) Albert Cheng, James Courage, Lin Qiang and (bottom row) Mark Lee, Nirupa Bhatt

The JNA Awards 2020 announced its 32 shortlisted Honourees across seven award categories at a webcast on June 29, followed by an online panel discussion featuring industry thought leaders.

A renowned awards programme organised by Informa Markets since 2012, the JNA Awards promotes sustainable advancement within the industry by recognising individuals and companies that have demonstrated excellence, innovation and best business practices – irrespective of the size and scale of their operations, fields of expertise and the geographical regions they serve.

The 2020 edition of the JNA Awards received entries from 11 countries and regions across five continents.

While Industry Innovation of the Year continued to be the most popular category, the Awards saw a spike in the number of entries for Sustainability Initiative of the Year. 

Letitia Chow, chairperson of the JNA Awards and director of Business Development – Jewellery Group at Informa Markets, said, "This year has indeed been unusual, pushing us to be more adaptable, flexible and creative in the face of extraordinary uncertainties. This impressive show of business agility has clearly been demonstrated by our roster of Honourees for 2020, which consists of start-ups and well-established companies. They have achieved incredible feats in the past 18 months, irrespective of their size, location or business nature." 

She added that this year's Honourees included companies from Africa and the Americas, underscoring the award programme’s unique role in bringing together the best and the brightest of the jewellery industry.

The JNA Awards 2020's independent judging panel consists of Albert Cheng, CEO, Singapore Bullion Market Association and International Advisor, Shanghai Gold Exchange; James Courage, former chief executive of Platinum Guild International and former chairman of the Responsible Jewellery Council; Lin Qiang, president and managing director of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange; Mark Lee, research director of Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy, and Nirupa Bhatt, senior advisor to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) India.

JNA Awards 2020 is supported by Headline Partners Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd, Shanghai Diamond Exchange, and DANAT, together with Honoured Partners KGK Group, China Gems and Jade Exchange, and Guangdong Land (Shenzhen) Co Ltd.

Here are the Honourees or finalists of JNA Awards 2020:

Industry Innovation of the Year – Customer Engagement 

• BOJEM Jewelry
• Shineshilpi Jewellers Pvt Ltd
• The Muzo Companies

Industry Innovation of the Year – Marketing

• CHJ Jewellery
• MCLON Jewellery Co Ltd

Industry Innovation of the Year – Technology

• GemCloud Software Ltd
• KGK Diajewels Pvt Ltd
• Tracr

Manufacturer of the Year 

• Emerald Jewel Industry India Ltd
• KGK Diajewels Pvt Ltd
• Le Vian
• Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ)
• Shenzhen XingGuangDa Jewelry Industrial Co Ltd

Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – APAC 

• CHJ Jewellery
• DOJI Gold & Gems Group JSC 
• Luk Fook Holdings (International) Ltd
• Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ)
• Shenzhen XingGuangDa Jewelry Industrial Co Ltd

Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – EMEA 

• Dhamani Jewels
• KGK Diamonds SA PTY Ltd

Retailer of the Year 

• Kashi Jewellers
• MCLON Jewellery Co Ltd
• Shanghai Zbird Co Ltd  

Sustainability Initiative of the Year 

• De Beers Group
• Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ)
• The Muzo Companies

Young Entrepreneur of the Year (age 40 and below) 

• Chetan Kumar Mehta, Laxmi Diamonds
• Joyee Zhao, BOJEM Jewelry
• Nancy Wong, Luk Fook Holdings (International) Ltd
• Ridhi Sohil Gala, Kashi Jewellers
• Tarun Dangayach, Color Jewels Inc
• William Chu, HEIG Ltd