Jean-Marc Lieberherr Monnet is the Co-Founder and President of the Institut Jean Monnet, and former CEO of the Natural Diamond Council and Managing Director of Rio Tinto’s diamond division. With decades of experience shaping the diamond industry through innovation, traceability, and strategic collaboration, he has become a leading voice in aligning commercial success with responsible practices. He sits with Gold Network to discuss the lessons behind lasting trust, the cultural foundations of integrity, and why true leadership begins with personal conviction.

What first attracted you to the mining and natural resources sector, and how did your early experiences shape your view of its potential for positive impact?

I joined Rio Tinto Diamonds as Marketing Director in 2005 after 15 years in marketing and general management positions, first with LVMH and then with Unilever’s business-to-business food division. What attracted me to the role was the opportunity to leverage my branding and B2B marketing experience in the rough diamond sector, which at the time was operating in a very basic manner.

In 2006, I introduced the first mine-of-origin programme that guaranteed the full journey of a diamond back to its mine of origin — at a time when nobody was talking about traceability. Arguably, the initiative started with the objective of bringing a fabulous Canadian diamond story to the consumer, rather than as a transparency effort. The market didn’t really expect that at the time, and I didn’t yet have a view on the industry’s broader impact — nor was I particularly sensitive to it, to be honest. That came later, as I learned and became exposed to the operations.

In 2010, we launched the first fully tracked jewellery collection, with each diamond individually traced to our Argyle mine in Australia. We also developed the Argyle Pink Diamond brand, which became a luxury icon and brought reassurance and storytelling all the way from mine to consumer. Additionally, we introduced the first formal supply contracts in the diamond sector, which brought much-needed transparency and stability.

These were real innovations that began as business improvement initiatives — which made sense, coming from more structured sectors. Gradually, I realised that they were also meeting growing expectations for integrity and transparency, confirming that our instincts had been correct. What made sense from a transparency and ethical standpoint also made sense commercially. It became, for us, a way of doing business — and that’s very important.

At the time, Rio Tinto was selling all its diamond production separately, mine by mine, allowing full traceability. It was an exciting journey.

Later, I became Managing Director of the entire diamond division, with responsibility for mining operations. That’s when I was confronted first-hand with the realities of running large-scale mining projects in culturally, socially, and environmentally sensitive regions like Western Australia, Zimbabwe, and Northern Canada. That’s where the real learning started!

How did the founding of the Natural Diamond Council come about, and what vision did you set out to realise when taking on the role of CEO?

The idea of pooling marketing resources across the diamond value chain to promote the natural diamond category had been circulating for a few years. In 2008, De Beers discontinued its massive marketing investment behind A Diamond is Forever, which had truly built and sustained the sector. By 2015, we began to feel the consequences of that absence and felt it was time to reignite something — but this time, collectively. When I say “we,” I’m referring mainly to Stephen Lussier from De Beers and myself. At the time, I was running the Rio Tinto diamond business.

Together, we approached Alrosa (the Russian diamond miner) and proposed the creation of a joint marketing and public affairs body that would support consumer demand for diamonds at a category level, while also promoting best practices across the sector — in areas like health, safety, and the environment. I chaired the NDC (then known as the Diamond Producers Association), and in 2016, I left Rio Tinto to lead it.

Our vision was to build a platform that would make the natural diamond sector more appealing and successful across all dimensions — from market growth to ethical practices. It was a great success: we united seven mining companies, representing 75% of global production, behind a meaningful budget. Arguably still not enough — but a commendable start.

One pioneering initiative we launched was a study with Trucost (S&P) to quantify the collective positive and negative impacts of our mining operations. This was crucial in helping the industry identify where efforts should be focused and which good practices needed to be preserved. The sector requires ongoing benchmarking and impact measurement. Without it, there is no real progress.

In your work, you have led collaborations with miners, governments, and global institutions. What have you found to be the key ingredients for building trust and long-term partnerships in the extractive industries?

I believe the key ingredients for building trust and long-term partnerships in the extractive industries are essentially the same as in any context where different interests and backgrounds come into play — especially when mutual suspicion may be the starting point. It begins with being completely authentic, genuine, and transparent in your motivations. People need to understand and trust not only your intentions but also you — both as an individual and as an organisation.

Spending time together, ensuring shared understanding of language and intent, being transparent, and avoiding the temptation to outsmart or manipulate are all essential. My personal motto is: “What you see is what you get.” Most importantly, trust is built by aligning words with actions — say the same thing to everyone, and do exactly what you say.

Another vital principle is to engage from a position of equality. When interacting with communities and governments, we must remember that we are operating on their land — and approach with humility. This does not mean anyone should accept domination; rather, upholding equality and mutual respect in every situation is the best way to prevent power imbalances.

Then, always look for the common interest — it’s always there. A well-run mining operation delivers value to all stakeholders: education, jobs, and infrastructure for communities; revenues for governments; and returns for mining companies. Managing operations responsibly, with consideration for all parties’ legitimate needs, is how trust and long-term partnerships are built.

This is not just true in extractive industries — it applies everywhere. The right psychological environment must be created.

The natural resources sector has seen significant shifts in responsible sourcing and sustainability expectations over the past decade. From your perspective, what are the most important next steps for advancing industry standards globally?

Expectations have indeed changed dramatically over the past decade, and meeting them is no longer just the right thing to do — it has become a fundamental licence to operate. These expectations come from producing countries, local communities, employees, customers, and all the way down to end consumers.

Today, such considerations must be fully embedded into every aspect of operations. That requires significant effort to educate people across all levels of an organisation. It’s not a box-ticking exercise — it’s a real cultural transformation, and one that must be deeply rooted for change to be sustainable.

Practically speaking, I’m now a bit more removed from the frontline, and this space evolves rapidly. But for me, key priorities remain clear: curbing carbon emissions, reducing water usage, protecting and restoring biodiversity, building resilient communities, and ensuring people’s safety — all must remain top of mind.

From what I understand, there are many exciting programmes underway to support these goals. The critical point is that they must be supported — and most importantly, sustained — even during downcycles. Because in extractives, more than in any other sector, these priorities are not only compatible with business performance; they are its very enablers.

So, when it comes to the extractive industries, I would argue that the perceived tension between environmental responsibility and commercial success simply should not exist. In this sense, the sector should continue to be a driving force in raising standards globally.

What are the qualities you believe are most critical in leaders who want to drive lasting, values-based change in mining and metals?

I would say the fundamentals are the same as in any industry or sector. It all begins with personal conviction. If a leader is not fundamentally, personally, and deeply convinced of the necessity to drive these changes, they simply won’t happen. It takes time and effort to build such convictions — but once they are strong and internalised, they become both the fuel and the compass for transformation.

In my current work, I often support leaders in that very process. At the root of any meaningful transformation lies a deep conviction — one that is forged and shaped with care, attention, and time.

This brings us back to the question of culture and authenticity: if an organisation does not visibly live its values — does not demonstrate them consistently in the smallest details of its operations — and if it fails to help its leaders cultivate truly rock-solid convictions, then change will never take hold in a meaningful way.

Too often, organisations spend excessive time declaring values and instructing leaders on how to behave, rather than ensuring those values are truly internalised. Leadership in this space starts with strong, genuine conviction. And if a leader remains sceptical about the real need to advance this agenda — viewing it as just a box-ticking exercise — then, frankly, it may be better to let them go.