Vartkess Knadjian

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1955, Knadjian studied at Kingswood School in the UK and later graduated with a BSc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

He joined Backes & Strauss in 1976 and has been instrumental in transforming the company into a global reference in the diamond industry.

Under his leadership, the company launched a luxury watch collection in partnership with the Franck Muller Group in 2006.

Deeply connected to the Armenian community, he co-founded the Armenian Jewellers Association in 1997 and currently serves on the Central Board of the AGBU.