Navrattan Kothari, Chairman, KGK Group has been chosen as the 2021 recipient of the Jewellery World Awards’ highest accolade – the Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in business, contributions to the gemstone and jewellery trade, and extensive philanthropic efforts.
Letitia Chow, Chairperson and Founder of JWA at Informa Markets Jewellery, said, “Since the 1960s, Kothari has been working tirelessly, not just to elevate the KGK Group, but also to inspire excellence in the jewellery and gemstone trade through his roles in key industry organisations. A role model for the younger generation, he is a visionary whose business acumen is matched only by his passion for giving back to society.”
Building on his family’s existing gemstone trading business, Kothari transformed the enterprise when he spearheaded efforts to explore opportunities in manufacturing coloured stone and diamond jewellery in the ’60s. This paved the way for KGK’s subsequent growth into a global conglomerate that covers the entire spectrum of mining, sourcing, manufacturing, distributing and retailing diamonds and coloured stones.
Kothari is also being lauded for his compassionate response in dealing with the recent Covid-19 crisis. Even as the pandemic dealt a blow on various industries, he made sure to retain the services of everyone in the Group’s workforce. The businessman also allocated resources for feeding more than 70,000 people on the fringes of society and donated oxygen compressors to the Rajasthan state government.
These fall in line with Kothari’s long history of humanitarian work, which include the construction of Northern India’s largest cancer hospital in 1997, the provision of educational assistance to more than 33,000 students in Rajasthan, and the fulfilment of the wishes of terminally ill children from around the globe.
“I would like to sincerely thank the JWA for bestowing upon me such an honour. It truly encourages me, as well as members of the KGK team, to work harder towards reaching our goals and pursuing initiatives that could positively impact the business landscape, the environment and society as a whole. Rest assured that we will remain committed to developing sustainable practices and improving the lives of those in need,” shared Kothari, who has also been a member of the managing committee of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in India in the last 20 years; and founder of the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) in Jaipur, where he served as chairman for four years. JWA will officially present Kothari’s award in the highly anticipated gala dinner, which will be held at JGT Dubai (Jewellery Gem Technology Dubai) on 21st February 2022.