Edward Asscher (1946) started working at the Royal Asscher Diamond Company in 1970 after completing a Masters Degree in Economics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Asscher retired from Royal Asscher in 2020, after 50 years of service.

In June 2020, Mr. Asscher began his second term as president of the World Diamond Council (WDC). He earlier served as WDC president from 2014 to 2016.

In 2022, he was appointed Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Responsible Jewellery Council.

He is a past president of the International Diamond Council, and vice president of the European Council of Diamond Manufacturers. He is also a past president of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).

Mr. Asscher is also involved in affairs outside of the diamond industry. A past president of the Liberal Party, he held a seat for this party in the Dutch parliament’s Senate from 2007 to 2011. Mr. Asscher is a past board member of Amsterdam’s Jewish Historical Museum.

He is the founder and past chairman of the Foundation for Mentally Handicapped People.

Edward Asscher is married with three children, two of whom now stand at the helm of Royal Asscher Diamond Company in Amsterdam – his daughter, Lita, and his son, Mike.