Dominion Diamond CEO Robert Gannicott on medical leave

RobertGannicott, the head of Dominion Diamond Corporation, is going on medical leave the company announced in a news release Thursday.

Gannicott, who is Dominion Diamond's chairman and CEO, needs to undergo "important treatment," the company says.

The treatment is expected to last until mid-February.

Brendan Bell, the company's current executive vice president and a former minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment for the Northwest Territories government, has been named acting CEO.

The news comes at a busy time for Dominion Diamonds. The company is seeking the permits to mine another kimberlite pipethatwould add 10 years to the life of the Ekati diamond mine.

And last week, the head of Rio Tinto, which co-owns the Diavikdiamond mine with Dominion, hinted that the long-planned development of a fourth kimberlite pipe at Diavik could get underway next year.