“Back in 2014, Malta International Airport set out to further develop the country’s tourism product by investing directly in Malta’s heritage and the environment through the independent Malta Airport Foundation,” said outgoing Malta Airport Foundation chairman, Fredrick Mifsud Bonnici.

“Five years on, with a slew of successful projects already under its belt and a renewed vision for the future, the foundation can look forward to completing the projects it has taken on while exploring new partnerships and potential investment opportunities,” Mr Mifsud Bonnici added.

“Mr Mifsud Bonnici’s contribution and leadership throughout these past five years have set the Malta Airport Foundation off on a strong footing,” incoming chairman Mr Formosa Gauci said.

“As I step into my new role, I look forward to continuing to work closely with the board as well as key stakeholders to enable the foundation to continue preserving and promoting the identity of the Maltese Islands whilst honouring our country’s heritage,” the new chairman added.

The NGO says that its refreshed branding reflects the “vibrant settings” in which it operates, ranging from the “Mediterranean blues” of the surrounding waters to “deep earth tones reminiscent” of traditional Maltese landscapes.

Under new leadership and with a renewed identity, the Malta Airport Foundation promises to continue investing in the preservation and conservation of local heritage, while also keeps a commitment to its mission of reimagining local heritage as it brings forgotten or hidden aspects of Malta’s history and culture back to life.

Since its establishment, the foundation has launched two underwater documentaries, putting the islands of Filfla and Comino in the spotlight, is currently supporting the ongoing excavation of a Phoenician shipwreck in Gozo and is sponsoring research work being carried out by the University of Malta on a triptych dedicated to the Virgin of Succours. The foundation has also partnered up with NGO Żibel to commission sea bins in both Marsaxlokk and Marsascala. Nine seabins have been approved and funded while another nine seabins are in the pipeline to be added to Malta’s shoreline.

Recently, the foundation unveiled the newly restored 17th-century Ta’ Xutu watchtower, which was the first project to be taken on in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa. The foundation also made substantial headway on the restoration of the Combined Operations Room in Valletta, which is expected to be reopened to the public early next year, and sponsored several local events, including the fifth edition of the Valletta Film Festival and the Joseph Calleja annual concert, the press statement adds.

The post Malta Airport Foundation names new chairman first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Mr Caruana will coordinate the formulation of the group’s renewed strategy and outline the technical vision for Harvest and its subsidiaries in light of emerging technologies and best practice, according to the press statement.

In his new role, he has also been tasked with ensuring Harvest and its subsidiaries remain at the forefront of technology and innovation. As Harvest pursues growth, Mr Caruana will examine the potential of Harvest’s acquisition pipeline and conduct technical due diligence of any prospective acquisition.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Godwin for a few years and I have always enjoyed his dry wit and team-building spirit,” Professor Juanito Camilleri, Harvest Chairman, said. “His profound insight and troubleshooting skills on technical matters related to a broad spectrum of ICT disciplines is an invaluable asset to our group. I am delighted he has assumed the role of CEO of Harvest,” he added.

Mr Caruana is a University of Liverpool and the University of Brunel graduate, where he graduated Master of Science in Information Technology, and PhD with a research focus on High-Performance Computing, Algorithms and Machine Learning, respectively.

As a visiting senior lecturer at the University of Malta, Mr Caruana has also been publishing research. In 2018, he spearheaded the establishment of the Harvest Technology Academy in partnership with the University of Malta and the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy in a bid to bridge the gap between the professional and academic spheres.

Earlier in his career, Dr Caruana served as Chief Technology Officer at the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) during which time he contributed to numerous high-profile projects.

Harvest delivers tech solutions to customers in banking, aviation, pharmaceuticals, gaming, retail, hospitality and state agencies. Harvest encompasses PTL, APCO Systems, and APCO Ltd. Harvest is part of 1923 Investments plc which has commercial activities in Malta, Poland and Hungary. 1923 Investments plc is the investments arm of Hili Ventures.

The post 1923 Investments’ Harvest names new CEO first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“Adel, Adnan and Sheikh Majid are all experienced members of the Emirates leadership team with strong expertise in their respective areas and proven leadership abilities. Each brings deep and diverse experiences from different areas of the airline business, and I am confident that they will continue to drive the airline’s future growth and strengthen Emirates’ presence, agility, and focus across the globe,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO), Adel Al Redha is at the helm of all operational departments: Flight Operations, Service Delivery, Airport Services, Emirates Engineering, Crew manpower, aircraft procurement and the Emirates Flight Training Academy; as well as worldwide network operations including crisis response. Mr Al Redha will oversee operational efficiency and effectiveness across the airline, and will work closely with other members of the executive leadership team to drive improved performance across the business.

During his 31-year career with Emirates, Al Redha is believed to have been instrumental in leading and implementing Emirates’ global strategy to consistently deliver superior services and customer experiences, on the ground and in the air. He has worked on enhancing operational processes, capabilities and efficiencies within the airline; including the introduction of smart initiatives using advanced technology and artificial intelligence.

He has also led the introduction of various National Development programmes that provide career development for UAE national youth and continues to drive improvements in the working environment for all staff while keeping safety and standards at the core of all operations, the press statement says.

In his role as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Adnan Kazim is responsible for worldwide Commercial Operations, Ecommerce, the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme and Emirates SkyCargo. He is expected to continue to lead the airline’s strategic planning and revenue optimisation teams, which are Emirates tags as “critical functions” that support the airline’s commercial success.

Mr Kazim joined Emirates in 1992 as a Management Trainee and has led the airline’s commercial operations in major markets such as the UAE, Switzerland, Pakistan and East Africa. He then transitioned into leadership roles in route and fleet planning, and governmental relations. He most recently held the role of Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs.

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla — who previously held the position of Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations-Centre — has been appointed Divisional Senior Vice President, International Affairs.

In his new role, he will drive the airline’s government, industry, public policy, regulatory, environment and international affairs agenda. He will also lead teams that represent Emirates in government negotiations and air services talks, as well as various aviation industry bodies of which Emirates is a member.

“These roles are strategically important to growing our customer base and developing our commercial strategies, delivering the best experiences across customer touchpoints, and progressing our business objectives through engaging with governments, regulators and key industry bodies around the world,” Emirates Airlines chief Saeed Al Maktoum added.

The post Emirates names new executive leaders first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Mr Attard is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours graduate and has completed post-graduate studies in business administration at Edinburgh Business School and Heriot-Watt University. He has several years of experience within the banking, financial institutions, and securities sectors with exposure to both the private and public sector.

Mr Attard forms part of the Authorisations Unit of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) where he leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for the licensing and maintenance of credit and financial institutions.

As the complexity of the financial services sector grows accompanied by tight regulatory regimes, ARQ believes that firms are looking for advisors with multijurisdictional approaches, regulatory knowledge and the ability to provide technology solutions that support compliance and regulatory requirements.

Having partnered with Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal (FFF) in the long term, ARQ group says they could “go beyond a purely advisory role and to accept office – or assist clients with the recruitment of professionals to accept office – for directorship, secretarial and compliance posts with licensed entities, as required.”

ARQ says it is committed to delivering “bespoke solutions” for supporting clients drive growth and success. As a joint venture between mid-tier audit firm Capstone Group and law firm FFF Legal, ARQ has developed into a “collaborative platform where professionals from different disciplines come together to provide holistic and comprehensive solutions for our clients,” the about section of the company’s website says.

The post ARQ names new senior manager first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“Fintech is truly revolutionising the way we deal with money and do business. Continuing to use its considerable resources, deVere has proven to be one of the global leaders in this exciting and burgeoning sector — and it is a pleasure to be joining their teams across the world as we move ahead into the next chapter in the success story,” Mr Litsikakis commented.

The initial primary focus of Mr Litsikakis, who starts with immediate effect and who will report directly to CEO Nigel Green and COO Beverley Yeomans, will be deVere Vault; the firm’s global multicurrency e-money app. Users of deVere E-Money’s app and its Prepaid Mastercard can spend, receive, store and transfer money in up to 27 different currencies.

“We are delighted to welcome someone of Dimitris’ calibre, expertise and experience to the company to help us develop our financial technology propositions even further,” says CEO Nigel Green. “Fintech is a major growth area of our business model — we understand and value that there is a growing need and want for it in an increasingly globalised and digitalised world. “Dimitris will help us dominate the market moving forward.”

“I am looking forward to expediting current enhancements and developments to the product in order to further enhance the client experience. In addition to this, one of my first tasks will be looking at B2B opportunities and looking at other ways to differentiate this already much in-demand e-money app,” added Mr Litsikakis.

The post New fintech head comes to deVere Group from Revolut first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“As a Service Desk Technical Officer, I was tasked with tending to daily support tickets created by users,” Mr Zammit said. “As a Systems Engineer, I work with maintaining and improving the existing IT-infrastructure and I’m also involved in IT related projects,” he added.

Although Mr Zammit knew that this move would represent a significant challenge, according to the press release, the extra push by his colleagues helped him to grow and adapt to his new position.

It was of fundamental importance also the relationship between Mr Zammit and his manager, which made this shift of roles easier and less stressful, he admits. “I have a great relationship with my manager, we give each other feedback on a weekly basis, which helps in improve and learn from previous experiences,” he commented.

Mr Zammit underlined how worth was this change for him and for his career. In addition, he said that Betsson is the perfect place to find room grow and develop, as it happened to him, as the press release says.

The post Betsson Group names new systems engineer first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Mr Patel joined the company in May and is responsible for gearing up and leading SiGMA’s global marketing operation to meet the growing demands of the company’s expansion into markets in Asia and the Middle East.

“I am thrilled to be joining such a dynamic team. My focus will be to take SiGMA to greater heights, to establish the company as a market leader within its chosen sectors and to help achieve the company’s chosen targets. I am looking forward to applying my experience to the challenges ahead,” said Mr Patel.

With his 30 years of marketing experience, both traditional and online, comes Mr Patel’s strong ties to the Asian markets. The company expects his role to be key to its commitment to strengthening its core team in Malta and to the success of its endeavours in the Asia Pacific region.

SiGMA Group is going to explore opportunities across Asia — specifically Dubai, Manila and Hong Kong. In tandem with this expansion, the company has announced the planned 2020 inaugural launches of Emirates A.I. and Blockchain Summit and SiGMA Manila.

The company will also embark on an ambitious global Roadshow in 2019. Following a triumphant first stop in Manila, the roadshow will now take in New Jersey in June, with further international trips to be announced.

“We are delighted to be adding new talent to our C-level team as we take the SiGMA Group to new heights. I am confident that Prashant will prove an essential addition to the team here in Malta and to the continuing success of this company as it expands its scope eastwards,” said Eman Pulis, Founder and CEO, at SiGMA Group.

SiGMA has been busy with strengthening its team lately. Very recently, Rick Goddard was appointed Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) across all the SiGMA brands.

The post SiGMA names new chief marketing officer first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Mr Altunis will lead a team comprised of senior executives with decades of global financial services experience across banking, asset management and corporate finance. Once licensed, Founders Bank hopes to become a corporate challenger bank servicing the tech industry, including blockchain and other emerging technologies, according to the press statement.

In his last role, Altunis served as Global Co-Head of the Institutional Client Group within Deutsche Bank’s Corporate and Investment Bank, where he was responsible for a multi-billion-dollar revenue operation and a team of over 1,000 people. He helped guide the institution’s investment banking business, dealt directly with institutional investors and regulatory bodies globally, and was a member of its executive committee, reporting directly to the deputy CEO of the bank.

The Founders Bank project is developing an enterprise-focused bank with the aim of redefining banking services. “I am excited about this segue in my career from managing traditional banking to building a world-class corporate challenger bank. We will focus on servicing technology companies who find accessing and using existing financial services difficult and cumbersome. These will include companies in emerging technologies, such as blockchain and crypto,” Mr Altunis said.

Mr Altunis will lead a multi-skilled team of senior executives unique in the industry. The group has decades of global financial services experience across banking, asset management and corporate finance at leading firms such as Deutsche Bank, Barclays, HSBC, Citibank, Bank of America, Royal Bank of Canada, Brevan Howard, KPMG, Mastercard, Amazon, Paypal and Bitpesa, the press statement said.

“As one of the lead investors of the Founders Bank project, we are committed to developing the ecosystem and supporting infrastructure cornerstones to facilitate growth across the broader industry,” said Changpeng Zhao (‘CZ’), CEO of Malta-based digital asset exchange Binance.

The Founders Bank project is currently under a licensing process to obtain an EU banking license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). It will offer its services throughout Europe and beyond, according to the plans of the venture.

The post Founders Bank project welcomes new CEO first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Mr Bonello was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HSBC Malta in July 2013 and is presently Chairman of the bank’s Audit Committee and is a member of the bank’s Risk Committee. He is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant, and was formerly the Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC in Malta, retiring from this post in December 2009.

“I would like to extend my best wishes and thanks to my colleague and friend Sonny. He has been an exceptional chairman of our board during a period of great change in our bank. His experience and personal qualities have enabled him to lead the board with unwavering courage and integrity,” Mr Bonello said.

“I am greatly honoured that the majority shareholders have placed their trust in me by appointing me as chairman. As we enter the next phase, our board will continue to support our executive and management teams as they build a stronger and safer customer-focused bank in the interests of our depositors, our customers, our shareholders, our people, our brand and the jurisdiction as a whole,” the newly-appointed chairman added.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the Chairman of HSBC Malta for the past 12 years. Throughout this period I have worked with a talented and determined HSBC executive team, and I wish them all the best for the future,” said Mr Portelli.

“I also want to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to John on his appointment who I am sure will lead HSBC Malta with eminent leadership and strategic vision. As a bank, we believe in doing the right thing, so it is only befitting that I step down after serving for 12 consecutive years, the maximum term possible, as mandated by the best practice governance guidelines,” the leaving chairman added.

“I would like to pay tribute to our Chairman Sonny Portelli after 12 years of service. Sonny has chaired our bank with distinction through a period of unprecedented change in the financial services industry. He leaves with our thanks and admiration, and we wish him and his family well for the future,” said Andrew Beane, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Malta.

“I am delighted to congratulate John Bonello on his appointment, subject to regulatory approval, as the next Chairman of HSBC Malta. John has been a Non-Executive Director of HSBC Malta for nearly six years and already knows our business very well. The high regard with which John is held locally and across the HSBC Group makes him ideally placed to lead HSBC Malta’s board in the next phase of our strategy,” Mr Beane added.

The post HSBC Malta announces new chairman first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Mr Farrugia has been working with the senior management team for the last 18 months as a business coach. Taking on his new role, Mr Farrugia will continue to chair the Vistage Malta CEO groups and support some of the key clients on their ongoing programmes, while supporting the team with their own development.

In a move hoping to further strengthen the management, the company announced further appointments: Christian Agius as Head of Technology, Charles Mifsud as Head of Products, Kenneth Agius as Head of Financial and Adam Buttigieg as Head of Customer Services.

Earlier this year, Shireburn made an investment in UP Limited, a business coaching and executive development company led by Nathan Farrugia. Mr Farruhia’s previous role as CEO at UP is taken over by Julian Azzopardi, former head of JAYE Malta, a non-profit education institution specialising in providing entrepreneurship education programmes to young people. The UP team also saw the appointment of Desiree Perez Ross as Head Coach, earlier this year.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with the Shireburn team over the past 18 months and am impressed with their competence and commitment, so leading the team is going to be an absolute pleasure. Our aim is to take the organisation through its next evolution, capitalising on the significant recent investments in people and technology to create even stronger products and services for our local and international clients,” said Mr Farrugia.

“Our goal is to keep Shireburn at the forefront of its market and continue to enhance our clients’ businesses through our products. We will continue to invest in our people and their skills to ensure the company remains a leader in the technology space and continues to attract talent, and I expect it to be a very interesting journey,” the new CEO added.

“Shireburn has a 35-year history of delivering software products to local and international companies and thousands of companies rely on Shireburn solutions to manage their respective businesses,” said John de Giorgio. “It is our responsibility to ensure the continuity of Shireburn’s support to our clients’ businesses for the next decades. We see the Shireburn team led by Nathan will provide such continuity,” he added.

“Shireburn has expanded rapidly over the last two years to a team of more than 60, including the establishment of frameworks for more remote workers to join our team. We have worked closely with Nathan Farrugia and his team at UP for the past year to assist and guide our management and team leaders to boost and empower our growing workforce,” Mr de Giorgo said.

The post Shireburn welcomes new CEO first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.