MBR Issue 26 Dec- LOW RES (1)

Issue 26 – December 2016 

06 

cover story 

the importance of corporate 

events 

Jonathan Pace tells us just why 

TIPICO events are significant, relevant 

to the company and employees 

14 

16 

22 

INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH 

Accomplishing the Entrepreneurial Drive 

Interview with Nikolai Livori, CEO of Yobetit 

christmas narrative Papa Panov’s Special Christmas 

A wonderful Christmas tale by Leo Tolstoy 

mANAGEMENT Why I love Entrepreneurship 

An inspiring story about entrepreneurship by Sir Richard Branson 

Newspaper Post

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3


10 

14 

PuBLisher 

MBR Publications Limited 

editor 

Martin Vella 

teChniCaL advisor 

Marcelle D’Argy Smith 

saLes direCtor 

Margaret Brincat 

design 

Jacqueline Muscat, Gyorgy Vertes 

advertising 

Call: 9940 6743 or 9926 0163/4/6; 

Email: margaret@mbrpublications.net 

or admin@mbrpublications.net 

ContriButors 

Jane Addams; Viktor Almquist, Press Officer, 

LIBE Press release, Justice and home affairs, EP; 

Richard Branson; George Carol; Laura Daly; 

Jonathan Pace; Giulia Paravicini; Martin Vella; 

James Vella Clark; Leo Tolstoy 

sPeCiaL thanks 

AirMalta; DOI; EU/EP; Hugo Boss; HSBC; 

LinkedIn; Malta Gaming Authority; MPS; 

Parallels; PoliticoPro; TIPICO; UKIP; Virgin Group 

Digital; WageIndicator; Wikipedia; Yobetit 

Print ProduCtion 

Printit 

offiCes 

Highland Apartment - Level 1, 

Naxxar Road, 

Birkirkara, BKR 9042 

teLePhone 

+356 2149 7814 

6 

18 

26 

COVER STORY 

6 The Importance of Corporate Events 

Jonathan Pace tells us just why TIPICO events are significant, relevant to the 

company and employees 

PERSPECTIVES 

10 Italy Referendum Latest… 

From demolition man to demolished- Renzi’s plebiscite gambleECIAL 


14 Accomplishing the Entrepreneurial Drive 

MBR Editor goes head-to-head with Nikolai Livori, CEO of Yobetit 

CHRISTMAS NARRATIVE 

18 Good to Great 

Exceptional Interview with Nikolay Dobrovolskiy, the vice-president of Parallels 

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 

22 Why I love Entrepreneurship 

An inspiring story about entrepreneurship by Sir Richard Branson 

OUR GOLD PARTNERS 

quote of the month 

The people who are crazy enough to think they 

can change the world are the ones who do. 

Steve Jobs 

Disclaimer 

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by copyright may 

be reproduced or copied and reproduction in whole or part is strictly 

prohibited without written permission of the publisher. All content 

material available on this publication is duly protected by Maltese 

and International Law. No person, organisation, other publisher or 

online web content manager should rely, or on any way act upon 

any part of the contents of this publication, whether that information 

is sourced from the website, magazine or related product without 

first obtaining the publisher’s consent. The opinions expressed in the 

Malta Business Review are those of the authors or contributors, and 

are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. 

your perfect atmosphere 

Continental Cars Ltd. 

4


CONTENTS 

SPECIAL FEATURE: 

MALTA’S BEST IN BUSINESS AWARDS 

24 Chance Favours the Prepared Mind 

MBR Talks with Dr Vincent Micallef and Dr Andy Ellul, Partners 

Micallef & Ellul Advocates 

26 Leading Through Innovation 

MBIBA Interview with Martin Vella, Managing Director, HALMANN 

28 Drive and Motivation 

Dean Gera Haircare Ltd pick up Malta’s Best-in-Business Small to 

Medium Size Business Award 

30 Integrity, Trust and Professionalism 

BILOM Group get recognised and rewarded for excellence in 

project delivery 

34 Committed to making work-life 

Balance a reality employees 

Interview with Sylvana Brannon, Director, Stem Cells Malta Ltd. 

36 The Power of Innovation 

David Abela, Managing Director is interviewed by the Malta 

Business Review 

38 Then. Now. Forever GINAPULA VILLAGE 

Matthew Degiorgio, Managing Director, GIANPULA VILLAGE 

EDITORIAL 

2016 is drawing to a fast end. And what 

a year it has been! It has been one of 

the most fastest transient year I have 

ever experienced. The Oxford English 

Dictionary may have made post-truth its 

word of the year, but the events of 2016 

were not a rejection of knowledge. Are 

we now living in a post-truth, post-factual 

society? Is 2016 set to become known 

as the year when authorities, and the 

evidence they wield, were sent packing? 

Admittedly it looks that way. The UK’s 

former justice secretary Michael Gove 

attempted to play the crowd in the last 

days of June’s EU referendum campaigning, with the retort that “people in this 

country have had enough of experts.” His contention was widely challenged, as 

were the misleading claims about an extra £350m (€410m; $440m) a week for 

the NHS that would be saved by exiting the EU, and the wave of immigration 

that would be prompted by Turkey’s fictitious EU membership plan. Then the 

proponents of these statements triumphed in the referendum. And in December 

2015, Donald Trump won the US fact-checking organisation Politifact’s Lie of the 

Year, cited among other things for claiming “whites killed by blacks–81%” (it’s 

16%); less than a year later he won the presidential election! 

Cue much handwringing and demoralisation among people who advocate 

for better use of evidence in public life. They fear that we have entered a 

world where everyone has their own reality, the truth has little purchase, and 

demagogues and soundbite writers rule. But horrifying as it may be to witness 

the appeal of people who trade in prejudices and make things up, to see lies and 

misinformation exposed but still seemingly embraced, it is wrong to conclude 

that the public doesn’t care for truth. We should not rush to this diagnosis for 

three reasons. 

In the first place, the place of expertise and evidence in recent events was 

limited— too small a part of the picture to conclude that people have rejected 

them. Many people in public life have learnt this year what clinicians have long 

appreciated: that facts can be close to useless if you don’t engage with context 

and lived experiences, whether to challenge them or to appreciate them, or 

both. 

Which brings me to the second reason why evidence advocates should not be 

packing their bags. In so far as experts and evidence have played a role in these 

debates, it has looked like an alternative to engaging with people. It seemed in 

Malta, for example, that pro-debate politicians on the Panama Papers, fearing 

they couldn’t manage a sensible discussion about the realities of institutionalised 

corruption and the best ways to handle it, instead produced expert statements 

about many other issues, other than the issue itself! Certainly, we need public 

discussion to account for the facts, for evidence, even for expert opinion when 

it’s not over-reaching, and we should insist on it. 

28 

34 

So here is the third and vital reason. Evidence, expertise, truthfulness, facts, 

knowledge… these are public goods. We should not forget that other events 

this year have been defined by the public’s quest for truth and a cry for more 

transparency and justice. Evidence and expertise have too often looked like 

counsel to the knowing, rather than what we could be making them: the means 

by which the less powerful can call the world to account. 

So as the year dithers to its end, I wish all our readers, advertisers, supporters 

and partners all the best which Christmas may bring with it, peace, fraternity, 

solidarity and a better, prosperous 2017. 

Enjoy the read. 

36 

38 

Martin Vella 

Malta Business Review’s editorial opinions are decided by its Editor, 

and besides reflecting the Editor’s opinion, are written to represent a 

fair and impartial representation of facts, events and provide a correct 

analysis of local and international news. 

Agents for: 


5


COVER STORY OF THE MONTH 

The Importance 

of Corporate 

Events 

by Jonathan Pace 

Tipico is known to be a pioneer 

within the online gaming industry 

and is now well renowned for 

investing in employees throughout 

the year. The company invests in training 

and development, benefits, good salaries 

and more. However, the company invests 

also on corporate events to align the 

team behind Tipico & Partners with one 

mission and vision, together with fun and 

corporate social responsibility events in 

December. 

Tipico invests time and money to produce 

an annual Tipico and Partners Conference, 

where colleagues from foreign offices are 

also invited to Malta. The objectives behind 

the conference are quite a few. Sharpening 

the saw (your skills) is always of utmost 

importance, coming out with new ideas 

and approaches, creating effectiveness 

and efficiency at work. Uniting the team 

from foreign offices is a sought after 

approach for this event. Furthermore, new 

tips and tactics are given to employees, 

strengthening decision making situations 

at work. The conference is also there to 

show the progression achieved over the 

previous year and to present the plans 

for the upcoming year, which continues 

to show consistency levels for improved 

progression. 

Tipico and Partners left the conference 

with a fruitful day and was followed 

by the Christmas Party in a brand new 

venue having Mdina, the old capital 

city, as a background setting. The venue 

was carefully decorated to detail inside 

and out, creating a sense of belonging 

to Tipico for everyone. With a twist 

approach compared to the day event, 

everyone is engaged in a fun way through 

entertainment, projections, band, DJs, a 

Volkswagen Beetle as a photo booth in the 

middle of the dance floor and much more. 

This was complemented with mouthwatering 

food stations, sweets sections 

and fine beverages all night. 

The marathon didn’t stop there; it was 

then time to give away some of everyone’s 

time to community work and collect funds 

through corporate social responsibility 

events. Over ten CSR events were chosen, 

varying from sports related activities, 

maintenance works in various places, tree 

planting, helping elderly people for the 

day among others. 

The trip for the employees from foreign 

offices and the series of activities for 

all ended with two activities; Poker 

tournament and Tipico Song Contest. 

Following a delicious dinner in a 5 star 

6

COVER STORY OF THE MONTH 


From top left to right corporate events: 

Christmas Party 2016, CSR – ZAK Maintenance, CSR – Bingo, CSR - Football, CSR - Cat Sanctuary, CSR – Tree Planting 

venue, everyone was led to their respective 

chosen activity. Poker tournament, having 

over 200 players, lasted overnight with 

attractive prizes for those who lasted, 

while the Tipico Song Contest brought out 

the natural talent of a few who tend to 

keep their voices closed in silence the rest 

of the year! 

Events are highly important for Tipico as 

they are a key factor in improving employee 

moral, a critical piece of the marketing 

strategy, reaffirm values and transform 

employees into agents of its brand. The 

team strives to continue improving on 

such events, making them more engaging, 

worth while, relevant to the company and 

employees, together with leaving a nice 

brightful memory chipped to everyone’s 

mind. 

Tipico would like to wish everyone a 

wonderful Christmas and a Happy New 

Year! 

MBR 


7


debate 

The Cost of Division 

by Jane Addams 

Erodes Trust 

Builds Barriers 

Decreases Collaboration 

Limits Growth 

Keeps People Up at Night 

Retaliation and revenge are powerful 

motivators. We want to right the 

real or perceived wrong. Swiss 

researchers discovered that the mere 

act of contemplating revenge triggered 

the portion of our brain that processes 

rewards. No wonder there’s the concept 

that revenge is sweet. However, giving 

in to the negative feelings doesn’t end 

the matter. Behavioral scientists have 

found that indulging the desire to get 

even creates a cycle of retaliation that 

perpetuates the downward spiral of 

hostility and distrust. Payback doesn’t pay. 

Ann Macaskill, professor at Sheffield 

Hallam University, explains how we think 

about revenge, “When individuals are 

attacked in some way that feels unjust, they 

go through three psychological stages: a 

shock phase, an adjustment phase and 

a reaction phase. In the reaction phase, 

they will either decide to forgive, hold 

a grudge but do nothing, or take or plot 

revenge. Those able to forgive rather than 

seek revenge are, it would seem, better 

developed than most.” 

So how can we as leaders be “better 

developed” and do the wicked, hard work 

of rising above the desire to fight back? 

As much as I love the paradoxical “power 

of and,” I see the work of supplanting 

discord with tolerance and acceptance as 

an either/or scenario: either we surrender 

to intolerance, or we decide to create 

environments where people feel valued. 

Intolerance isn’t acceptable; maximising 

and leveraging differences is. To accept 

that different is merely different, not 

wrong, leaders must lead themselves. 

Leaders have to be self-aware enough to 

making people feel valued, respected, and 

part of “we” is a foundational element 

Issues grow in magnitude, 

year after year and decade 

after decade... 

Destroying Lives, 

Organisations, Communities 

& Nations 

for building tolerance and acceptance 

and for rejecting divisiveness. There’s an 

extraordinary snowball effect at play— 

people who feel respected are more 

likely to show respect, be tolerant, be 

willing to participate, and be less willing 

to punish or disparage others. Tolerance 

is not the absence of prejudice but 

rather emphasizes forbearance and not 

begrudging other people their own ways. 

~Maykel Verkuyten, professor Utrecht 

University. 

Behavioural scientists point to the 

existence of four conditions required for 

people to feel that they are treated fairly. 

Firstly, People must have the opportunity 

for real and meaningful participation. 

They want a voice and want to know that 

their voice matters. Secondly, believe 

the decision making process is fair, open, 

and interactive. Stanford professor John 

Ousterhout notes, “If a collection of smart 

people all look at the same problem with 

the same information, and if they have 

the same goals, then they are likely to 

reach the same conclusion. A decision 

with strong consensus is more valuable 

than one without consensus: it is more 

likely to be right, and it is more likely to 

get implemented effectively because 

everyone believes in it.” Thirdly, have 

no doubt that they will be treated with 

dignity, and fourth accept that those in 

authority are trustworthy. All we have to 

do is appreciate the validity of differing 

points of view. 

“Peace does not mean an absence of 

conflicts; differences will always be there. 

Peace means solving these differences 

through peaceful means; through 

dialogue, education, knowledge; and 

through humane ways.” ~Dalai Lama XIV 

When leaders are self-aware and do these 

four things, we are enabling ourselves— 

and others—to transcend finger pointing 

and friction, move past the limitations 

of who is right and who’s wrong, and to 

focus on the greater good. The good we 

secure for ourselves is precarious and 

uncertain until it is secured for all of us and 

incorporated into our common life. MBR 

Sources: LinkedIn; Wikipedia 

EDITOR’S 

Note 

Jane Addams (September 

6, 1860 – May 21, 1935) 

was a pioneer American 

settlement activist/ 

reformer, social worker, public philosopher, 

sociologist, author, and leader in women’s 

suffrage and world peace. She co-founded, 

with Ellen Gates Starr, the first settlement 

house in the United States, Chicago’s Hull 

House. In an era when presidents such as 

Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson 

identified themselves as reformers and 

social activists, Addams was one of the most 

prominent reformers of the Progressive Era. 

She helped America to address and focus on 

issues that were of concern to mothers, such as 

the needs of children, local public health, and 

world peace. 

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PERSPECTIVE 

ITALY REFERENDUM LATEST … 

From demolition man to demolished, by Giulia Paravicini 

Matteo Renzi announces his resignation during a press conference 

| Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images[Frontex] 

Resigning as PM is not enough for some 

members of his party. 

ROME — After Matteo Renzi announced 

his resignation as prime minister of Italy, 

following voters’ rejection of his proposed 

constitutional changes, many — even 

within his own ranks — now wonder if he’s 

still fit to lead the center Left. 

By calling the referendum, Renzi hoped to 

consolidate power and heal a split that’s 

bedeviled the Democratic Party (PD) since 

its inception in 2007. Instead, he has 

further fractured the party, which isn’t 

even able to agree on whether he should 

keep the reins or resign as chairman. 

The outcome of Sunday’s vote, widely seen 

as a referendum on Renzi’s government, 

suggests that the prime minister and 

his party have lost voters to the antiestablishment 

5Star Movement as well as 

minor parties on both the Right and Left. 

Renzi’s opponents won 60 percent of the 

vote and 17 out of Italy’s 20 regions. High 

voter turnout of more than 68.5 percent 

made it an even more conclusive defeat 

for the former mayor of Florence. 

The Democratic Party of Renzi 

Renzi may be paying the price for an original 

sin: hijacking the PD as an outsider. Several 

party elders, who openly campaigned 

against Renzi, are now demanding his 

resignation as head of the PD, accusing 

him of having fomented divisions. 

“First of all Renzi needs to resign as party 

secretary and allow the PD to choose 

its new leadership,” Luigi Manconi, a 

PD senator, told POLITICO. “Then the 

Democratic Party will have to rethink 

its position and its political and cultural 

identity. Because of him, we lost teachers, 

blue-collar workers and trade unions 

along the way.” 

Several critics within the party say Renzi 

surrendered core PD values, such as 

social justice and defending workingclass 

interests, to pursue his own political 

agenda. They even have a term for it: 

“PDR, the Democratic Party of Renzi.” 

“He transformed a referendum into a 

plebiscite, and tragically damaged the 

party in so doing,” said Paolo Corsini, a PD 

member. “But the truth is he lost, not the 

party. And so he has to go.” 

MEANWHILE… 

Italian President Sergio Mattarella on 

Monday asked Matteo Renzi to delay 

his resignation as prime minister until 

the country’s 2017 budget has been 

adopted. 

ITALY REFERENDUM REACTIONS … 

European Greens: “Not a vote against 

Europe but against Renzi.” 

Marine Le Pen said the result was a 

rejection of the “absurd politics of 

ultra-austerity.” (Renzi argues against 

austerity, in fact). 

Eurogroup: No sympathy from finance 

ministers, who insisted that Italy 

isn’t doing enough to meet its deficit 

reduction commitments. 

Markets: Italy’s ailing Monte dei Paschi 

bank is staring down the barrel of a €5 

billion “precautionary” recapitalization, 

for which it currently lacks an anchor 

investor, reports POLITICO’s Morning 

Exchange. The bottom line: the bank is 

still at risk of failing. 

EUROPE’S BLURRED LINES BETWEEN 

POPULISM AND MAINSTREAM: 

Normally it’s populists who want 

radical change and cast themselves as 

outsiders. But in Austria, the populist, 

far-right Freedom Party has been at 

the center of political debate for 60 

years. Matthew Karnitschnig on the 

increasingly upside-down world of 

European politics. 

This is a hammer blow to the euro 

and the pro-EU establishment 

Responding to Italian referendum result 

and resignation of Mr Renzi, UKIP MEP 

UKIP MEP Nigel Farage 

Nigel Farage said: 

“This is a hammer blow to the euro and 

the pro-EU establishment who have 

given the Italian people more poverty, 

unemployment and less security 

because of mass immigration. 

The EU is lurching from one crisis to 

another. 

Quick elections look necessary so 

that the Italian people would have 

the opportunity to get rid of their 

pro-EU establishment.” MBR 

Creditline: POLITICO SPRL; EU/EP; UKIP 

10

Corporate Interview 


Leading by Example 

The Malta Business Review interviews Colin Gregory, Managing Director at Equiom Malta Limited 

By Martin Vella 

MBR: How do you think Equiom fits in 

with Malta’s economic model? 

CG: I think Equiom and Malta really 

complement each other. Working in an 

agile economy has enabled Equiom Malta 

to expand beyond trusts, foundations and 

corporate services and introduce soughtafter 

specialist services including property, 

eBusiness, family office, Maltese yacht 

leasing, Tax and VAT as well as residency, 

immigration and citizenship advisory 

services. Malta is an ideal location for 

Equiom and has been since we opened 

our office in 2012. I’m proud to bring over 

20 years’ financial services experience to 

the table, enabling me to steer Equiom 

Malta forward and drive the growth of 

the business. 

Our culture is focused on 

building long - standing 

trusting relationships with 

our clients 

MBR: Malta has gone from something that 

was typically offshore in its nature, where 

there was a lot of work done with nonresidents, 

to a very modern and vibrant 

international finance centre within the 

EU. Where do you see further growth in 

Malta’s economy and opportunities for 

Equiom? 

CG: We are constantly identifying areas 

of growth for our Malta office and it 

certainly helps to operate in such a proenterprise 

environment with a progressive 

government and approachable regulator 

that recognises and supports growing 

industries. With Brexit on the horizon, 

we anticipate that there will be increased 

interest from certain territories that will be 

exiting the EU and looking to move some 

of their structures to an EU jurisdiction – 

and Malta is very well placed to take this 

business on. 

From an Equiom perspective, we are keen 

to further grow the funds and pension areas 

of the business. As we expand globally and 

add new service lines as a result of our 

acquisitive strategy, we are able to introduce 

new services and expertise across all our 

offices, and this directly benefits clients of 

the Malta office. 

MBR: What does leadership look like 

today in the trust and financial services, 

where trust (faith) has been so badly 

damaged? 

CG: Equiom has spent a long time 

establishing a reputable position within the 

industry. As a business, we have decades of 

experience and when you combine a leading 

reputation with hard working people, trust 

amongst your peers comes naturally. Our 

culture is focused on building long-standing 

trusting relationships with our clients - this 

has always been our approach to business 

and it ensures we stand head and shoulders 

above our competitors. 

MBR: What is Equiom’s growth strategy? 

CG: Equiom has a twin track approach 

incorporating growth through acquisition 

and solid year-on-year organic growth. 

We’ve worked hard to establish a leading 

reputation and this is a driving force behind 

our organic growth. Acquisitive growth has 

seen Equiom expand substantially recently 

and we now have a presence in nine 

jurisdictions – the British Virgin Islands, 

Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Isle of Man, 

Jersey, Malta, the State of Qatar, Singapore 

and the United Arab Emirates. 

Across all these locations, we have people 

on the ground with the relevant expertise. 

As a business we recognise you’re only ever 

as good as your people – and good people 

are at the heart of Equiom. 

In terms of our global growth goals, we aim 

to be operating at the top level of trust and 

corporate service providers within all our 

jurisdictions and we plan to have an even 

split across Asia, Europe, the Isle of Man 

and the Channel Islands. 

MBR: What’s your personal approach to 

leadership? 

CG: Leading by example is always the 

best approach to management. Career 

progression is a key focus across the 

business and I personally ensure our 

Malta staff are given the confidence to 

reach their potential. Regular, structured 

appraisals allow me to highlight areas of 

personal development within the team and 

this in turn helps me to create the ideal 

environment for individuals to succeed in. 

I am also a keen advocate of empowerment 

and coaching rather than applying an 

authoritarian-style of management. 

Empowerment is about trusting employees 

to make decisions in certain situations, 

which in turn makes employees gain a 

stronger sense of ownership and worth 

when entrusted to make important 

decisions. This results in staff feeling 

more productive in their roles, and helps 

them grow within the business, ultimately 

benefiting our clients. MBR 

All rights reserved / Copyright 2016 

EDITOR’S 

Note 

Colin Gregory is responsible 

for the overall operation 

and performance of 

Equiom (Malta) Limited and for ensuring that 

business performance is in line with group 

strategy. With a seat on the Equiom (Malta) 

Limited Board, Colin has full responsibility 

for the business, focusing on building and 

maintaining client relationships as well as coordinating 

day-to-day office management for 

Equiom’s Malta office. 


11


Analysis 

Mandatory checks at EU external borders: 

deal done by MEPs and ministers 

By Special Correspondent 

All EU citizens and third country nationals entering or leaving the EU will be checked 

against databases, e.g. of lost and stolen documents, under a draft law informally 

agreed by MEPs and EU ministers recently. 

A Frontex operation at sea. [Frontex] 

Background 

The draft regulation is a response to the 

rise in terrorist threats in Europe, such 

as the attacks in Paris, Copenhagen and 

Brussels in recent years. It also aims 

to combat terrorist “foreign fighters”, 

many of whom are EU citizens, irregular 

migration and human trafficking. 

This initiative to amend the Schengen 

Borders Code (SBC) was presented by 

the European Commission in December 

2015. The amendment will also align 

member states’ existing obligations 

to do systematic exit checks on third 

country nationals, to ensure that they 

do not present a threat to public policy 

and internal security. 

These checks, designed to improve 

security inside the EU, would be 

mandatory for everyone. A key goal for 

Parliament’s negotiators was also to 

make it possible to ease the new rules 

at airports, should they slow the flow of 

traffic there too much. 

Parliament’s rapporteur Monica Macovei 

(ECR, RO) said: “Terrorism is hate without 

limits, and destroying human life is at 

the core of hate. Every person has a 

right to life and every democracy has the 

right to its values. We want security in a 

changing world.” 

”Crises such as the terrorist threat require 

a rapid and coordinated crisis response. 

Securing the external borders of the EU 

can stop the movement of terrorists, 

weapons and substances of mass 

destruction. We must do our outmost”, 

she added. 

The agreement still needs to be formally 

endorsed by the full Parliament and 

the Council. 

EU-wide databases 

MEPs and ministers struck a compromise 

on using EU-wide databases as much 

as possible when doing border checks, 

in particular the Schengen Information 

System, the Interpol database on stolen 

or lost travel documents and other 

European databases. 

Nevertheless, the agreement still allows 

member states to consult national 

information systems and Interpol´s other 

databases if they wish. 

Relaxing checks at airports 

The EU Commission proposal says that if 

systematic checks cause too lengthy border 

delays, sample checks could be introduced 

at EU land and sea borders instead. 

MEPs managed to include airports too, by 

granting national authorities a transitional 

period of up to six months to adjust 

their air border infrastructure, plus, if 

necessary, an additional 18 months under 

exceptional circumstances. Thereafter, 

the checks should be systematic. 

According to the agreed text, member 

states wishing to ease airport checks 

would have to demonstrate that this 

would not lead to risks for internal 

security, public policy, international 

relations or public health. 

Next steps 

The informal deal will be put to a 

confirmation vote in the Civil Liberties 

Committee on a date to be decided later. 

If approved in committee, the deal will be 

put to a vote by Parliament as a whole and 

the Council of Ministers. All dates for these 

votes will also be decided later. MBR 

Creditline: Viktor Almquist, Press Officer, LIBE Press 

release, Justice and home affairs, EP 

12

FEATURE INTERVIEW 


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welcome 

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your trip in luxury, style and comfort. 

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Tel: (+356) 2369 6292 / 6016 

Freephone: 8007 6666 

Email: info@lavaletteclub.com 

www.lavaletteclub.com 

www.maltabusinessreview.net 13



Accomplishing the Entrepreneurial Drive 


All businesses are 

built on relationships; 

of course they have 

to be relevant ones with 

key stakeholders - providers, 

employees, customers, regulatory 

bodies - people of power, people 

of knowledge like experts. Nikolai 

Livori, CEO of Yobetit, believes that 

every relationship has value. Let’s 

find out why he personally 

values knowledge over 

power. 

MBR: You are known as an 

iGaming veteran, how did it all 

start? 

NL: My education background 

is in maths and computer 

science, particularly focused 

on A.I. After venturing into the 

iGaming world over a decade 

ago, I have worked with a variety 

of well known international 

companies eventually leading 

to positions in executive management. 

Through MathEPIC, I am heavily involved 

in start-ups; my own and those of others. I 

am working on setting up an ecosystem to 

facilitate mentoring, financing and general 

early stage support. 

I was an employee myself, and was given 

opportunities to advance in my career. I 

have the support of those that believe in my 

ideas. I too believe in people; in investing in 

them, their passions and their ideas. I want 

to give that same opportunity to others that 

show tenacity, passion and entrepreneurial 

spirit. That is part of my long-term strategy. 

MBR: Looking back, are you surprised 

by how much sports have been a part of 

your life? 

NL: The real surprise is probably that I am 

not a football and sports fanatic, I don’t 

even have a favourite team. I approach the 

sports betting industry with the mind-set 

of a mathematician; focusing on numbers, 

mathematical models, algorithms. 

It is a misconception that iGaming and 

sports are two sides of the same coin. In 

content, you may be betting on sports 

events, but the concept of gambling can 

be applied to almost anything. Sports 

feeds into my business, it fuels its engine 

however I could just as easily apply the 

models and proprietary technology to 

other types of trading industries such as 

forex or commodities 

Transparency and sharing 

your ideas at an early stage 

really is key 

I also have ties with game development 

companies and we do not like to blur the 

lines between pure entertainment games 

and gambling. As such, I believe that the 

term iGaming is misleading and should 

be named iGambling. You can find more 

information on my LinkedIn. 

MBR: Would you discuss the importance 

of communicating your vision to 

the people at Yobetit early on and 

having them understand the broader 

opportunities? 

NL: A vision cannot become reality 

without the buy-in from key players and 

employees. And I have come to understand 

that it is not enough to have a compelling 

vision, because oftentimes people have 

to buy into the leader before they are 

willing to buy into the vision itself. You 

must engage with them, have one-on-one 

conversations, and listen, to create energy 

around the concept. Everyone wants to 

belong, they want to contribute and fit 

into the bigger picture. Transparency and 

sharing your ideas at an early stage really is 

key. That way, one can provide just enough 

14



boundaries for creativity to thrive and flow 

without losing sight of the ultimate goal. 

MBR: How hard is it to make a longterm 

investments when there is so much 

pressure for short-term results? 

NL: As a Managing Director, I have the 

privilege of being able to instill a solid 

balance between long-term investments 

and short-term results. I am also able 

to better direct any efforts that are 

undertaken for the ultimate success of the 

company. I have seen countless examples 

of the bottom line being the only KPI for 

success or failure in a business. Racing 

against time to produce good short-term 

results while losing the overview may 

jeopardise the capability for survival in the 

longer term. And even more importantly, 

without the right people with the right 

skills in the right positions, you are not 

going to be making profit for long. 

MBR: It seems you like to fix and drive 

growth. Do you enjoy the process as 

you’re building? 

NL: Being an entrepreneur is a calling, a 

vocation if you will. It can be a blessing and 

a curse at times, because there is a sense 

of urgency in everything you do. Inactivity 

will make you feel restless however it is a 

process and one has to set clear goals and 

pursue them tirelessly. Seeing a business 

come to life, from idea generation to 

incorporation, to growth stage is very 

satisfying. Once you have started one 

company, you will want to start more. You 

crave being involved in the early stages. 

You are compelled to create again and 

again - and so I run and am involved in 

multiple projects and businesses, and help 

others to realise their entrepreneurial 

vision and dreams. 

As an entrepreneur, you work for yourself. 

You build your businesses around your 

strengths and compensate for your 

weaknesses by surrounding yourself with 

the right people. You chart your own 

path and when you have a setback, you 

regroup and reimagine. I consider an 

entrepreneurial drive a personal asset; 

you plan, you strategise, you solve, and 

you work with alternatives - your goal is to 

always find a way. 

MBR: Can you tell us the significance 

of market movements within sports 

betting? 

NL: As a bettor, understanding the 

significance of market movements is 

a strategy for those hoping to predict 

winning outcomes. The flow of money can 

be a pretty accurate way of determining an 

outcome of a future event. As a business, 

our automated engine monitors these 

market movements and takes a position in 

the market at set intervals. It allows us to 

offer surebets as well as highly competitive 

Last Minute Bets prices. 

I find that the best way 

to respond to anything 

threatening your business 

model or goals is to be open 

to new opportunities 

There are a number of bookmakers to 

watch to understand the betting market 

sentiment. We always look to sharp 

bookmakers as they operate with high 

volumes and low margins, and therefore 

their prices are very close to the “fair” or 

actual market price. Additionally, they are 

the first to move their prices, initiating 

general movement within the market. 

MBR: Would you say there is a 

tremendous opportunity for innovation 

in iGaming both on the product side and 

across the industry? 

NL: Although I do believe that there is 

tremendous opportunity for innovation 

in iGaming, it would seem as if we have 

reached a plateau in recent years. Overall, 

I feel that there is a sense of complacency 

on the part of industry giants, but I am 

from the school of thought that we should 

always embrace curiosity and question the 

status quo. I do appreciate that demand is 

the driver, however I feel that efforts and 

progress, or lack thereof, is being driven 

mainly by industry providers and operators. 

If we were to be curious about what 

the customers want, they may welcome 

something entirely different. Many iGaming 

start-ups and fairly new companies embrace 

this to a larger extent. Yobetit Surebets is 

for me the epitome of wanting to bring 

about change and innovate. It enabled 

me to bring together mathematics, data 

mining and iGaming. The concept of 

surebetting is nothing new but it had not 

yet been applied in a bookmaking fashion. 

This innovative product appeals to a niche 

audience, which makes me certain there 

are more niches to explore. No one size 

fits all, it is a matter of having the courage 

to do things a little differently. 

Recently, there has been a lot of attention 

on the MGA licensing regime from an EU 

perspective. It presents both threats and 

opportunities, but as an entrepreneur you 

need the determination to find alternatives. 

I find that the best way to respond to 

anything threatening your business model 

or goals is to be open to new opportunities. 

This particular threat has made me look to 

Asia for new ideas and possibilities, as well 

as branching out of the industry altogether. 

MBR: For somebody who is known to get 

deep into the business operations, do 

you find it harder to get as engaged as 

you would like? 

NL: I certainly have a tendency to get deeply 

involved into the mathematics, technical 

and research parts of the businesses, so I 

have to constantly work to find a balance 

in my involvement. I engage with the 

teams; I am aware of their victories and 

their shortcomings. As a leader, one needs 

to know when to take charge and when 

to follow. Surrounding myself with people 

I trust personally and professionally has 

taught me to occasionally give up the reins 

before it becomes detrimental to business 

and health. 

MBR: What are the key priorities in 

your role and how will you measure the 

success of your efforts? 

NL: The key priority in my role is driving 

growth; creating forward movement. There 

is no finish line. It is my responsibility to 

search for change and improvement, figure 

out how to respond to it and use it to create 

opportunities for my team and businesses. 

I believe that the success of my efforts 

is measured by the level of passion and 

motivation in my team, and by how people 

respond to my businesses or ideas. If they 

are either excited or incredulous about it, I 

know I am doing something right. MBR 


EDITOR’S 

Note 

Nikolai Livori is a 

successful Maltese 

entrepreneur within 

the IT, online casual 

games and iGaming industries. Through 

a solid educational background in 

mathematics, computer science and AI, as 

well as business acumen, he has dived into 

different areas such as game development, 

e-learning and iGaming as well as data 

mining and gamification for marketing 

and innovation purposes. As a director, 

investor and mentor, Nikolai is involved 

in multiple local and international startups 

and ventures. 


15


Christmas Narrative 

Papa Panov’s Special 

Christmas 

By Leo Tolstoy 

Over the years, Christmas has inspired many authors to write about its spirit and significance. The spirit 

that embodies charity, forgiveness, friendship, unselfish love and generosity. In the stories that follow, you 

will find many examples of what makes the Christmas Spirit so unique and special. Though most of these 

stories have been written for children, readers of all ages will enjoy these skillfully told tales. 

Old Papa Panov, the village 

shoemaker, stepped outside 

his shop to take one last 

look around. The sounds of 

happiness, the bright lights and the faint 

but delicious smells of Christmas cooking 

reminded him of past Christmas times 

when his wife had still been alive and his 

own children little. Now they had gone. 

His usually cheerful face, with the little 

laughter wrinkles behind the round steel 

spectacles, looked sad now. But he went 

back indoors with a firm step, put up the 

shutters and set a pot of coffee to heat on 

the charcoal stove. Then, with a sigh, he 

settled in his big armchair. 

Papa Panov did not often read, but tonight 

he pulled down the big old family Bible 

and, slowly tracing the lines with one 

forefinger, he read again the Christmas 

story. He read how Mary and Joseph, tired 

by their journey to Bethlehem, found no 

room for them at the inn, so that Mary’s 

little baby was born in the cowshed. 

Bless my soul! said Papa 

Panov. It’s Christmas Day! 

“Oh, dear, oh, dear!” exclaimed Papa 

Panov, “if only they had come here! I 

would have given them my bed and I could 

have covered the baby with my patchwork 

quilt to keep him warm.” 

He read on about the wise men who had 

come to see the baby Jesus, bringing him 

splendid gifts. 

Papa Panov’s face fell. “I have no gift that I 

could give him,” he thought sadly. 

Then his face brightened. He put down 

the Bible, got up and stretched his long 

arms t the shelf high up in his little room. 

He took down a small, dusty box and 

opened it. Inside was a perfect pair of tiny 

leather shoes. 

Papa Panov smiled with satisfaction. Yes, 

they were as good as he had rememberedthe 

best shoes he had ever made. “I should 

give him those,” he decided, as he gently 

put them away and sat down again. 

He was feeling tired now, and the further 

16

Christmas Narrative 


he read the sleeper he became. The print 

began to dance before his eyes so that he 

closed them, just for a minute. In no time 

at all Papa Panov was fast asleep. 

And as he slept he dreamed. He dreamed 

that someone was in his room and he 

know at once, as one does in dreams, who 

the person was. It was Jesus. 

“You have been wishing that you could see 

me, Papa Panov.” he said kindly, “then look 

for me tomorrow. It will be Christmas Day 

and I will visit you. But look carefully, for I 

shall not tell you who I am.” 

When at last Papa Panov awoke, the bells 

were ringing out and a thin light was 

filtering through the shutters. wHe stood 

up and stretched himself for he was rather 

stiff. Then his face filled with happiness as 

he remembered his dream. This would be 

a very special Christmas after all, for Jesus 

was coming to visit him. How would he 

look? Would he be a little baby, as at that 

first Christmas? Would he be a grown man, 

a carpenter- or the great King that he is, 

God’s Son? He must watch carefully the 

whole day through so that he recognized 

him however he came. 

Papa Panov put on a special pot of coffee 

for his Christmas breakfast, took down the 

shutters and looked out of the window. The 

street was deserted, no one was stirring 

yet. No one except the road sweeper. He 

looked as miserable and dirty as ever, and 

well he might! Whoever wanted to work 

on Christmas Day - and in the raw cold and 

bitter freezing mist of such a morning? 

Papa Panov opened the shop door, letting 

in a thin stream of cold air. “Come in!” he 

shouted across the street cheerily. “Come 

in and have some hot coffee to keep out 

the cold!” 

The sweeper looked up, scarcely able to 

believe his ears. He was only too glad to put 

down his broom and come into the warm 

room. His old clothes steamed gently in the 

heat of the stove and he clasped both red 

hands round the comforting warm mug as 

he drank. 

Papa Panov watched him with satisfaction, 

but every now and them his eyes strayed 

to the window. It would 

never do to miss his 

special visitor. 

“Expecting someone?” 

the sweeper asked at 

last. So Papa Panov told 

him about his dream. 

“Well, I hope he 

comes,” the sweeper 

said, “you’ve given 

me a bit of Christmas 

cheer I never expected 

to have. I’d say you 

deserve to have your 

dream come true.” And 

he actually smiled. 

When he had gone, 

Papa Panov put on 

cabbage soup for his 

dinner, then went 

Leo Tolstoy - Yasnaya Polyana estate in May 1908. 

to the door again, 

by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky 

scanning the street. 

He saw no one. But he was mistaken. 

Someone was coming. 

The girl walked so slowly and quietly, 

hugging the walls of shops and houses, 

Sudden thought flashed through Papa 

Panov’s mind. He remembered the little 

shoes he had looked at last night. But 

he had been keeping those for Jesus. He 

that it was a while before he noticed her. 

looked again at the cold little feet and 

She looked very tired and she was carrying 

made up his mind. MBR 

something. As she drew nearer he could 

see that it was a baby, wrapped in a thin 

shawl. There was such sadness in her face 

EDITOR’S 

and in the pinched little face of the baby, 

Note 

that Papa Panov’s heart went out to them. 

“Won’t you come in,” he called, stepping 

Leo Tolstoy, or Count 

outside to meet them. “You both need a 

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy 

warm by the fire and a rest.” 

(September 9 1828 – 

November 20 1910), was a Russian writer 

The young mother let him shepherd her 

widely regarded as among the greatest of 

indoors and to the comfort of the armchair. 

novelists. Tolstoy’s further talents as essayist, 

She gave a big sigh of relief. 

dramatist, and educational reformer made 

“I’ll warm some milk for the baby,” Papa 

Panov said, “I’ve had children of my own- 

I can feed her for you.” He took the milk 

from the stove and carefully fed the baby 

from a spoon, warming her tiny feet by the 

stove at the same time. 

“She needs shoes,” the cobbler said. 

him the most influential member of the 

aristocratic Tolstoy family. Papa Panov’s 

Special Christmas was originally written 

in French by Ruben Saillens, and then 

translated into English by Tolstoy. This is a 

very thoughtful story, based on the Bible text 

‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was 

thirsty and you gave me water’ which Jesus 

used to make us understand how we should 

But the girl replied, “I can’t afford shoes, 

serve him by serving each other. The story of 

I’ve got no husband to bring home money. 

Papa Panov is an excellent way to introduce 

I’m on my way to the next village to get 

young chldren to the principles of kindness. 

work.” 


17


IT Interview of the Month 

Good to Great 

By George Carol 

When you start a new business or create an innovative product, you are very often faced with the choice to move 

direction. And if you don’t copy someone’s idea doing something really new and unique, you should rely only on your 

own intuition. In his interview for Malta Business Review, Nikolay Dobrovolskiy, the vice-president of Parallels, spoke 

about avoiding mistakes while making the first steps. 

Thea Saliba, Lawyer & TV Personality Show Host, presenting an award to Nick during MBIBA 2016 

MBR: Your company became worldknown 

about ten years ago. Can we say 

that the appearance of your key product, 

Parallels Desktop for Mac, is a simple 

luck? 

ND: The great American swimmer Michael 

Phelps was once asked how many of his 

victories were influenced by luck. He 

answered that the more he trained, the 

more often he was lucky to win. In our case, 

everything is the same. Before becoming a 

world leader in software production, we 

worked on our Parallels Desktop project 

for more than five years. Sometimes, there 

were cases when the whole Team didn’t 

receive any salary for several months. 

MBR: What is the secret of success? 

Why have you succeeded in making a 

world-class project, while hundreds of 

thousands of other programmers have 

not? 

ND: In my opinion, the main components 

of any successful startup are a clear vision, 

a good team and a focus on the product. 

Initially I got a feeling that 

there would be no deal 

while we were talking to 

Philip Schiller 

MBR: Do you think that others don’t 

have them? 

ND: Quite often I see the picture of a 

young team or a startup being united by 

an interesting idea. People begin to do 

something, but one or two years later 

they abandon it without achieving results 

and start a new project. Then the story 

repeats itself. Finally, 10-15 years later, 

those people find themselves in the same 

situation as the one they started with. 

Time, efforts and energy are lost, but the 

result is absent. If you believe in your idea, 

you shouldn’t give up after the first failure. 

MBR: How important is the idea? 

ND: In my opinion, people overestimate 

the importance of their ideas. Some people 

think that everyone wants to steal their 

invented unique know-how. But it is much 

more important to implement the idea 

than just to invent it. Did social networks 

exist before Facebook? Yes, of course. Still, 

only Mark Zuckerberg managed to make 

his project really global, uniting billions of 

people on the planet. 

MBR: How important for your success 

was your meeting with Steve Jobs? 

ND: Such meetings can be categorized 

as amazing ones. We met him at Apple 

headquarters in 2007. Being already 

known around the world, we wanted to 

18

IT Interview of the Month 


The Parallels Team led by Nick during Malta’s Best in Business Awards 2016 

put Parallels Desktop into the Apple’s 

business channel. Initially I got a feeling 

that there would be no deal while we were 

talking to Philip Schiller (Apple’s senior vice 

president of Worldwide Marketing) and 

Bertrand Serlet (The “Father” of macOS 

and Senior Vice President of Software 

Engineering at Apple). They gave very 

vague answers to our direct questions. 

Suddenly, Steve Jobs walked in. He asked 

us to introduce ourselves and tell him 

about our ideas. Further, he asked several 

clarifying questions and told his reports 

to do it. After that our conversation 

continued in an absolutely different way. 

By the way, our products are still available 

in all Apple shops and corporate channel 

worldwide. 

the main components of any 

successful startup are a clear 

vision, a good team and a 

focus on the product 

MBR: Let us return to the topic of 

choosing the right path and successful 

development. What is more important 

for the company, presence of a captain 

like Steve Jobs or the ability to make 

right decisions collectively? 

ND: A lot of things depend on corporate 

culture specifics. In Parallels, many issues 

are resolved in the team. We are used to 

being interested in everyone’s opinion. 

The employees are greatly involved in 

achieving common results. Generally, we 

are like a big family. Of course, if we have 

no consensus, it is necessary to make the 

decision personally, but usually everyone 

is motivated by the opportunity to be a 

part of our common future. 

MBR: But it is impossible to create 

a common vision for the company 

consisting of hundreds and even 

thousands of people, isn’t it? 

ND: In fact, it is possible. In the case of 

Parallels, we know that the programs 

created by us must meet our users’ needs. 

Our products must be intuitively clear, 

simple and convenient. It is no accident 

that one of the key metrics for us is NPS 

(Net Promoter Score). The probability of 

our users recommending our software 

determines the correctness of our chosen 

way and the future development of our 

company. We understand that if we do 

not hear and listen to the users, our future 

will be foggy. Another component of our 

development is constant improvement. 

MBR: What do you mean? It is impossible 

to re-invent the bicycle, isn’t it? 

ND: Did you see electric motorized 

bicycles? Gyroscooters? Tesla cars? You 

may agree that their basic functions are 

the same, but the technologies used in 

each of them made revolutionary steps 

forward. I consider the history of Nokia, 

Polaroid and Siemens Mobile. These giants 

seemed to be inviolable, but they lost 

their superiority within several years. For 

this reason, Parallels constantly develops, 

looks for perspective niches, creates new 

products and technological solutions. For 

us, it is not enough to be just good, we 

strive to become a great company. MBR 


Corporate 

Brief 

Parallels is a global leader in crossplatform 

solutions which make it 

possible and simple for customers 

to use and access the applications 

and files they need on any device or 

operating system. We help customers 

take advantage of the best technology 

out there, whether it’s Windows, 

Mac, iOS, AndroidTM or the cloud. 

Parallels solves complex engineering 

and user experience problems by 

making it simple and cost-effective for 

businesses and individual customers 

to use applications wherever they 

may be local, remote, in the private 

datacenter or in the cloud. 


19


igaming 

The MGA Publishes its Interim Performance 

Report for the Gaming Industry for the 

Period January to June 2016 

By Malta Gaming Authority 

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has 

published its interim performance report 

for the period January to June 2016. The 

report reviews the performance of the 

gaming industry under the governance 

of MGA in terms of economic value 

added, employment, number of licensed 

operators and tax revenue together with 

developments in demand trends and 

in the supply capabilities of operators. 

The report includes an introductory 

section highlighting the key performance 

indicators for the first half of 2016 as well 

as a medium term outlook into the future 

followed by a detailed report explaining 

key statistics for land-based and remote 

gaming sectors. Some key indicators 

include: 

»» 

During the period under review, the 

gaming industry directly contributed 

12.0% of the total economic value 

added generated in the Maltese 

economy with employment in the 

gaming industry rising by 31% year 

on year. Furthermore, Gross Value 

Added for the first six months of 2016 

increased by 11.9% compared to Jan 

to Jun 2015, 

»» 

Land-based activities generated over 

250 new jobs when compared to 

the second half of 2015 whilst new 

jobs in the remote gaming business 

increased by eight times as much, 

»» 

Tax revenues amounted to €28 

million during the first half of 2016, 

which represented 4.6% of the total 

indirect tax intake of the Maltese 

Government, 

»» 

As at the end of June 2016, there 

were 250 registered remote gaming 

operators, holding 490 licences 

collectively, 

»» 

The Authority developed a regulatory 

framework for games of skill, 

»» 

MGA continued to work with the 

Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit 

(FIAU) on the implementation of 

the new 4th Anti Money Laundering 

Directive set to come into force next 

year, 

»» 

Remote gaming regulations 

were amended to strengthen 

consumer protection and promote 

administrative simplification, 

»» 

MGA continued with the work on a 

regulatory overhaul which should 

strengthen and future-proof the 

gaming industry in Malta (to be 

brought into force in 2017), 

»» 

The gaming industry in Malta is 

expected to continue growing 

robustly in 2017. 

The MGA will publish a full year industry 

performance report in May 2017 when it 

publishes its Annual Report for the financial 

year ending 31 December 2016. MBR 

20


What has established our global 

reputation in the gaming industry? 

At the Malta Gaming Authority, our regulatory philosophy, organisational principles 

and culture are focused on player protection. Malta’s transparent legal framework and 

experience in regulating gaming has developed into a world class eco-system providing 

effective, innovative and efficient regulation. 

Our regulatory framework provides assurances both locally and internationally 

that fairness and transparency are at the core of everything that we do. 

To this effect, our licensees are associated with the highest 

levels of integrity and efficiency. 

Proudly recognised as a world class authority in terms of 

innovation, governance and diligence. 

MALTA GAMING AUTHORITY 

Building SCM02-03, Level 4, SmartCity Malta, Ricasoli SCM 1001, Malta 

T +356 2546 9000 E info.mga@mga.org.mt 

www.mga.org.mt 


21


Entrepreneurship 

Why I love entrepreneurship 

By Sir Richard Branson 

Image from Virgin StartUp 

The greatest thing about entrepreneurship 

is that it’s open to everyone. It doesn’t 

matter where you went to school or 

who your parents are, it all boils down to 

having a good idea and being resourceful 

enough to turn it into a reality. 

I was thrilled to receive the letter below 

from Mohsin Muhammed – one of the 

first people in Scotland to receive a loan 

through Virgin StartUp. When Mo moved 

to the UK at age nine, has was unable to 

speak English. Nine years later he was 

diagnosed with dyslexia. But he didn’t let 

that stop him from pursuing his dreams 

to start a business, and what’s more, 

become a doctor. 

A Dyslexic Teenager’s Dream 

Imagine you moved to Scotland from a 

deprived country when you are 9 years old, 

you do not know any English apart from: 

A is for Apple and B is Banana… Well, 

that was me in late 2004. 

Fast forward to June 2013, I 

found out that I am dyslexic. 

When I heard this “bad 

news”, I thought, this 

was the end of my 

world. I can never 

conquer the highest 

mountains. I can 

never become a 

doctor. I can never 

make money in 

life. I can never live 

a life that I want to 

live! These were 

just a few negative 

thoughts that 

went through my 

head back then. 

But things started 

to change when I 

was introduced to 

dyslexic celebrities who 

have changed the world. 

One of the celebrities that 

stood out to me was Sir Richard 

Branson. Why? I studied Business 

Management in high school and I 

struggled to understand the difference 

between Gross Profit and Net Profit; so who 

helped me understand the difference? It 

was Sir Richard Branson, another dyslexic. 

He too struggled to understand this ‘simple 

concept’ until someone told him in a 

meeting. ‘Gross Profit is all the fish in the sea 

and Net Profit is all the fish that you catch in 

the net and take home with you.’ -something 

along these lines. It worked for me! 

I could dream again! Since then, I have learnt 

a lot from Sir Richard Branson by reading his 

books. My favourite book is ‘Screw it, Let’s 

do it.’ Sir Richard Branson is my favourite 

teacher. The only teacher that taught me 

anything is possible and that business is not 

rocket science. With him acting as a mentor 

through books, I managed to achieve a lot 

for a dyslexic - please read the following: I 

have managed to get into medical school 

against all the odds - I received 7 refusals 

before starting at University of Glasgow. I will 

be starting my 3rd year of MBChB this year, 

September 2016. Apart from medicine, I have 

a huge interest in business. I want to change 

lives! I want to deliver happiness! How am I 

planning on doing this? Well at the moment 

through Happiness Delivered Ltd. This year, 

this company is launching LoveSweets.com. 

LoveSweets is an online sweet subscription 

service company. The only way this company 

is able to launch is because of Virgin StartUp. 

Sir Richard Branson and everything that he 

has setup came to help me once again in my 

life. 

He’s helped me get into medical school. He’s 

helped me start a business. Even if it was 

indirectly. The very most that I would like to 

request is 2 minutes to pass on my sincere 

gratitude to him. I have bought a ticket to an 

event where I can be given the opportunity 

to meet him. Which event? Virgin Disruptors 

2016 on the 3rd October 2016. I have paid 

for this using my money that I had saved up 

for my trip to France. In addition, I will have 

to miss 6 very important lectures to be there. 

I can always catch-up on my lectures and can 

always make more money to fund a trip to 

France but I may never get the opportunity 

to meet my mentor in person ever again. 

So what am I requesting for? My Virgin 

StartUp Mentor Mr David Christie has 

helped me a lot in starting this business and 

now I am requesting him to help me find 

someone who can arrange even 30 seconds 

so that I can meet Sir Richard Branson on the 

3rd October 2016 at the event. I will try my 

best to catch his attention on the day but 

if that does not work, I must at least try to 

arrange a Plan B for such a great opportunity. 

And I could not think of anything better than 

asking for help from Mr David Christie. To 

whoever is reading this, I hope you see how 

much meeting Sir Richard Branson to thank 

him would mean to me. MBR 

Image from Virgin StartUp 

Creditline: Virgin Group Digital, All rights reserved. 

22

Special Feature: mbiba 2016 


Malta's Best-in-Business 

Awards 2016 

Castello Dei Baroni, Friday, 25th November, 2016 


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Special Feature: Malta’s Best in Business Awards 

Chance Favours 

the Prepared Mind 


MBR talks with Dr Andy Ellul and Dr Vincent Micallef, founding partners of Micallef & Ellul 

Advocates, considered as one of Malta’s leading multi-disciplinary firms, winners of Malta's 

Best-in-Business Law Firm of the Year Award 

24



MBR: What is the secret to the success of 

Micallef & Ellul Advocates? 

VM: Micallef & Ellul Advocates believes 

that the values of commitment, reliability 

and excellence form the basis upon which 

every success story is built. However, 

whilst keeping these values at its core, 

the firm believes that the key to success 

in its profession is client satisfaction. 

This is fully achieved by listening and 

comprehending to the clients’ needs 

so as to find the best possible tailormade 

solution. It is precisely that 

customer satisfaction which attracts 

more clients. Clients retain and 

recommend the firm’s services, thus 

becoming the firm’s ambassadors in this 

increasingly competitive industry. From its 

inception, the firm realised that placing its 

clients at the centre of its activities was 

significant for its establishment in the legal 

community as we know it today. 

MBR: How do you define what your 

focus is today? 

AL: Our focus at Micallef & Ellul Advocates 

is very much based on the prevalent 

modern ideology that being successful 

does no longer depend on the size of 

human or physical resources, but is all 

about having a solid and reliable network 

which delivers. The firm’s aim is not to 

compete with other law firms on the basis 

of employing more and more resources. 

On the contrary, the firm is focused on 

remaining a boutique law-firm albeit with 

a difference, that is by expanding the 

practice through extensive outsourcing 

and networking arrangements with the 

right individuals. With this in mind, the 

firm has started to promote its legal 

services abroad, such as in Dubai, Lebanon, 

Jordan, China and South Africa. The quest 

to constantly seek alternative channels 

of doing business and the ability to seize 

the opportunity when it presents itself, 

reflects itself in the internationalisation of 

new services being offered by the firm. 

MBR: Does Micallef & Ellul Advocates 

have a specific sector expertise or do 

you have broad expertise across all 

sectors when it comes to delivering legal 

solutions and advice? 

AL: Whilst understanding that nowadays 

law firms may be better off when 

specialising in a particular field of law, 

thereby enhancing the competitive 

advantages applicable to that specific field, 

Micallef & Ellul Advocates has purposely 

chosen to position the firm as a boutique 

law firm in such a way as to create value to 

its clientele - thus differentiating the level 

of service from that of other larger and 

longer established law firms. 

MBR: Do you consider the recent 

prestigious award as ‘Malta's Best-in- 

Business Law Firm of the Year Award’ 

as a recognition of the Micallef & Ellul 

Advocates business model? 

VM: The firm’s professional approach 

together with the values it upholds, 

coupled with the constant drive to further 

improve its already reputable standards, 

makes Micallef & Ellul Advocates a lawfirm 

worthy of the recognition it received. 

This recognition will undoubtedly serve 

as a further incentive towards the firm’s 

strategic direction, that to become one of 

the island’s premier legal and consultancy 

firms. We intend to continue doing what 

we do best, like we did 10 years ago when 

planning for where we are today! The 

‘Malta’s Best-in- Business Law Firm of the 

Year Award 2016’ was definitely a moral 

boost to all of us. MBR 


The Management and team of Micallef & Ellul Advocates at the 

Malta Best-in-Business Awards 

Corporate 

Brief 

Established in 2007, Micallef & Ellul 

Advocates is a multi-disciplinary law-firm 

based in Malta. It operates from Valletta, 

Malta’s Capital City, and the firm’s mission 

is to provide its clients with pristine service. 

The practise ranges from Consultancy 

services to Litigation, and each of the firm’s 

department is manned by Legal Consultants 

of the highest calibre. The firm prides itself 

in having a number of reputable local and 

international partners. Its mission is to 

remain as a boutique law-firm and not to 

compete with other law firms on the basis 

of employing more and more resources. 

On the contrary, the firm aims to continue 

enhancing its practice through extensive 

outsourcing and networking arrangements 

with the right people. 


25



Leading Through 

Innovation 

By George Carol 

Malta’ s Best-in-Business Outstanding Industry Contributor Award is bestowed to companies who have 

contributed significantly to the local industry over a period of years through dedicated work and to driving 

the industry forward. This year this award went to HALMANN Vella, recognised for their leadership and 

participation in multiple projects, including the award winning design and green management concepts. 

The HALMANN VELLA Team 

MBR: Can you share your feelings 

after having been bestowed as Malta’s 

Best-in-Business Outstanding Industry 

Contributor Award 2016? 

MV: Winning an award, which recognises 

how far we have come since the company’s 

inception over 60 years ago, is a great 

feeling isn’t it?! It is an honour to be 

commended by local business experts for 

business excellence. Business growth, whilst 

maintaining the spirit of a family business 

and not losing focus of the customer, has 

always been our goal, and still is. 

MBR: What are the main factors that 

have made the difference to convince 

the judges to give you such a prestigious 

award? 

MV: I believe that Halmann Vella stood out 

in terms of a number of factors. One being 

innovation, an aspect on which we place a 

lot of value. We constantly invest in new 

machinery, in order to be able to innovate 

both in terms of production processes 

as well as in the final product. This 

enables us to fulfill our brand promise 

of quality. We also seek to import the 

most innovative surfacing materials, most 

notably engineered surfaces such as 

Dekton and Silestone. 

Halmann Vella stands out also as a 

company that puts a strong emphasis 

on sustainability and Corporate Social 

responsibility. In 2014, a 400kWH solar 

panel system was installed in one of 

the company’s factories. This system 

contributes to an average annual reduction 

of 52 tons of Co2. The company is currently 

finalising another additional installation 

of a 480kwH solar panel system. Water 

which is also an important factor in the 

production process. Systems installed in 

both our factories make it possible to filter 

and reuse at least 200,000 litres of water 

per day. Halmann Vella also supports 

a number of charitable institutions as 

well as local heritage. For instance the 

company has made great efforts to revive 

the art of patterned tiles whilst preserving 

the traditional method of production. In 

conjunction with the Deaf Association 

Malta, we now employ three people with 

hearing impairment within our Patterned 

Tiles Production team, whilst also making 

26



Ms Miriam Theuma, CEO at Agenzija Zghazagh presenting the award to Mr Martin Vella, GM, Halmann Vella 

a donation per tile sold to the Deaf 

Association Malta. 

All of this wouldn’t be possible without 

our employees and the collective 

entrepreneurial spirit which is fostered 

and encouraged throughout the company. 

In the past decade the company has gone 

through a process of change and growth 

and thanks to this collective spirit, we have 

managed to maintain the flexibility of a 

small company whilst being able to handle 

opportunities, projects and production of a 

much larger scale and growth. 

Halmann Vella stands out 

also as a company that 

puts a strong emphasis on 

sustainability and Corporate 

Social responsibility 

MBR: How inspiring is it to see what you 

have accomplished together with the 

HALMANN team? 

MV: It is very inspiring. It is definitely a 

motivator to continue aiming towards more 

ambitious accomplishments together. 

MBR: How important do you consider 

such awards are and what significance 

do they have vis-à-vis business growth in 

Malta? 

MV: In an increasingly competitive 

market, awards are a great way showcase 

business success and stand out against 

the competition. They increase awareness 

and market leadership. Winning awards 

also provides a number of opportunities 

for marketing and publicity and is a vote 

of confidence to our employees. Awards 

also increase confidence in the local 

business community. 

MBR: What sets you apart from 

competition? 

MV: We provide our customers added 

value, through the quality of our products 

and our service. We are innovative and a 

socially responsible company. We pride 

ourselves on surfacing Malta’s most 

beautiful spaces, and some of Malta’s 

most iconic buildings and commercial 

establishments are a true testament of 

the quality of our products. Amongst our 

most notorious projects, one can mention 

Renzo Piano’s Valletta City Gate, Smart 

City, the Portomaso Project, Life Sciences 

Malta, and the Tigne Project. 

MBR: Do you think that being an 

authentic leader has helped you in your 

aspirations leading to this prestigious 

award which the judges bestowed? 

MV: Whilst good leadership is important, 

as stated earlier, this award would not 

be possible without the joint effort of all 

our team. 

MBR: Do you consider this award as a 

recognition of the HALMANN business 

model? 

MV: This award is a true testament to 

our business model which drives our 

company’s success. Our business started 

as a small family run business by two 

brothers and has since then grown 

to employ over 200 employees. Yet 

very little has changed in our business 

philosophy…our business and our people 

are our family, and together we strive to 

innovate and keep on meeting the needs 

of our customers. 

MBR: Can you give us your feedback 

on the organisation, and how you will 

remember Malta’s Best Business Awards 

2016 

MV: I am very glad to have been part of 

this year’s award ceremony. The event 

was well organised and it was a wonderful 

evening for all of our team. MBR 


Corporate 

Brief 

Halmann Vella is locally synonymous with 

the supply and production of natural stone 

products . These include marble and granite, 

terrazzo, travertine and Maltese traditional 

patterned tiles. It also supplies other surfacing 

products such as ceramics, parquet and 

quartz. The company has also been involved 

in the supply of material and/or general 

contracting services in a number of large 

projects such as Renzo Piano’s Valletta city 

gate, BOV’s House of Four Winds, Verdala 

Palace, Smart City Malta, Skyparks, the Tigne 

and Portomaso Projects and a number of 

hotels such as Hilton, Fortina and Radisson 

Golden Sands. 


27


SPECIAL FEATURE: MALTA’S BEST IN BUSINESS AWARDS 

Drive and 

Motivation 


Glitz and glam came to Castello dei Baroni during Malta’s Best in Business Awards 2016. Dean Gera 

Haircare Ltd once again celebrated the very best in successful hair care salon business by picking up Malta's 

Best-in-Business Small to Medium Size Business Award 

Kevin Portelli, Marketing Manager, M.A & A Ltd presenting 

Malta’s Best-in-Business Small to Medium Size Business Award to Dean Gera 

MBR: How do you define the role as an 

artist or a hair care/fashion leader today? 

DG: Being a leader in any industry is a 

challenge. When striving to be a leader 

in a field as fast paced as fashion it is 

important to keep one's team motivated 

to be creative in order to be at the top of 

its game. 

MBR: When you created DEAN GERA 

HAIRCARE Ltd, the need for innovation 

and renewal. What initiatives have you 

taken and new ventures which you can 

mention? 

DG: I created Dean Gera Hair Care with 

the intention of creating a brand where 

people knew exactly what to expect before 

even walking into a salon. I did not want 

to put a face behind the business set-up. 

I wanted each member of the team to 

adopt the Dean Gera Hair Care philosophy 

in order to provide clients with a similar 

experience each time they entered a 

salon, even when visiting different Dean 

Gera Hair Care salons. 

MBR: What are the core issues that 

motivate you and can you define the 

team characteristics of at DEAN GERA 

HAIRCARE Ltd? 

DG: My main motivation is for the company 

and the brand to grow. We have created a 

platform whereby employees can build a 

career rather that just have a 9 to 5 job. 

MBR: What is your strategy to attract and 

retain talent? 

DG: Our main strategy is investing 

heavily in all forms of training for all 

team members, including technical and 

management training. Furthermore, our 

remuneration is well-structured, including 

commission, bonuses and profit sharing. 

The harder one works, the greater the 

benefits reaped, both for the individual 

and for the company. 

MBR: What would you highlight as 

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The Dean Gera Haircare Ltd Management Team 

DEAN GERA HAIRCARE Ltd’s biggest 

achievement during 2016? 

DG: Our greatest achievements this year 

were the opening of a fifth hair salon 

in Paola and the takeover of another, 

in Ibragg, which brings our current 

total number of salons to six. We also 

expanded and refurbished our Valletta 

establishment, including our head office, 

board room and The Spa Room. 

MBR: Do you think that being an 

authentic leader has helped you in your 

aspirations leading to this prestigious 

award which the judges bestowed DGHC 

as Small to Malta’s Best in Business Small 

to Medium Size (SME) Business Award? 

DG: Yes, I believe the platform we have 

created is quite unique in a country as 

small as Malta. Seeing what we have 

accomplished so far is something that we, 

as a company, are very proud of. 

MBR: How inspiring is it to see what 

you have accomplished with DEAN 

GERA HAIRCARE Ltd and how will such 

accomplishments have a positive fallout 

on you, as well as DEAN GERA HAIRCARE 

Ltd’s? 

DG: I have always been an optimist and I 

had always hoped the brand would move 

in the direction that it has. The results 

we have achieved keep me motivated 

and hungry for future growth. As long as 

our foundations remain solid I foresee 

ongoing growth of our brand. If you are a 

young business without much marketing 

spend, then entering awards can be a 

cost-effective way of generating positive 

marketing and PR, because you’re thrown 

into the spotlight. It also offers a seal of 

approval. Potential customers can look at 

that and think ‘I’m happy to do business 

with this company because they have that 

recognition. Experience has shown that 

an award gives massive credence to our 

business, particularly when talking to new 

customers and vendors that have not dealt 

directly with us in the past. With existing 

partners, it reinforces the fact they have 

made the right choice to work with us. 

MBR: Do you consider this award as a 

recognition of the DEAN GERA HAIRCARE 

Ltd’s business model? 

DG: Yes, it is very satisfying to have been 

recognised as a business and not just as 

hairdressers. Awards are one of the most 

powerful and cost-effective marketing 

tools and winning a prestigious Best 

Business Award will help one’s business 

organisation to stand out from the crowd, 

send a positive message to your existing 

customers and attract new business. 

MBR: Would you support future 

entrepreneurial events and awards, and 

why? What would you do differently? 

DG: I would support them as I think that 

opportunities such as these, whereby 

companies can be recognised for their 

achievements, are important to increase 

the drive and motivation of all staff 

members. MBR 


Corporate 

Brief 

The first Dean Gera salon was launched in 

2007. Today, the company has established 

itself as the industry leader. With its 

headquarters and training academy situated 

in Malta’s capital city, Dean Gera operates 

through 6 salons and a day spa and boasts a 

team of over 40 individuals. The company’s 

strategy is built on the foundations of 

teamwork and always delivering the fivestar 

Dean Gera experience from all salons. 

In order to achieve its long-term vision for 

the brand to expand overseas and ensure its 

successful implementation, three strategic 

priorities have been identified: Train – 

Inspire – Outperform. 


29



Integrity, Trust, 

Professionalism 


BILOM Group get recognised and rewarded for excellence in project delivery 

Marina Lomakina, Arts & Culture Representative from the Russian Federation handing the 

BILOM GROUP representatives with Malta’s Best-in-Business Building and Construction Award 

BILOM GROUP has won the award for 

Malta’s Best-in-Business Building 

and Construction Award during 

Malta’s Best in Business Awards. The 

prestigious accolade seeks to highlight 

an organisation which has identified a 

requirement for an innovative building 

and construction concepts, combined 

with green-tech products successfully 

brought in to the market. 

The awards recognise organisations 

that demonstrate enterprise-wide 

success through employee learning 

and development. BILOM GROUP was 

the only construction and real estate 

company to receive this year's award. 

"This award demonstrates the 

commitment of our organization to 

employee development and continuous 

performance improvement, which puts 

us in a better position to serve our 

customers," said Mr. Michael Bugeja, 

Managing Director of BILOM GROUP. 

For the 2016 Best in Business Awards, 

four companies were considered and 

shortlisted for the final list. These 

organisations submitted quantitative 

and qualitative information to the Board 

about their achievements, CSR, business 

strategies, best practice and business 

development practices and progress. 

Applications were assessed in a blind 

review by members of the judges panel 

and Board of advisory committee, a 

select group of experts in their respective 

fields. The purpose of the competition 

is to honour construction projects 

that are distinguished for the quality, 

organisation and timeliness of the work, 

use of technology, and influence on the 

Maltese economy. 

All companies excelled in creating 

innovative, vibrant learning cultures 

that clearly aligned with strategic 

business goals," said Jean Paul Abela, 

judges-elect representative and Investor 

Relations Officer, Bank of Valetta. "They 

proved their commitment to workplace 

learning and development by doing so 

in an economic climate that saw limited 

resources, reductions in budget cuts, and 

business growth." 

BILOM GROUP focuses 

on the following pillars: the 

passion for excellence, the 

drive to innovate and the 

hard work that accompanies 

every successful enterprise 

The Awards, held for the second 

successive year, honour achievements 

of dynamic corporate companies, SMEs 

and entrepreneurs in Malta. Nominees 

included up-and-coming businesses and 

blue-chip local companies, operating 

in various sectors, including IT, 

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The BILOM GROUP Management Team 

Banking, Finance, iGaming, Insurance, 

Aviation, Manufacturing, Buidling and 

Construction, real estate, architecture, 

legal, financial, banking, commercial 

and Maritime. The companies were 

identified, selected and chosen based on 

experience, reputation, integrity, quality 

and trust by a judging panel that was 

tasked with reviewing and giving a score 

to all submissions. 

The award was presented during a 

reception held in at Castello dei Baroni, 

Wardija. In recognising BILOM GROUP, 

the advisory committee cited the quality 

of BILOM GROUP as leaders in the real 

estate market, presently engaged in 

various large projects sited at prime 

locations on the island, proving year after 

year a spirit of innovation, dedication to 

our customers, a willingness to improve 

day after day and its approach to 

developing emerging leaders. 

"It has been a consistent team effort, 

starting with the vision and resources 

provided by our senior leadership and 

culminating with our employees who 

embraced learning and apply it back on 

the job," Mr. Bugeja said. He said that as 

the company builds up on this success, 

“BILOM GROUP focuses on the following 

pillars: the passion for excellence, the 

drive to innovate and the hard work 

that accompanies every successful 

enterprise.” 

BILOM GROUP has built up an 

impressive portfolio of buy-tolet 

properties and are active in the 

upmarket real estate properties. The 

company's full time staff is known for 

professionalism, confidentiality, integrity 

and commitment. “While all of the 

expmployees have widely divergent 

backgrounds, all of them are highly 

experienced knowing not only their 

jobs, but also having a knowledge of the 

territory and demographics. People come 

to work at BILOM GROUP for its reputation 

but stay here for the high level of work 

ethic and the same reasons customers 

keep coming back: appreciation, deep 

embedded professionalism and integrity, 

special and detailed attention to each 

demand,” commented Mr. Bugeja. 

BILOM GROUP strive to exceed the 

needs of their customers, satisfy the 

investment aspect of the properties and 

provide the highest standard of quality. 

The company’s goal is to continue work 

for our customers at the high standards 

we set for ourselves, personalising their 

services for each customer, adding new 

departments and services as the market 

changes and grows. Their quest for 

excellence continues. MBR 

All Rights Reserved / Copyright 2016 

Corporate 

Brief 

BILOM GROUP was founded in 1995 in 

Malta and has expanded to become one of the 

largest privately owned, property negotiators 

on the Island. Bilom Group provides a fully 

service in any property deals including 

project projections, valuations of property, 

real estate consultancy, letting and sale of 

properties. BILOM GROUP has emerged 

over the last years of existence as one of the 

leaders in the real estate market, presently 

engaged in various large projects. 

EDITOR’S 

Note 

All winners can request feedback from the 

judges about why they won for use in press 

releases, marketing material, brochures, 

advertisements, on their website etc. This 

service is included in the entry fee so there is 

no additional cost. 


31



Motivation, Safety 

and Job Satisfaction 

by George Carol 

At The Resin & Membrane Centre, the Management have dedicated themselves to cultivate a business atmosphere to take 

care of their employees, suppliers, and customers as if they were their own family. One stand-out employee is a gentleman 

by the name of Antoine Bonello, who is the director of the Resin & Membrane Centre. I had the opportunity to sit down with 

Antoine and ask him a few questions regarding the company’s recent success during Malta’s Best in Business Awards and his 

experience with The Resin & Membrane Centre. 

MBR: How does it feel to be awarded 

the judges top accolade as Malta’s Best 

in Business Best Product / Service Range 

Award? 

AB: We at the Resin and Membrane Centre 

are synonymous with waterproofing for 

quite some time, our awards usually 

consists in customer satisfaction and 

their recommendations, which is the best 

possible certificate of quality. The Award 

received at the Malta’s Best in Business 

means lot to us. It is the tangible proof 

of our hard work and dedication. This 

confirms that our expertise and high quality 

workmanship combined with our NAICI 

product line are proving a success and are 

settling a standard which is way too high 

for our competitors to achieve. The Award 

also confirms that NAICI products are the 

result of constant innovation and research, 

this was proved with the Fibro Guaina S 

Reflex thermal insulation waterproofing 

membrane, and besides waterproofing it 

now also stops heat intake inside buildings 

by 92%. Our Motto is We Are Quality and 

we always make sure that every project is 

carried out at its best. 

MBR: How did you come up with your 

business idea? 

AB: It all got started a while ago at a 

charity dinner in Italy, during which I met 

a prominent producer of waterproofing 

materials, that is NAICI. I did not put much 

weight on it at the time but slowly slowly 

I became convinced that his high quality 

products are tailor made for the Maltese 

climate. Waterproofing started when men 

started to dwell in houses, I don't consider 

our line business as an original concept. It 

is a need that we started to service after 

eventually a lot of market research was 

carried out. This together with proper 

product application and training held 

abroad. Learning and research is our 

forte; we make sure that the most modern 

materials are brought over and their 

implementation is properly mastered. 

We do this very gladly because we love 

our work and we know the customer will 

benefit the most. 

MB: What market need is your business 

addressing and what were your goals in 

starting the company? 

AB: Our business addresses a vast type 

of exigencies from small homes with 

infiltrations problems to large factory 

roofs. We did not set any particular 

goals when we started our activity; our 

policy was and will remain quality over 

quantity. People nowadays are fed up of 

cheap plastic based materials that can last 

only a year or two leading to repetitive 

unwanted yearly routine expenses. Many 

people are now opting for a permanent 

solution that is also pro-environment. Our 

award winner the Thermal Fibro S Reflex 

is outclassing all existing solutions; it is 

resistant to UV rays, Stagnation and traffic. 

Its request for installation almost doubled, 

over 50,000 sq m was surfaced by us with 

this material alone and this excludes the 

material supplied from our showroom for 

the DIY sector. 

The only thing we outsource 

is knowledge and for this we 

constantly bring over prominent 

foreign experts in the business 

to train our personnel 

MBR: Have you outsourced any portion 

of your business? Has that worked for 

your business and can you tell us what 

are your main areas of focus? 

AB: The only thing we outsource is 

knowledge and for this we constantly bring 

over prominent foreign experts in the 

business to train our personnel. We take 

nothing for granted we like to do things at 

best. Many customers call us to redo their 

roof repairs following bad interventions by 

unqualified, inexperienced and presumed 

self-thought installers; this saddens us 

a lot. Unfortunately this happens all the 

time in our sector of works and there 

is no control by the authorities on the 

matter. Our personnel are all members of 

the Malta Professional Waterproofing and 

Resin Flooring Association, this to assure 

our customers of quality and competence. 

All this made us best in the trade. Unlike 

others we are not the jack of all trades, we 

just do and focus only on waterproofing. 

MBR: Social marketing is consistently 

being written about in the small business 

space. Has it worked generating business 

for you? 

AB: Social marketing is of utmost 

importance especially for us who always 

introduce new waterproofing products and 

implementation concepts. In Malta were 

everyone knows each other the word of 

mouth is still considered the best possible 

publicity, a satisfied customer usually end 

up praising your works with all his family 

members and friends, This rolling effect 

eventually generates a continued business 

and product awareness that helps us when 

implementing our work. Our constant 

developments and the will to always 

implement modern application modalities 

are continuously creating a concept that is 

being envied by many. 

MBR: What have you done that has been 

very effective in helping to grow the 

business? 

AB: We have a showroom where people 

can find qualified personnel who can trust 

and listen to their waterproofing needs, 

and advise them with the best possible 

solution. The one product fits all is just 

but a fairy tale, especially when it comes 

to waterproofing, with so much constant 

change in the building industry you need 

to make sure that you are buying the right 

product for the right solution. We also do 

site inspections and help our customers 

32



Antoine Bonello receiving the award for Malta’s Best in Business Best Product / Service Range Award 

from Martin Vella, MBR Publications Ltd’s Managing Director 

implement the product should they opt 

for the DIY. We do this free of charge just 

to make sure that works are carried out 

accordingly. 

MBR: Can you share your experiences 

and feedback regarding the gala awards? 

AB: The Gala Dinner proved to be a 

platform for the young and not so young 

entrepreneurs that are proud of their 

work and achievements in Business. It also 

proved to be an evening to share ideas and 

make new acquaintances. Personally, I am 

happy that our company was nominated 

and eventually won Best Product and 

Service Range. In the end everyone had 

his own opinions about the winners which 

gave subject to discussion and created a 

lovely evening for everyone to enjoy. 

MBR: How important do you consider 

such awards are and why would these 

be significant if you had to keep in mind 

that such awards recognise leaders who 

contribute toward the growth of their 

business and our economy? 

AB: Winning an award does not mean that 

you made it to the top. For us this award 

is the result of team work and as such it 

should be seen in this context; there is 

no I in a winning team. This award was 

achieved thanks to every single person 

that works with our company. We need 

to keep focused and stay with both feet 

on the ground; we need to work harder 

to help our company in setting higher 

quality standards for the benefit of our 

customers. It is no secret that everyone at 

the Resin and Membrane Centre is proud 

of this recognition for our hard work. 

This proves that we are working in the 

right direction towards a steady growth. 

We will keep directing our resources in 

purchasing the latest machineries, but 

most of all in increasing our workforce, 

making sure it receives the best possible 

product training, motivation, safety and 

job satisfaction. We now know for sure 

that ever more reputable people and 

companies are speaking very highly of us 

and our work. MBR 


Corporate 

Brief 

The Resin and Membrane Centre are 

leaders in waterproofing and resin floorings 

solutions. We use NAICI professional 

materials to ensure that all our projects are 

carried out at its best. RMC also caters for the 

DIY at our showroom in B’Kara. 

RMC are also Certified Installers by the Malta 

Professional Waterproofing Association. 

Quality, product knowledge and high 

standards is what distinguishes us from the 

rest. 

This year we have introduced the 

Thermal Waterproofing Membrane. This 

revolutionary membrane reduces heat 

intake inside buildings by 91%, therefore 

less usage of cooling and heating devices 

Our products are VOC low and CE Certified 

and can be used safely anywhere. Visit www. 

theresincentre.com or Facebook to see our 

impressive portfolio of products and works. 


33



Committed to making worklife 

balance a reality for 

its employees 


Interview with Sylvana Brannon, Director, Stem Cells Malta Ltd., who have been demonstrating exemplary 

vision and leadership in Maltese biotechnology The company creates organ cells from skin cells, revolutionising 

the production, growth and manufacture of newborn umbilical cords 

Antoine Bonello, Marketing Manager, The Resin & Membrane Centre 

presenting the award to Sylvana Brannon 

Of all the awards that were 

presented on the day, this was 

the one I mostly wanted to win. At 

Stem Cells Malta we have been offering a 

very innovative service to our clients, in 

the form of banking stem cells from their 

newborns’ umbilical cords as a form of 

life insurance. However, our innovation 

extends to our relationship with those I 

consider our most important customers 

of all – our employees. 

There is a lot of talk about creating familyfriendly 

measures to help working mothers 

achieve a satisfactory work-life balance 

and increase their contribution to the 

local economy. However I feel that a lot 

of local employers are scared of offering 

such measures to their employees. A 

talented woman has much to offer the 

economy, even more so by virtue of being 

a multitasking mother, as this in itself 

presents a healthy role model to the future 

generation of both men and women. 

At Stem Cells Malta, we encourage team 

members to create their own work 

schedules and methods, after agreeing on 

the tasks and priorities as a team. Then, 

no proposal for alternate work methods 

or schedules is impossible, and the words 

“no we can’t let you work that way” are 

never uttered. Instead, we offer our team 

members the tools they need in order 

to make the alternative options work for 

them. A happy employee is a productive 

employee, and the best ambassador for 

the company. 

It can be challenging for all of us to 

consider the creative options that 

women come up with to enable them 

to chase their career goals without 

neglecting their most important job of all 

– that of raising the future generation of 

productive members of society. Whether 

it is taking breastfeeding or expressing 

breaks, or bring their baby to work, or 

wear their baby all day at work in a sling, 

or turn a corner of the office into a play 

area, or contribute to childcare costs, 

or work remotely, or work at 2am, or 

on weekends, or take time from their 

own sick leave instead of vacation leave 

to care for a sick child – we have never 

been a company to wait for legislations 

and committees and billboards in 

order to introduce such measures. We 

have always been on the forefront of 

promoting family-friendly measures, and 

have learned a lot from the process. 

The best decisions in the company have 

always been the ones taken as a team, 

involving all members no matter how 

“small” they consider their role in the 

34



The Stem Cells Malta team at the Malta Best-in-Business Awards 2016 

company to be. I am only one person 

and one brain, with my perceptions, my 

set of skills, my limitations. When this is 

combined with the skills and experience 

of my team, the results are much more 

creative and effective than when I try 

to make decisions by myself. As their 

leader, I feel it is my responsibility to 

carry the burden of any decisions taken 

as a team should these decisions not give 

the desired result – and then to change 

plans accordingly. Otherwise they will 

not be eager to contribute ideas in the 

future, and that will be of no benefit to 

the company as a whole, or to the team 

members individually. 

Such awards give recognition to the often 

unnoticed efforts being done daily in 

small companies. I do not do what I do in 

order to be rewarded for it, as my reward 

comes daily from being surrounded by a 

happy, productive group of people who 

look forward to coming to work every day 

and are ready to go to hospital at 11pm 

on their son’s birthday to deliver a kit to 

a mother in labour. However, it gives me 

great satisfaction to be recognised in this 

way, and I felt very proud picking up the 

award on behalf of my team! The event 

was very professional and classy, and it 

was easy to see the hard work invested in 

it by the organisers. I was really pleased 

to be accompanied by people who really 

matter to me and who support me daily – 

the women on my team who put up with 

my moods, disappointments, challenges, 

struggles, and outrageous ideas on a 

daily basis; their partners who support 

their wives and their career aspirations; 

my dad who brought me up to believe 

that nothing is impossible and who has 

supported me through every day of 45 

years; and my partner who gets to listen 

to my frustrations and always has words 

of wisdom and clarity to offer me and 

bring me back to earth. 

I believe that if you do what you love, you 

will do it with passion and hence cannot 

fail. It is important to recognise your 

limitations and give up control in those 

areas to others who are more competent 

there. The words “I cannot” and “I don’t 

know how” have to be eliminated from 

the vocabulary and replaced with “I can 

learn”. Mutual respect is crucial, and 

there should be zero tolerance for gossip 

and bad vibes about team members. A 

person’s skill and ability to effectively 

contribute to a team is not measured 

by a CV or a degree. Taking the time to 

get to know a team member personally, 

no matter her background or previous 

experience, will definitely uncover areas 

of expertise that cannot be outlined in a 

CV or in any University qualification. MBR 


Corporate 

Brief 

Stem Cells Malta is Malta’s premier stem 

cell bank, celebrating 10 years since storing 

the first samples of umbilical cord blood 

stem cells from Maltese babies, in its UK 

laboratory. Since then, Stem Cells Malta 

has maintained its position as Malta’s leader 

in private stem cell storage, focused on 

bringing the life-saving potential of stem 

cells from cord blood and teeth to families 

nationwide. Since its’ inception, Stem Cells 

Malta has worked relentlessly to increase 

the acceptance and awareness of the value 

of stem cell storage. The company continues 

its programme of educating and informing 

the public, to help ensure that all expectant 

parents are aware of the options available 

to them and the opportunity to store their 

child’s stem cells. 


35



The Power of 

Innovation 


David Abela, Managing Director of 

Eurobridge Shipping Services Ltd 

is interviewed by Malta Business 

Review following the company’s 

recent accolade as Malta’s Best-in- 

Business Outstanding Industry 

Contributor during Malta’s Best in 

Business Awards 2016 

MBR: Would you discuss your vision in 

creating EuroBridge Shipping Ltd and the 

opportunity that you see for the growth 

of the company? 

DA: I would differentiate between the 

company pre-April and the one post-April 

2014. During that month, I realised that 

the model on which the company was 

operating was leading us nowhere, with 

the probability that within a few years, or 

perhaps even months, it would have to 

close its doors. At that juncture, I realised 

that we needed to change and adapt 

drastically. Therefore, we rebranded with 

an innovative model never seen before in 

Malta. We adopted it and my vision is to 

continue making sure that we remain to 

have a competitive edge in our extremely 

cutthroat market, whilst offering the best 

Kevin Portelli, Marketing Manager, M.A.&A. Services Ltd 

presenting the award to EuroBridge Staff 

one-to-one service afforded to all our 

valued customers. 

MBR: Would you provide an overview 

of EuroBridge Shipping Ltd strategy and 

what differentiates EuroBridge Shipping 

Ltd in the market? 

DA: Our strategy is a very simple one. 

We always make sure that at the time 

our customers receive their goods after 

rewarding us with their transport; they will 

have absolutely no doubt that there will 

only be one forwarder they will be using 

in the future: Eurobridge Shipping Limited! 

The difference between our competitors 

and Eurbridge Shipping Ltd is that we 

have direct communication channels 

between both the consignee in Malta 

and the supplier abroad, thus reducing 

greatly the risk of misunderstandings and 

time-wasting, and the result is a fast turnaround. 

Of course, we had to invest greatly 

in personnel but this gets compensated by 

the reduction in cost of operating with 

foreign outsourced partners. 

MBR: Would you provide an overview of 

EuroBridge Shipping Ltd’s portfolio? 

DA: The firm was setup in 1995 to cater 

for imports from Italy but nowadays 

it has a network covering all Europe 

with collaborations with transport 

powerhouses such as Rhenus Logistics 

and DSV. Nowadays, it owns and manages 

22 trailers of both curtain-sider and box 

type, and we can transport all type of 

ambient cargo. Our clients vary from 

Pharmaceutical companies to Food and 

Beverage Importers, and moving all types 

of cargo from furniture to electronic 

goods. 

MBR: How difficult has it been to gain 

brand awareness for you and does it 

mainly come via word of mouth? 

DA: Although the company has been 

operating for 21 years, we were largely 

unknown and the few who knew about us, 

knew us as being competitive from Italy 

but not much else. Over the last couple of 

years, we have promoted our company and 

the services we offer more and more to 

bring more awareness about our company. 

Our location on a secondary street in 

Marsa has not helped, but thanks to great 

word of mouth, combined together with 

heavier presence in publications such as 

the Malta Business Review, and the social 

media we are making great advances. The 

transformation will be complete as soon as 

we move into our new offices on a main 

road in Qormi early next year. 

MBR: What have been the keys to the 

firm’s success that have allowed it to 

36



The EuroBridge team at the Malta Best-in-Business Awards 2016 

remain so strong and respected over the 

years? 

DA: I always say it has been a mixture 

of hard-work and vision from my side 

together with the level and dedication of 

our employees that brought us where we 

are today. It has not always been an easy 

ride but thanks to the backing of my family, 

I remained steadfast in making sure to be a 

success in business and have managed to 

translate this determination to my staff who 

remained loyal and stuck with me through 

thick and thin. 

The most prestigious award 

we can get is always a nice 

‘thank you’ or compliment 

from one of our customers, 

but these kinds of awards are 

special and make us feel we 

are finally making a statement 

MBR: How do you define the practice 

area strengths of EuroBridge Shipping Ltd 

and how have you maintained the firm’s 

competitive advantage? 

DA: Our strength is definitely the fact 

that we treat every single customer in 

an individual way. It is a procedure in our 

company not to have one where customer 

care is concerned since we know everybody 

and every company has different needs 

and requests so we adapt every single 

time to them. This policy together with 

our continual monitoring of the shipments’ 

journey to Malta have helped us greatly in 

developing our business to what it is today. 

Furthermore, we are always on the look out 

to try new technological advances to make 

us more efficient, but at the same time more 

economic in our ways. We simply never 

think we have arrived at our destination and 

keep on innovating. 

MBR: Do you consider the recent 

prestigious award as Malta's Best-in- 

Business Outstanding Industry Contributor 

as a recognition of the EuroBridge Shipping 

Ltd business model? 

DA: Of course we do! This is our first proper 

award we have won and we are extremely 

proud of it! Hopefully there will be more 

to come in the coming years. The most 

prestigious award we can get is always a 

nice ‘thank you’ or compliment from one 

of our customers, but these kinds of awards 

are special and make us feel we are finally 

making a statement in the local business 

environment, as it is handed by our peers 

who are aware of the improvements we 

have made over the years. 

MBR: Can you give us your feedback on the 

organisation, and how you will remember 

Malta’s Best Business Awards 2016? 

DA: Unfortunately, I could not attend the 

awards ceremony as I was abroad but we 

had almost all the staff attend in my stead! 

One could see that they were very excited 

about the evening and were preparing fully 

for it. The feedback I got from them was 

that they enjoyed it thoroughly and would 

not hesitate to attend again! Since we were 

nominated for four awards and we won the 

last one for which we were nominated, they 

got very tense and as soon as our name was 

announced, they all jumped out of their 

seats with joy and relief! I sincerely hope 

that we will be nominated again next year, 

so I may attend this time! MBR 


Corporate 

Brief 

Established in 1995, EuroBridge is nowadays 

one of the leading Trailer Operators in 

Malta owning no less than 22 trailers. Their 

services include door-to-door Groupage, Full 

Trailer & Container, Airfreight and Courier. 

They also act as Insurance intermediaries for 

customers who want to insure their cargo 

during transport. With a dedicated staff of 13 

and ever increasing, they will soon be moving 

into a state-of-the-art office that will help 

them give an even better customer-service 

than ever before. EuroBridge is also looking 

into expanding its services to be able to offer 

a total logistical solution for the Maltese 

market and beyond. 


37



Then. Now. Forever 

Gianpula Village! 

Matthew Degiorgio, Managing Director, GIANPULA VILLAGE, talks to 

MBR after being awarded Malta's Best Entertainment of the Year Award, 

telling us that Malta’s Best in Business Awards offer a new platform which 

recognises and awards the talents and inspirations which are not often 

acknowledged by mainstream media and Awarding platforms. 

MBR: Can you tell us about your reaction 

after winning Malta’s Best Entertainmnet 

Entrepreneur of the Year Award and 

what does this mean to you? 

MD: Obviously it was very rewarding to win 

Malta's Best Entertainment Entrepreneur 

of the Year Award. It was great to receive 

recognition for strategic planning, 

pioneering and every day hard work that 

goes into making Gianpula Village the 

success that it is. This is a collective effort, 

lead by myself, but with a committed team 

Matthew Degiorgio, Managing Director Gianpula Village, awarded 

Malta’s Best Entertainment of the Year Award 


behind me, so recognition to everyone 

who contributed to making Gianpula 

Village an outstanding success. 

MBR: What motivated and inspired you 

to participate in Malta’s Best in Business 

Awards and what’s your feedback on the 

awards? 

MD: 2016 has seen significant changes 

at Gianpula, as well as key areas of 

development. In 2016 Gianpula realised 

it's vision to become a complete 

entertainment village, providing night 

clubs, and day clubs, to cater for every 

individual. The Gianpula Village brand 

became synonymous with quality 

entertainment for all ages and tastes. 

Also in 2016 Gianpula Village launched it's 

Corporate Events Business. This includes 

two new venues: The Club House, which 

is a purposely converted 16th century 

hunting lodge - now an outstanding events 

venue, and The Vaults; a spectacular 

subterranean venue like no other in Malta. 

These venues, along with a committed 

team, offer events packages tailored to the 

client's needs. 

MBR: What has been your biggest 

challenges so far in your line of duty and 

how did you overcome these challenges? 

MD: Recent challenges have seen Gianpula 

face a change in its long term management 

structure. Whilst this impacted the 

business significantly, this also provided 

the opportunity for management team 

members to step up, as part of their career 

development, and assume new roles and 

responsibilities. 

In addition to this, 2016 saw three of the 

key players in the industry move on to new 

venues, again, this required adaption - and 

provided the opportunity for new, fresh 

and younger talent to take a leading role in 

the entertainment industry. 

MBR: To what do you most attribute 

your success after being awarded as 

Best Entertainment Company of the Year 

Award? What would say are the five 

key elements for starting and running a 

successful business? 

MD: First and foremost, the success 

of Gianpula can be attributed to an 

outstanding management structure, 

supported with 100% backing from my 

partner over the past five years, who 

had understood the requirements and 

restrictions of running an entertainment 

business . 

The five key elements which have proven 

to be vital in creating and developing 

Gianpula Village are: 

• A long-term understanding of the 

Business and Marketplace 

• A Solid Management Structure 

• Leading the field, not following others 

• Adapting constantly to the market 

trends 

• Seeking new opportunities 

MBR: In one word, what characterises 

your life as an entrepreneur? 

MD: Vision MBR 


38



Growth & 

Success 

MBR Interviews 

MYC Managing 

Director, Simon 

Attard, following 

the company’s recent 

achievement on being 

awarded Malta’s Best 

in Business Strategic 

Design & Creative Award 


MBR: What has been central to 

your strategy for success? 

SA: MYC opened its doors in 2012. 

The direction was to provide a 

service in online marketing and 

communications. It was a tough start 

becasue back in 2012, most businesses 

where still realising the importance of 

GOOD ONLINE EXPOSURE. This has led 

me to setup different departments. 

I have soon established a great 

relationship with printing partners in all 

around Italy, invested in all the equipment 

and Human resources required to 

provide more communication services 

other than online. Four years later, we 

are a team of six, capable of providing 

all requirements in relationship with, 

Marketing strategies, online Marketing 

such as Social Media content and 

advertising, Google advertising and SEO, 

Web Development and hosting services, 

Printing, Photography and Audio visual 

Services, event organising and designing 

- setting up of stands in various fairs. 

Our business philosophy is 

based around our clients, and 

the way we provide a service 

All of this leads me to the answer to 

your question. I say that the most 

crucial capability towards a successful 

business, especially in it's early stages, 

is to have the courage to see threats 

as opportunities and not to be afraid 

to take drastic measures. Being on the 

lookout for opportunities, aiming for 

growth, and believing in oneself are 

crucial, especially in the early stages of 

a business. 

Mr John Paul Abela, Bank of Valletta Investor Relations Officer, presenting the 

Malta’s Best in Business Strategic Design & Creative Award to Mr Simon Attard, 

MYC Managing Director 

MBR: Can you tell us about your reaction 

after winning Malta’s Best in Business 

Strategic Design & Creative Award and 

what does this mean to you? 

SA: I was already happy to have MYC 

acknowledged for it's work by being 

nominated. Though winning an award 

means that our clients actually see and 

appreciate what we do and how we 

execute our work. We are a growing 

business amongst many established 

ones, making ours quite an interesting 

adventure. 

Yes, winning a prestigious award, 

motivates us to keep improving on 

what we specialise on, that is providing 

successful campaigns, and amazing 

branding projects to our clients. 

MBR: Do you have a business 

philosophy? 

SA: Our business philosophy is based 

around our clients, and the way we 

provide a service. We take pride in giving 

immediate response to our client's 

requests. Whether we are designing a 

corporate brochure, a logo, a mobile 

friendly website, or handling the launch 

of a business, a brand or any other 

campaign, we guarantee to take full 

responsibility of each and every little 

detail, assuring the outcome of any other 

successful story, well handled by MYC 

MBR: What is the main driving factor 

which motivates your team at work? 

SA: I am extremely blessed for being 

surrounded by a group of passionate 

individuals. I can confirm that the 

greatest motivation we are all driven by is 

seeing our work in action, but most of all, 

seeing our clients smile and sharing the 

same enthusiasm towards the project. 

We cultivate strategic and creative 

ideas so that our clients communicate 

successfully, and differently from their 

competitors. Every successful project is 

our ultimate satisfaction. 

MBR: To what do you most attribute 

your success? 

SA: My team, Absolutely. There is only 

so much one can do on his/her own. 

But how much can one do when a team 

shares one vision, that is growth and 

success? 

MYC is consists of six experienced people 

and I owe every day, every project to their 

dedication. Thank you guys! 




39



Clear Vision, Energy & 

Perseverance 

by Martin Vella 

Martin Vella meets entrepreneur in marketing, fashion and travel blogger Grazielle Camilleri to learn more about her 

after being bestowed with the Best Start-Up Company of the Year award during Malta's Best in Business Awards 

held at Castello dei Baroni on Friday 25th November, 2016 for her marketing business Grazielle Camilleri. 

MBR: Describe how your work and 

personality have helped your start-up 

company transcend the boundaries of 

your primary field of work, and has it 

opened new areas in online and web 

development? 

GC: I’m a very approachable person. With 

a positive energy and can-do attitude, with 

the help from my team, month after month, 

we achieve great results online. I’ve always 

been interested in sales and marketing and 

I’ve worked passionately for over a decade 

with leading hospitality, and retail sectors in 

Malta and in London so launching my own 

Marketing and PR business a few years ago, 

focusing on online marketing, social media 

and a fashion blog seemed like a natural 

career step for me to do. Online marketing 

has increased drastically in the past decade 

and I have decided to focus my expertise 

into that sector. Nowadays, everyone is 

online, constantly on their phones and 

laptops and that is where I want to be too. 

MBR: Is Thought Leadership Marketing a 

key component of your entrepreneurial 

success? 

GC: Gone are the days when marketing 

meant putting out some advertisements 

and hiring a copywriter to rave about how 

great your brand is. By publishing articles, 

videos, research, or any other form of 

original content regularly, potential clients 

and members of your industry may begin 

associating your brand with insight and 

authority. When the time comes to hire a 

company, yours will be at the top of their 

mind. That’s why many entrepreneurs are 

interested in the new value of thought 

leadership which is about providing genuine 

eye-catching content to your customers. 

The idea is that people are more willing to 

invest in you if they are confident that you 

really know your stuff. 

MBR: What is the key ingredient to being 

a successful entrepreneur? 

GC: There are so many keys to be successful. 

Clear vision, energy and perseverance are 

my top three. 

MBR: How do you motivate people to 

build and create something, and to share 

in the success? 

GC: I am a firm believer in the power of 

great team work. It is with the combined 

talent of selected individuals in each project 

that results are achieved. I continuously 

encourage persons who work with me to 

feel involved and important, no matter 

what job they are employed to do. Even 

though I lead the team, I value everyone’s 

opinions and ideas. I always make it a point 

to congratulate them all for work done and 

they share the success with me. 

MBR: Is it important to have awards such 

as Malta’s Best in Business Awards to 

recognise business achievement and what 

is your feedback of this year’s event? 

GC: Highlighting excellence through Awards 

is important to any business or service. 

How often do we find ourselves looking 

for third party endorsements before we 

purchase something new? An award 

from TripAdvisor for example, can have a 

positive impact on a hotel or restaurant 

and bring new business. It is crucial for any 

organisation, in Business or the Arts to gain 

recognition for its products and services. 

Winning an award at any stage of your 

business, be it a start-up or an established 

firm with hundreds of employees, allows 

you to distinguish your company from 

competitors and ensure that as many 

potential customers as possible are aware 

of your titles. 

I really enjoyed the event at Castello dei 

Baroni. As I have written in my blog, it was a 

well-organised, prestigious event and I was 

so pleased to have been a part of it. Thank 

you! MBR 


Madame Anchelique Caruana presenting the award of 

Best Start-Up Company of the Year to Grazielle Camilleri 

40



A ‘Whole Job’ Approach 

by Martin Vella 

“This a sought after accolade of 

achievement, an endorsement of 

your hard-work, determination 

and enterprise in business,” 

exclaimed a beaming Karl Ebejer, 

Managing Director of ME 

Architects after being awarded 

with Malta’s Best in Business Best 

Corporate Social Responsibility 

and also Most Socially & 

Environmentally Responsible 

Company of the Year at the MBIB 

Awards 2016. 

“Winning an award that recognises your 

business offers exceptional marketing and 

PR opportunities, as well as increases your 

credibility and standing in the eyes of your 

peers and your customers,” told us Mr 

Ebejer. 

So it’s celebration time for Karl and all 

the team at the ME Architects offices on 

winning the Best in Business awards for 

Malta’s Best in Business Best Corporate 

Social Responsibility and also Most Socially 

& Environmentally Responsible Company 

of the Year at the recent prestigious awards 

gala dinner, hosted by the MBR Publications 

Limited and the Malta Business Review at 

Castelo dei Baroni, over a clear November 

sky filled with stars and glitz! 

This year’s Malta’s Best in Business Awards, 

hosted by Thea Saliba and Colin Fitz, were 

well organised, with floral arrangements 

over each immaculately dressed dining 

table in fine banquet style. The awards 

ceremony, sponsored by the M.A.&A. 

Services Ltd, as well as The Convenience 

Shop and Western Union, is beyond any 

doubt Malta’s largest and premier events 

in the business calendar. It was sold-out 

weeks in advance and attracted more than 

390 guests. 

“It was a fantastic night and very well 

run event. Atitudes toward the impact of 

design on profit are changing. Business 

corporations and entrepreneurs are 

beginning to recognise the benefits of a 

thoughtful, well-executed workplace or 

business environment. Today, business 

excellence is a growing movement, as 

indicated by the range of this year's nine 

winning companies,” commented Mr 

Ebejer. 

“I am so pleased to be here tonight 

celebrating the successes of the business 

community in the Malta, after going 

through a lot in learning how to become 

more socially responsible. ME Architects are 

delighted to receive these great awards - a 

certificate for our hard work and sacrifices. 

I know a lot of businesses say that customer 

service is important but we really do pride 

ourselves on listening to the client and 

providing a first class service within Malta 

and beyond” 

“Congratulations to all the finalists and 

winners on the night including Best in 

Business Company of the Year Vodafone, 

and to all the other colleagues in our 

business and architectural community. This 

has been a fantastic night and well done to 

the organisers MBR Publications Ltd.” 

“We have a unique offering and after all 

the hard work the team put in to ensure 

we provide a ‘whole job’ approach to 

our customers to win this award is just 

wonderful. One of our main project 

with regards to CSR, which gave us a 

lot of satisfaction was the design and 

refurbishment we did at Caritas.” said Karl. 

“We offer a complete service from design, 

to build to installation and to support and 

to receive this accolade from the judges we 

are proud to enjoy as this is a great boost to 

everything we do.” 

“Tonight’s Awards were a celebration of local 

companies in Malta who we can champion 

together for the wide range of goods, 

services and products that are available in 

our country,” Karl concluded. MBR 


41


FOCUS: MED FORUM 

OUTCOMES OF MED FORUM 2016 PRESENTED IN VALLETTA: 

Malta backs the outcomes of MED FORUM 2016 on the eve 

of assuming the EU Presidency 

• The outcomes of last month’s “landmark forum” for Mediterranean Dialogue (23-25 October 2016) reaffirm the centrality 

of the ANNA LINDH FOUNDATION as a credible long-term institutional player in the face of unprecedented regional 

challenges. 

• MED FORUM participants’ survey, carried out in November 2016, provides evidence that the Forum has been a catalyst 

for youth and civil society mobilisation underway for intercultural action, and confirms an “appetite” and commitment 

for enlarging north, south partnerships to counteract conflict, extremism, unemployment, and the public discourse on 

migration and a refugee crisis. 

• The Forum has been a “defining event and process” for the forthcoming Maltese Presidency of the EU which is backing 

a series of actions initiated by the Anna Lindh Foundation and partners to scale-up and widen the participation of 

intercultural action across the societies of Europe and the southern Mediterranean region, and to shift the policy discourse 

“beyond extremism” to addressing long-term underlying causes. 

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta, 

Dr George W. Vella, has backed the 

outcomes of last month’s landmark 

Anna Lindh Foundation MED FORUM. Dr 

Vella was speaking in the last days at a special 

event in Valletta to present the FORUM 

outcomes, exactly one month on from the 

regional gathering and on the eve of Malta 

assuming the Presidency of the European 

Council. 

“Med Forum has truly been a watershed 

moment in bringing the Anna Lindh 

Foundation and its mandate for intercultural 

dialogue to the centre of the political 

debate on how to address common 

challenges of security and migration across 

the Mediterranean,” stated Minister Vella. 

“We have witnessed first-hand how the 

Anna Lindh Foundation represents today 

a true north, south partnership, and the 

Foundation has demonstrated on the global 

stage its unique capacity as a credible, 

serious and committed actor with a defined 

long-term strategy and unique mandate for 

dialogue action.” 

Minister Vella also underlined that last 

month’s MED FORUM, which resulted from 

18 months of preparation undertaken by 

the Foundation and partners, was conceived 

from the outset as a far-reaching process 

to bring cultural relations and peopleto-people 

cooperation to the heart of 

the policy rethink on how to effectively 

construct relations between Europe and its 

southern Mediterranean neighbourhood 

and has been a “defining event for the future 

Presidency”. 

These remarks were echoed by the Executive 

Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, 

Ambassador Hatem Atallah, who presented 

the outcomes of MED FORUM alongside 

Minister Vella at the Ministry for Foreign 

Affairs in Valletta. “The Forum marks a 

turning point for the Anna Lindh Foundation. 

There is today a global consensus for the 

centrality of intercultural dialogue to address 

common challenges of conflict, extremism, 

unemployment, and certain media and 

political narratives on migration and a 

refugee crisis. There is equal consensus for 

the long-term approach for working through 

a grand coalition of partnerships, investing 

in a new generation of actors, and shifting 

strategic focus to new domains such as 

cities, media and enterprise.” 

Ambassador Atallah also highlighted the 

global reach of MED FORUM, evidenced 

by the high-level institutional backing 

now secured including the UN Secretary- 

General and EU High-Representative for 

Foreign Affairs, and the unprecedented 

communication impact of the process 

to date, with MED FORUM LIVE globally 

trending during the main three-day global 

gathering in Valletta and evidence of an 

emerging media movement. 

Advancing the policy outputs of MED FORUM 

already began on 28th October in Marseille 

with a group of youth sector leaders from 

the Forum presenting the conclusions 

to Foreign Affairs Ministers at the “5+5 

Dialogue” which backed the expansion of 

Young Mediterranean Voices. Next, on the 

8th December, the League of Arab States 

will host the next of the inter-institutional 

steering group meetings with the ALF and 

partners, the EU, League of Arab States, 

Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat, 

MEDAC and the Maltese Ministry for Foreign 

Affairs. 

Among the key conclusions of MED FORUM 

presented in Valletta: 

Taking a long-term approach and investing 

in a generation. Investing in a generation of 

intercultural actors is the only viable, longterm 

root to promote mutual understanding 

and prevent conflict and radicalisation. 

Shifting strategic focus to intercultural 

cities and reaching communities. The 

42

FOCUS: MED FORUM 


establishment of a “Mediterranean Capital 

for Dialogue” was recommended as a first 

operational step to increase visibility and 

bring together existing city-to-city networks 

around an intercultural dialogue agenda 

Reach impact and growth through 

enabling partnerships. MED FORUM called 

for sustainable and effective partnerships. 

According to the Forum participants’ survey, 

carried out in November 2016, 57.3% of the 

delegates are in the process of establishing 

collaborations through partnerships 

with other Forum delegates, and 60.6% 

recommend the Anna Lindh Foundation to 

focus its activities on partnerships and policy 

advocacy. 

Media is a crucial sector for the Anna 

Lindh Foundation. Preliminary results from 

the latest Euro-Med survey on intercultural 

trends and perceptions highlight there 

is scope to invest in more research and 

analysis, dialogue, exchanges and mentoring 

of journalists to counter negative media 

narratives. 

Young Med Voices can be a catalyst for 

a real north-south partnership. Building 

on “Young Arab Voices”, it is the first time 

such a Pan-Arab programme extends to 

Europe, reshaping the traditional Euro-Med 

dynamics, as highlighted by the EU High- 

Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica 

Mogherini: “This is not only a geographical 

expansion, but opening up new channels for 

youth-led agency.” 

Mobility remains the central challenge, 

right and opportunity. At the heart of 

the Forum debate was how to ensure an 

exponential increase of opportunities for 

young people to communicate exchange 

and collaborate across all kinds of borders – 

physical or cultural. 

Dialogue requires competences and 

a capabilities approach. There are 

competencies required to ensure dialogue 

is effective. A capabilities approach offers 

a valuable analytical lens for exploring the 

challenge and complexity of intercultural 

dialogue in contemporary settings. 

Key actions underway through MED FORUM 

which could be advanced through the 

Maltese EU Presidency and beyond: 

Shifting the policy and media narrative 

“beyond extremism” 

• Policy Outreach. The Anna Lindh 

Foundation will now partner with the 

United Nations on the inter-agency 

steering group for the Progress Study 

on UN Resolution 2250 (Youth, Peace 

and Security) which will provide a global 

platform for public policy outreach. 

• Major debates with next-generation. The 

analysis of the latest intercultural trends 

report commissioned by the Anna Lindh 

Foundation will be the basis for launching 

through the Maltese Presidency a series 

of major debates with next-generation 

influencers as well as policy-makers, 

thinkers and decision-makers in the 

current ‘authority’ generation. 

• Youth-led Campaigns. The trends data 

presented in Valletta provides evidence 

that investment in youth-led initiative 

is the most effective way to challenge 

extremist narratives. The strategic 

partnership with Facebook launched 

at MED FORUM, along with newly 

established media partnerships, will be 

the basis for launching a region-wide 

programme of “innovation labs” aimed at 

empowering youth sector leaders with the 

tools to run large-scale communications 

campaigns. 

Launching a new era of young 

Mediterranean voices 

• Youth Platform. The launch of “Young 

Mediterranean Voices” at MED FORUM 

2016 represented a major milestone. The 

programme has now received financial 

backing by the European Commission, the 

World Bank Group and Member States 

such as the Finnish Government, and 

will be roll-out from January 2017. It will 

provide a platform for enhanced youth 

debate and dialogue action. 

• Mogherini Dialogue. As announced in 

Valletta, the EU’s High-Representative 

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, 

Federica Mogherini, will invite to Brussels 

in the first quarter of 2017 delegates 

from Young Mediterranean Voices. The 

purpose of the meeting will be “to start 

a conversation, and to bring about real 

change” with a focus on policies which can 

be advanced at the regional level. 

Working through a new partnership with 

media 

• Media analysis. The latest survey on 

intercultural trends points at a new line of 

activity with senior media executives and 

policy makers, which could initiate policy 

changes required to significantly influence 

the media narratives when reporting on 

the ‘other’. In this regard, the milestone 

10th edition of the Anna Lindh Foundation 

Journalist Award, to be organised in 2017, 

will put a strong emphasis on media 

coverage of issues related to migration 

and the refugee crisis. 

• Partnerships for media networks. MED 

FORUM secured a commitment among 

large scale media networks to enhanced 

cooperation, support media advocacy and 

invest in areas of mentoring. Among them: 

COPEAM, the European Broadcasting 

Union (EBU), ASBU and the Euro-Med 

Media Network (EMMN). 

Ensuring the Mediterranean legacy 

• MED FORUM has been a catalyst for 

embedding institutional partnerships in 

Malta for the Anna Lindh Foundation. For 

example, leading to a new cooperation 

agreement between the Foundation 

and the Mediterranean Academy for 

Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC) aimed at 

reaffirming the MED FORUM connections 

between youth, civil society, institutions 

and policy-makers. Joint action in 2017 

will lay the ground for an annual event in 

Malta. 

• City recognition. One of the large-scale 

initiatives proposed through MED 

FORUM has been the establishment of 

a first Dialogue Award for Cities through 

the new collaboration with Valletta 

2018 Foundation with the aim of raising 

visibility and embedding best practices on 

intercultural dialogue. The criteria for this 

award scheme will be pioneered as a basis 

for a regional programme. 

• Estonian Presidency. Discussions are being 

initiated with the Estonian authorities 

and Anna Lindh Foundation’s civil society 

network regarding the preparation of 

the Presidency of the European Council 

to follow Malta in the second semester 

of 2017 to ensure the “Mediterranean 

legacy”. MBR 

Source: Department of Information, Malta 

Corporate 

Brief 


MED FORUM 2016 gathered 640 delegates from 50+ 

countries, including representatives of civil society 

organisations, youth leaders, media networks, and 

policy-makers. The Forum followed an 18-month 

strategy and programming process initiated in April 

2015 by the Anna Lindh Foundation and Ministry 

for Foreign Affairs of Malta, in partnership with the 

main regional institutions working for dialogue in the 

Mediterranean. The main aim of the strategy was to 

reaffirm the centrality of intercultural dialogue in the 

face of unprecedented regional challenges. This is a 

direct response to the call of the EU Foreign Affairs 

chief Federica Mogherini and institutions for collective 

action. The reach and impact of MED FORUM was 

significantly higher compared to the previous editions, 

with more than 15% increase in requests for self-financed 

delegates (1224 CSOs from 42 countries competed to 

participate in the initial call). The media outreach (MED 

FORUM LIVE) reached an unprecedented level of 

people and communities world-wide: #MedForum2016 

was a global trending topic during the three main days 

of the Forum, with 2,805,141 Twitter accounts reached 

and 12,375,744 impressions (potential reads). The event 

formed on a unique participatory process involving, 

on the one side, the 4500+ local branches of the Anna 

Lindh Foundation, representing civil society, cities and 

local authorities, cultural bodies, artistic and youth 

organisations, media networks; and, on the other side, 

an inter-institutional steering group involving for the 

first time together, the Foundation’s Secretariat and its 

partners, the EU Central and External Action services, 

the League of Arab States headquarters, the UfM- 

Secretariat, MEDAC, and the Maltese Ministry for 

Foreign Affairs (MFA). 


43


ANNIVERSARY 

HUGO BOSS 

celebrates the 5th year anniversary of the first BOSS store in Malta 

luxury ready-to-wear and 

non- apparel. Today, we 

are happy to reconfirm 

the IMOCA 60. We wish Alex and his team 

best of luck as he is currently racing in the 

Vendeé Globe. 

that our strategy has been 

“We are proud of our partnership with 

successful. We strive to 

HUGO BOSS. A German engineered fashion 

distinguish ourselves, by 

house, professional in all aspects of the 

focusing on a heightened 

customer experience. 

business, from the product itself, through 

When you offer high-end 

brands you are dealing 

its Marketing, and Visual Merchandising” 

concludes Michelle Farrugia. 

Michelle Farrugia, Managing Director Fashion Retail Division 

with a more sophisticated 

VFGroup with colleagues and models 

HUGO BOSS is one of the world market 

O 

clientele. In luxury retail, leaders in the premium fashion and 

n December 8th 2016, HUGO BOSS 

you are serving a more luxury segment of the apparel 

celebrated its five year 

presence in Malta with the first BOSS 

store. Esteemed clients enjoyed an 

exclusive private dinner, prepared 

by the renowned executive chef 

Joe Vella. More than 100 invited 

guests, consisting of BOSS clients, 

market. It focuses on developing 

and marketing luxury men’s and 

women’s fashion. Headquartered 

in Metzingen with a presence 

in 124 countries, the company 

generated with almost 14,000 

media representatives, Maltese 

employees net sales of EUR 2.8 

celebrities as well as international 

& local models, attended the gala 

dinner at the new Hilton Malta 

Hotel. The dining experience was 

Boyana & Lauren welcoming guests at the Oceana Hilton 

Malta at the Hugo Boss 5th Anniversary dinner 

billion in fiscal year 2015, making 

it one of the most profitable 

listed apparel manufacturers in 

the world. The fascinating brand 

accompanied by international London 

sophisticated market. I take great pride 

world of HUGO BOSS comprises the 

based blues singer Jenessa Qua. 

VF Group represents the two BOSS stores 

in the store ambience and 

service that our clients 

collections of BOSS and HUGO. 


in Malta, located on Ross Street, St. Julian’s experience, when they 

and the Departures lounge at Malta 

International Airport. The launch of BOSS 

in Malta was an important milestone for 

the local fashion industry with the store 

becoming another successful ambassador 

for VF Group’s portfolio of maisons and 

fashion houses. 

shop in our stores. This 

level of service, is second 

to none and can only be 

experienced in stores”. 

“In the past five years 

we organized a series of 

events for our clients. One 

“Five years ago we had a vision of placing of the most memorable 

Malta on the international map of luxury one for the local sailing 

HUGO BOSS Staff – Carl, Michael, Tony and Claudio 

goods”, said Michelle Farrugia, Managing 

Director of VF Group. “We decided to 

invest in a location which was new to 

enthusiasts, was hosting Alex Thomson 

and his team, when in 2013, he competed 

at the Rolex Middle Sea Race, on board 

If you have any questions, please contact: 

VF Group: VFGMALTA, Tiziana Gauci, 

Marketing, tizianagauci@vfgmalta.com 

44

EUPATI 


Malta to hold conference on 

rare diseases next March, as 

part of the EU Presidency 2017 

Speaking during a seminar on innovative 

medicines and patient involvement 

organised by the Bioethics Research 

Programme in collaboration with the 

Malta Health Network and the European 

patients’ Academy (EUPATI), Minister for 

Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil 

Liberties Helena Dalli spoke of the difficulties 

that small countries encounter when it 

comes to prompt access to innovative 

medicines. In particular, this is due to their 

small unattractive markets. 

Minister Dalli remarked that this concern 

is being discussed throughout Europe as a 

major issue that impacts on the public health 

of patients and warrants immediate action. 

She stressed the importance of accessibility 

to medicines and noted that patients should 

be treated equally beyond the realm of sex, 

race, orientation and beliefs. 

Minister Dalli announced that during the 

EU Presidency 2017 next March, Malta will 

be hosting a conference on rare diseases 

by EURORDIS which is the European 

Organisation for Rare Diseases. This has 

been possible thanks to an initiative taken 

by the spouse of the Prime Minister, Mrs 

Michelle Muscat, the patron of EURORDIS. 

Dr Dalli explained that through assistance 

of the Malta Medicines Authority, this 

conference brings together important 

entities such as the Innovative Medicines 

Initiative (IMI) and the Committee for 

Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) to 

discuss rare diseases. MBR 

Creditline: THE MINISTRY FOR SOCIAL 

DIALOGUE, CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND 

CIVIL LIBERTIES 

Photo - DOI - Jason Borg 

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45


HIGHER EDUCATION 

eie educational group 

eie Educational Group 

Commited to Providing the Best 

Education Learning Experience 

Learning a language or obtaining an 

academic qualification is more important 

than ever in the global economy. eie 

Educational Group provide students with 

a first-class educational teaching and 

training service at a fair price. Students ask 

for an excellent teaching environment so 

that they quickly progress through their 

course, but also that they will want to 

enjoy themselves whilst studying. At eie 

Educational Group, you will have a fantastic 

studying experience. eie encourage social 

interaction trough regular, fun and varied 

leisure programmes, as this improves a 

learning experience. 

eie Educational Group, was established in 

January 2000 and their success is built on a 

long-standing commitment to the specific 

needs of local and international students. 

eie constantly expands its worldwide 

networks, partners with established 

renowned organisations, invests in its 

facilities and in social commitments. The 

eie Educational Group is redefining the 

landscape of modern education. 

The eie Educational Group aims to 

develop the appropriate competencies 

and knowledge needed in planning, 

evaluation, research and development 

tasks in education and related fields in the 

midst of societal changes, both on local 

and global levels. This network gives eie 

the key to be competitive and to share 

the collective experience and continuous 

professional development with their 

cilients. 

In a fast moving world, challenges are 

demanding and change is constant. 

Tomorrow’s future depends on today’s 

knowledge. 

Through its companies, the eie Educational 

Group is able to offer the following 

services: 

• Academic programmes - Certificate, 

Diploma, Bachelor, Master degrees 

in various subjects for young and 

mature adults are offered through 

eie Institute of Education (Licensed 

by the NCFHE as an institute of 

Further and Higher Education – 

License Number 2005-TC-001); 

• Training programmes - Business 

courses, thematic seminars for 

business excecutives offered 

trough eie Mangement Centre; 

• English Language courses - English 

courses at Beginner, Elementary, 

Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, 

Upper-Intermediate, Business 

English and Advanced levels are 

offered through eie Languages 

Centre (Licensed by the EFL 

Monitoring Board – License 

Number 282/MB42) 

• Student Accommodation - Provision 

of quality accommodation around 

Malta ideal for students offered 

through eie Residences 

• Internships – Organisation of 

Work placement and Internships 

for international students offered 

through eie internships. MBR 

eie Mission 

To enhance the level of Academic 

training and Tuition of both pre and 

post graduate levels by: 

• Contributing actively towards the 

propagation of equal opportunities 

for all. 

• Continually engaging in the pursuit of 

excellence. 

• Continually investing in its own 

people. 

• Striving to afford the best service to 

all our clients. 

• Establishing itself as a leader in the 

international education field. 

• Contributing towards the social 

welfare of the community. 

For more information about eie’s degree 

programmes, English language courses 

or other business related courses you can 

e-mail at info@eie-group.com, phone on 

+35621332804/5 

46

iGAMING 


eie educational group 

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE 

The eie educational group 

is an acknowledged leader in international education 

We specialise in providing 

* Higher Educational courses - eie Institute of Education (NCFHE License Number 2005 - TC - 001) 

* English Language courses - eie Languages Centre (EFL License Number 282/MB42) 

* Executive and Business courses - eie Management Centre 

* Internship services - eie Internships 

* Student Accommodation - eie Residences 

* International Educational services - eie International 

eie educational group, 

Tel: +356 21 332804/5 info@eie-group.com 

www.eieEducationalGroup.com 


47


HEALTHCARE 

Long overdue 

dental treatment! 

Extra-oral after treatment 

Intra-oral after treatment 

Extra-oral before treatment 

Intra-oral before treatment 

The importance of your smile cannot be 

underestimated. Your smile is the first thing 

that people will pick up leaving a lasting 

impression on strangers and friends alike. 

It also plays a key role in your confidence 

and self-esteem. Minimally invasive 

procedures make a huge difference. 

Procedures of this nature include: 

1. Ceramic inlays: Conversion of metal 

fillings and/or old stained fillings to 

porcelain inlays/onlays 

2. Tooth straightening: Braces or 

ceramic veneers may easily adjust the 

position of teeth. Adjustments include 

rotations, bringing teeth out, pushing 

teeth in, widening or narrowing of 

teeth. 

3. Tooth whitening: Laser tooth whitening 

together with home maintenance kit 

may drastically improve the colour of 

your teeth. 

4. Replacing missing teeth with fixed or 

removable prostheses 

Planning: 

Patient contact: Following a detailed 

consultation including a radiographic 

examination potential clients receive 

options for treatments including 

advantages/disadvantages, timeframes 

and costs. 

Stage 1 

Patient arrives at clinic and is 

interviewed. Reconfirmation of 

treatment plan and execution of initial 

treatment phase (3-4hours) 

• Periodontal/gum treatment planning 

• Implant planning 

• Tooth preparation for crowns and/or 

veneers 

• Safe removal of amalgam fillings 

using safe protocol as indicated by 

the international academy of oral 

medicine and toxicology 

A Case Study 

• Digital impression taken with CAD- 

CAM technique (Computer-aided 

design/manufacturing) 

• Laser tooth whitening of remaining 

untouched teeth and immediate 

fabrication of night white trays given to 

patient to use for 1-4days for increased 

whitening. 

• Smile design using CAD-CAM software 

Stage 2 

Smile design approved by patient 

• Confirmation of new tooth shade 

following laser and overnight tooth 

whitening 

• Milling of veneers, inlays and onlays 

• Final touches to veneers 

• Try-in and fitting of new dental 

restorations. 

Stage 3 

Preparation and execution of dental 

implantation. Implants are placed 

then left undisturbed until complete 

healing and integration with the bone 

(2-4months). These would then be 

restored with new implant crowns/ 

bridges. 

Review and set-up of maintenance plan 

This is the conventional sequence 

of events when dealing with a smile 

makeover. Technicians work hand in 

hand with clinicians ensuring that the 

expected planned results are achieved 

with no delay or mix-up. 

Improving your smile is one of the greatest 

investments that you can make. With 

today’s technology and complete focus 

of the clinical team, many treatment 

modalities may be completed with relative 

ease and great satisfaction. The high 

caliber world-recognized dental materials 

come with guarantees, as does the clinical 

work delivered by clinics, which cater for 

such clients. Ask your dentist! MBR 

Dr Jean Paul Demajo 

Dental and Implant Surgeon, Trained in 

London working in private practice in Malta 

Patient complaints: colour, tooth position, small volume of tooth visible on smiling. 

Age: 39years old 

Treatment plan includes: 

• 14 ceramic veneers and crowns 

• Removal of pathological benign cyst 

• Simultaneous laser tooth whitening and home whitening maintenance kit. 

• Placement and restoration of 4 dental implants and 5 implant retained teeth. 

48


MBR Publications Ltd 

initiative to donate to 

Puttinu Cares 

MBR Publications Limited Managing 

Director Martin Vella presented to Puttinu 

Cares representatives a donation of over 

€1,800 raised during the Company’s 

prestigious event Malta’s Best in Business 

Awards, following an initiative conceived 

by Mr. Vella himself to help the Children’s 

Cancer Foundation, as part of MBR 

Publication Limited’s CSR philosophy. Mr. 

Vella also confirmed that MBR Publications 

Limited will be developing a Mobile App 

for Puttinu Cares in order to help the 

organisation in its promotion of events 

and initiatives. 

Mr. Vella stated that MBR Publications 

Limited will continue offering its support 

to Puttinu Cares, “The Company and its 

employees firmly believe in Puttinu Cares’ 

right cause and we are confident that 

through the development and inclusion 

into our new mobile application, the 

general public will be able to get closer to 

Puttinu Cares and better understand its 

important role in our society”. 

MBR Publications Managing Director Martin Vella handing over cheque to Dr Andrew Decelis 

Dr. Andrew Decelis, Director, on behalf of 

Puttinu Cares thanked MBR Publications 

Limited for their initiative and all those 

companies who contributed with their 

donation and continuous support during 

Malta’s Best in Business Awards. Mr Decelis 

said, “Puttinu Cares Foundation funding 

relies mainly on the annual Football 

Marathon and also on the generosity of 

its benefactors and the public donations 

it receives to live up to its mission. All 

income received by the Puttinu Cares 

Foundation and all expenditure incurred 

is annually audited and submitted to the 

Commissioner of Voluntary Organisations. 

Puttinu Cares Foundation funding relies 

mainly on the annual Football Marathon 

and also on the generosity of its 

benefactors and the public donations it 

receives to live up to its mission.” 

MBR Publications Limited supplemented 

its donation by additional funds raised 

this year through various other activities 

organised by the Company. MBR 

Publications Limited has been supporting 

various organisations among which are 

L-Istrina and the Malta Community Chest 

Fund for the past five years. MBR 

Web: www.daikin.com.mt Email: info@maa.com.mt Tel: 2385 0400 


49


TOURISM 

Sustainable development of tourism is 

not a choice for us but a clear necessity 

partnership. This model will ensure drastic 

cost savings through economies of scale, 

procurement benefits and extensive 

network synergies that will allow our airline 

to become competitive and stronger in 

both the short and long term in today’s 

highly aggressive aviation landscape. This 

will also ensure that our airline will become 

an even more important strategic asset for 

our tourism industry. I must be clear here 

- I am definitely not interested in applying 

quick fixes that simply postpone the 

problems. I want a solution that ensures 

the long term viability of our national 

airline for the good of its employees and 

the tourism sector. Even if this process 

may take somewhat longer than expected 

given the many complexities involved, I am 

very clearly resolute in pursuing this path”. 

Photo - DOI - Stephen Busutill 

While addressing the BOV-Deloitte Tourism 

Performance Seminar organised by the 

Malta Hotels, Restaurants Associations 

MHRA, the Minister For Tourism Edward 

Zammit Lewis said that Malta has been 

enjoying an uninterrupted period of yearon-year 

growth in tourism since 2010, and 

he is pleased to note that the current year 

will be yet again the seventh consecutive 

year of record growth for our tourism 

sector. Tourist volumes, expenditure 

as well as overnight stays, increased. 

The tourism season have extended and 

achieved a growth from a healthy mix of 

core, secondary and totally new source 

markets. 

Minister Zammit Lewis pointed out that in 

his speech in Parliament last month for the 

Budget Estimates, he declared his clear 

objective to attain and surpass the two 

million tourist arrival mark for 2017. This 

important milestone for the tourism sector 

would mean that during the term of this 

legislature alone, we would have managed 

to increase the number of visitors by 

half a million, with all the derived direct 

and indirect economic benefits on a 

national scale. The Minister for Tourism 

emphasized that this growth is not 

happening by chance. It is the fruit of hard 

work and effective cooperation of all the 

public and private stakeholders involved 

and therefore expressed his gratitude and 

appreciation to all stakeholders as this 

success is clearly owned by everyone. 

Minister Zammit Lewis pointed out that 

during this legislature, the Government 

have implemented key measures that 

have enhanced the competitiveness of 

this sector, particularly the 2014 reduction 

in utility tariffs that without doubt has 

contributed to improve the sector’s 

competitiveness and profitability. The 

same can be said for the height limitation 

adjustment policy, which was long awaited 

by the private sector. 

The Minister for Tourism said that clearly, 

air connectivity remains one of our 

foremost strategic priorities. Over the past 

months the Government worked together 

with all stakeholders to further increasing 

connectivity particularly during the less 

popular winter months. “The islands’ 

connectivity and the topic of Air Malta 

clearly go hand in hand. We believe that 

Malta and Gozo can only maintain these 

tourism flows if we ensure a sustainable 

and competitive national airline”, stated 

the Minister. 

“Within a global and European airline 

industry that is constantly consolidating, 

we believe that Air Malta cannot survive 

alone and requires an effective strategic 

During his speech the Minister for 

Tourism said that if tourism is to continue 

supporting Malta’s development on 

the current scale, we need to continue 

pursuing the issue of seasonality. Minister 

Zammit Lewis insisted that Malta and 

Gozo cannot afford to permit more 

development merely to satisfy the peak 

summer demand, but ensure better 

and more utilisation of already existing 

resources within the leaner months. As a 

matter of fact the Minister was pleased to 

note that the Government’s persistence 

and work in this regard is clearly paying off, 

as today Malta is one of the least seasonal 

destinations within the Mediterranean. 

In his concluding remarks the Minister for 

Tourism said he will ensure that during 

our forthcoming term of Presidency of the 

Council of the European Union, tourism 

will feature prominently on the EU agenda. 

The Minister announced that UNWTO 

Secretary-General Dr Taleb Rifai will visit 

Malta in May 2017 for two important 

events that the Ministry for Tourism and 

UNWTO will be organising. 

Finally, the Minister for Tourism thanked 

MHRA, for recognising the need to conduct 

a periodical evaluation of the performance 

of the local hospitality sector, and for 

investing resources in the provision of 

such critical intelligence that will surely 

contribute to the continued success of this 

important sector. MBR 

Sources: THE MINISTRY FOR TOURISM/DOI 

50

fff news snippets 


Malta News 

Malta Stock Exchange announces 

the formation of a Blockchain 

Committee 

The Malta Stock Exchange (MSE) have 

announced the creation of a Blockchain 

committee and think tank to assist in 

the formulation of a strategy geared 

towards addressing the emerging 

technology. The Committee will consist of members 

of the MSE, its Chairman and CEO as well as a range 

Changes to VAT obligations for non-EU 

vessels in EU Water 

European Commission predicts 

Malta’s GDP as the highest in the 

Eurozone 

of outsider experts. MBR 

In May 2016, the EU made significant changes to 

the law which governs the VAT Obligations of non- In the last five years, Malta’s economy has 

EU private vessels in EU waters. Prior to this date, gone from strength to strength. Last year 

a non-EU private vessel would stay for 18 months in EU waters without paying any EU Import VAT, but could saw a GDP growth rate of 6.2% and this 

then opt to extend the stay by bonding the vessel. Now the rules have changed and it is no longer possible year, credit agency Standard and Poor’s 

to bond the vessel to extend the 18month no-VAT period. Once this 18 month period is complete, she must upgraded its rating from BBB+ to A-, the 

either pay EU Import VAT or exit EU waters. If neither of these conditions is met, EU VAT will be applicable with first change in over 20 years MBR 

no exceptions. To find out more about how this could impact you, please contact tfenech@fff-legal.com MBR 

From January, tenants will 

Maltese Parliament 

not longer require a landlord’s 

Should a Court be able to prevent the identity of a 

unanimously approves permission to change their utility tariff 

convicted criminal from being made public? 

Cohabitation Bill 

After a six-year struggle, it has been announced that as 

One of the most high-profile cases in 2016 involved a sports 

In today’s constantly of January 2017 both Maltese and EU tenants will no 

coach of a girls-only volleyball team who admitted to having 

evolving society it’s longer have to obtain the permission of their landlord 

spied on his students by placing a camera in their changing 

important to acknowledge in order to change their home electricity tariff. 

room. An extremely controversial and anger-provoking parts 

of the case included the fact that the perpetrator, who both 

the fluidity of people’s 

admitted the offence and was sentenced for it, has been able to 

personal relationships 

benefit from anonymity as the courts have placed a ban on the 

whilst recognising that the decision not to get married or partake in a civil partnership 

publication of his name MBR 

shouldn’t negatively impact those individuals, instead there should be legislation in 

place to protect their interests. MBR 

Study shows that IP is boosting the European economy 

The European Patent Office and the EU Intellectual Property Office has 

released the 

results of OECD announces 1000 bilateral crossborder 

agreements to help combat tax 

their second 

study which 

evasion 

explores the 

contribution In a world where 

of intellectual cross-border activities 

property and globalised 

rights (IPRs) business has become 

to the EU the status quo, it 

economy. MBR is imperative that 

countries respective 

tax authorities 

work together to ensure that the right 

amounts of tax are being paid to the right 

jurisdictions. MBR 

Is Brexit Unconstitutional? 

On June23rd 2016, members of the 

British public voted in favour of Britain 

leaving the European Union and this 

unexpected and controversial result has 

led to months of political upheaval marked 

by the resignation of Prime Minister 

David Cameron, the resignation of over 

fifty parliamentary members, and cries 

of foul play and dishonest campaigning 

techniques on both sides. MBR 

Firm News 

Fenech Farrugia Fiott at the 

annual ABL Conference in 

Miami 

ABL delegates from across the 

world gathered again for the 

34th General Assembly Meeting 

in Miami, Florida in November. 

Representing FFF Legal was 

Senior Associate Austin Sammut 

and Associate Neil Chetcuti. 

They attended a series of talks, 

seminars and debates as well as networking 

events where they had an opportunity to 

build working relationships with firms from 

all over the world. FFF Legal is the exclusive 

Malta member of the ABL Global network 

which brings together over 900 lawyers 

from 34 different jurisdictions. 

Uber drivers win a 

landmark case to be 

considered as employees 

EU and Beyond 

What legal issues present themselves 

if an individual is cryogenically 

preserved? 

One of the most unusual items in today’s 

news is the tale of a 14-year-old girl who has 

won the right to have her body cryogenically 

preserved after her death. MBR 

Last week a UK employment tribunal ruled against the American worldwide 

online transportation network company Uber Technologies Inc. in what could 

be a landmark decision, affording drivers working for the tech company the 

right to be classified as employees rather than self-employed contractors. MBR 


Fenech Farrugia Fiott- Proud sponsors fo the world-famous 

RC44 Valletta Cup 

FFF Legal was on site at the Grand Excelsior Hotel for a press conference 

heralding the start of the prestigious RC44 Valletta Cup. The racing series 

is celebrating it’s 10- year anniversary and its second appearance in Malta 

and FFF Legal are proud to be sponsors and partners of this year’s event. 

FFF Legal Contributes to the Malta Chapter of the Transport Finance Law 

Review 

Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal are proud to announce the 

publication of the Malta chapter in the prestigious publication- 

The Transport Finance Law Review. The publication is 

international in scope and is designed to provide industry 

insights to transport finance in each of the key jurisdictions 

in which ships, rolling stock and aircraft are financed. MBR 

Courtesy: Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal 


51


HIV/AIDS 

WORLD 

AIDS DAY 

World Aids Day is celebrated 

globally on the 1st of 

December of each year. This 

worldwide event raises awareness about 

HIV, promotes prevention measures, 

encourages testing, and supports people 

living with HIV. 

As one of the Maltese Presidency of 

the European Union of the Council’s 

initiatives, a technical meeting will 

be held between 30-31 January to 

bring together leading experts on HIV 

prevention and control from across the 

EU to discuss how Europe can improve its 

response to HIV and achieve the targets 

outlined in the Sustainable Development 

Goals, that is, the actions agreed upon 

at the UN high-level meeting on HIV/ 

AIDS, and those adopted in the Global 

Health Sector Strategy at the World 

Health Assembly. The experts will discuss 

practical evidence-based interventions 

and strategies, share achievements and 

examples of good practices, and identify 

solutions to common challenges. The 

priority areas on which EU Member 

States agree that they should scale 

up their efforts will be discussed, and 

the proceedings of the meeting will 

be translated in a technical Malta 

Declaration. 

Since the beginning of the epidemic, more 

than 70 million people have been infected 

with the HIV virus, and about 35 million 

people have died of HIV. Globally, 36.7 

million [34.0–39.8 million] people were 

living with HIV at the end of 2015. Almost 

30,000 newly diagnosed HIV infections 

were reported by the 31 European Union 

and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) 

countries in 2015. Although there have 

been impressive results in reducing the 

number of AIDS diagnoses during the 

last decade, the burden of HIV infection 

remains unacceptably high in Europe. 

In Malta, over a 10 year period, from 

2004 till October 2014, 300 new cases of 

HIV were identified. In 2015, there were 

61 new cases, and in 2016 till the end 

of October there were 58 new patients; 

these include 56 cases of HIV and 2 

cases of AIDS. Prevention efforts focus 

on the promotion of safer sexual health 

practices and training of professionals to 

support people in prevention, including 

encouraging youths to act as peer leaders. 

Testing is encouraged, including at 

community and GU clinics. People affected 

with HIV are offered free treatment by 

specialists at the HIV clinic. MBR 

Creditline: Ministry for Health/DOI 

52

ict: software 


Parallels became a key Partner of The Faculty 

of ICT at the University of Malta By Dmitry Smirkin 

Parallels, an international IT-Company, 

became a Gold Partner of the Faculty of 

Information & Communication Technology 

(FICT) of the University of Malta (UM). The 

Company would like to help the academic 

development of students within FICT 

through the provision of the best tools to 

software developers. 

Co-founder and Vice president of Parallels 

Mr. Nick Dobrovolskiy met with Professor 

Ernest Cachia, Dean of the Faculty of ICT, 

and Head of the Department of Computer 

Information Systems. 

development like Parallels Desktop for Mac 

that they can improve their potential and 

join our global Team. Our developers in 

different locations create the state-of-theart 

modern and functional software for 

personal and business use. We currently 

collaborate with leading Universities in 

Estonia and Russia and are very pleased 

to have UM as our new partner.» - Nick 

Dobrovolskiy, Vice President of Parallels. 

«The Faculty of ICT gladly welcomes 

investment in its students’ potential and 

thanks its partners for their interest, trust 

and support. This sort of positive initiative 

can only help strengthen the ties between 

the Faculty and industry as well as serve 

as a motivator for the nation’s future ICT 

professionals. In this respect, on behalf 

of the Faculty of ICT of the University of 

Malta, I thank our partner Parallels for 

their valid contribution. » – Ernest Cachia, 

Dean, Faculty of ICT. MBR 

Parallels Company donated 60 Licenses 

of Parallels Desktop for Mac Professional 

Edition to the UM for everyday use by 

staff and students. The UM and Parallels 

also discussed long term partnership and 

mutual cooperation potential. 

«We are an innovative and ambitious 

Company with a Development Center 

in Malta and a technically strong local 

team. Our aim is to provide Maltese 

students with the best tools for software 

About Parallels 

Parallels* is the global leader in cross-platform solutions which make it possible and simple for customers 

to use and access the applications and files they need on any device or operating system. We help 

customers take advantage of the best technology out there, whether it’s Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or 

the cloud. Parallels solves complex engineering and user experience problems by making it simple and 

cost-effective for businesses and individual customers to use applications wherever they may be—local, 

remote, in the private datacenter or in the cloud. Visit www.parallels.com/about for more information. 


53


GENDER PAY GAP 

Best clauses from Collective Agreements to help 

vulnerable workers throughout the EU 

In volatile European labour markets 

where flexibility is in high demand, special 

attention must be given to the most 

vulnerable workers in precarious jobs. 

This is the major recommendation from 

an expert meeting at the University of 

Amsterdam, which concluded a two-year 

project focusing on gender pay gaps in the 

EU and innovative means to reduce those 

gaps. 

Vulnerable workers are more than average 

female, and/or belong to ethnic minorities 

and migrant groups, the experts concluded. 

These groups lack career perspectives, 

job security and affordable child care 

arrangements. Many find temporary work 

only through employment agencies and 

are confined to low skilled menial jobs in 

retail, cleaning and care in particular. Their 

wages are lower end. Exhausting working 

hours leave them little time to recover, let 

alone to study after work. Moreover they 

are confronted with structural pay gaps 

that contribute to the perpetuation of 

their plight. The pay gap does not stop at 

the male/female divide, the experts found, 

but confronts all those disenfranchised in 

their working lives. 

Secondary working conditions 

reveal gender gaps too 

Part of the research carried out by 

the project-team was to conduct an 

unprecedented analysis from surveydata 

on secondary working conditions. 

The data was collected by means of the 

permanent online survey fielded by the 

WageIndicator Foundation through its 

national websites in all participating 

EU-member states. The data collection 

allowed for an in depth analysis of topics 

such as company benefits, allowances, 

emoluments, compensation, facilitated 

participation in child care and pension 

schemes and the like. The focus of this 

analysis was on gender, i.e. are the national 

gender pay gaps found reflected in the 

secondary working conditions prevailing 

in the country? The overall outcome 

was that the secondary conditions to a 

large extent mirror the gender pay gaps 

found in each labour market. There are a 

few exceptions to this rule however, i.e. 

Slovenia and Poland in particular, where 

women have seen fit over last decades 

to come alongside their male colleagues 

in terms of these additional sources of 

income, both moneywise and otherwise. 

Best practices from companies 

across borders 

One of the remedies found by the 

experts was that trade union negotiators 

throughout Europe could exchange clauses 

from the Collective Agreements which 

they conclude with employers. Such cross 

breeding of best practices might improve 

the efficacy of their work in defence of 

those most vulnerable groups in particular. 

One such outstanding best practice would 

be to include in each Collective Agreement 

a monitoring clause on the implementation 

of specific measures on contracts, pay, 

promotion, information, job certification 

and co-responsibility for child care. A 

monitoring plan for the implementation 

of such clauses, jointly supervised by trade 

union and the company human resources 

department, is a proven 'best practice' in 

some sectors already. The final report of 

the Gender Pay Gap-project includes a list 

of more 'best practice'-clauses from across 

EU-member states. 

Database to facilitate borrowing 

of best clauses 

WageIndicator, participant in the Gender 

Pay Gap-project of which the main results 

are presented here, over the last few years 

initiated and elaborated a database of 

Collective Agreements. Currently it contains 

annotated, i.e. easily retrievable clauses 

from some 700 Collective Agreements and 

a wide variety of sectors and countries. 

The database is freely accessible through 

its national websites and therefore easy 

to consult by negotiators from both 

employers and employees organisations. 

In it the clauses and best practices may be 

found referred to above. It is WageIndicator 

policy to continue broadening, enriching 

and detailing this Collective Agreement 

database for the free use of all to whom it 

may be of concern. WageIndicator invites 

all parties concerned to contribute the 

agreements they conclude to its database. 

The expert group consisted of University 

of Amsterdam, Wageindicator, Dutch 

Confederation of Trade Unions (FNV), CCOO 

Servicos Spain, MSZOZ Hungary. MBR 

More information about Gender Pay Gap in Malta 

http://www.mywage.org/malta/home/salary/ 

genderpay-gap-in-malta 

Creditline: WageIndicator.org or 

WageIndicator.org/genderpaygap 

54

corporate business 


Sheila Dean named in eprivateclient’s 

‘50 Most Influential 2017’ 

By Laura Daly 

Sheila Dean, Equiom’s Global Chief 

Executive Officer has been named in 

eprivateclient’s ‘50 Most Influential 2017’ 

list, which recognises the private client 

industry’s top practitioners. 

Released by eprivateclient, a wellrespected 

news service, the annual listing 

highlights people who are leading from 

the front within the private client industry, 

delivering innovative services in order 

to meet the varied and ever-changing 

demands of high net worth individuals. 

This is the third time Sheila has featured 

in eprivateclient’s 50 Most Influential list, 

having previously appeared in 2013 and 

2016. 

Sheila said of the news: ‘To be recognised 

for the third time is fantastic and I accept 

this honour on behalf of the entire 

Equiom family. We’ve been on an amazing 

journey so far and as we approach our ten 

year anniversary, I couldn’t be prouder 

of everything we’ve achieved. My whole 

career has been within the private client 

industry so I fully understand just how 

competitive and fast paced it is. 

‘The business has grown a lot recently, 

having completed four acquisitions this 

year alone so I appreciate this accolade 

more than ever because of how hard 

we’ve worked to expand our services 

without losing focus of our core offering 

in our existing jurisdictions. As always, it’s 

a pleasure to be in such great company 

alongside some of the industry’s key 

personalities.’ 

Individual nominations were submitted to 

eprivateclient before 20 October and the 

list of finalists was agreed by a panel of 

judges. Sheila is also currently shortlisted 

in two categories for the Citywealth 

Powerwomen Awards 2017. 


Sheila Dean, Global CEO of Equiom 

Sanya Health & Wellness EcoSpa 

Official Launch 

Sanya to open and change the 

landscape of holistic health services 

in Malta. 

At Hilltop Gardens in Naxxar, Sanya, will 

be officially opening and changing the 

landscape of the holistic health and 

wellness scene in Malta. Sanya offers 

a variety of services that support and 

encourage a healthy and nourishing 

lifestyle. Sanya focuses on the benefits 

of eating clean organic food, practising 

yoga, pilates & meditation, using natural 

medicine for ailments and health related 

problems, and taking the time to stop the 

flow of stress, unwind and relax in-order to 

improve your quality of life. 

At the launch the public are invited to view 

the Sanya facilities and learn more about 

their philosophies and offerings. It will 

be the last chance to take advantage of 

their introductory offer of 20% off all spa 

memberships and massage treatments. 

Many of the practitioners and instructors 

will be there to answer questions and 

explain more about their work. The 

Sanya Organic Juice Bar will be serving a 

selection of healthy organic refreshments. 

Free and abundant parking is available 

at the facility’s car park at all times when 

visiting Sanya. 

Sanya's ecoSpa includes a beautiful indoor 

heated pool, jacuzzis, saunas, eucalyptus 

steam rooms & thermal showers. Focusing 

on 100% natural local products made 

by Soap Cafe, Sanya's beauty therapists 

offer massages and treatments that 

are designed to relax you and nourish 

your body and skin. Malta's first 100% 

organic juice bar serves a variety of juices, 

smoothies & snacks, including a delicious 

specialty organic coffee. 

The clinic's holistic practitioners use 

natural functional techniques and 

medicine to treat and support a variety 

of health issues. You can practice yoga, 

meditation & pilates at Sanya's Yoga hub, 

where many different styles of classes are 

held in one of the biggest yoga studios 

in Malta. As well as the Spa, Clinic, Juice 

bar and Hub, the space contains many 

peaceful relaxation areas including a cosy 

lounge with a library full of inspirational 

books on health and wellness. MBR 

Sanya ecoSpa can be found at the Hilltop 

Gardens, Triq L-Inkwina, Naxxar, NXR2641. 

Website: www.sanyamalta.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sanyamalta 

Phone: +356 21436936 

Email: hello@sanyamalta.com 


55


AVIATION 

Air Malta to Appoint New 

Chief Commercial Officer 

Air Malta is seeking to appoint a 

new Chief Commercial Officer 

to continue on the path of 

innovative commercial developments 

launched by Ursula Silling, Air Malta’s 

Chief Commercial Officer. She was 

engaged by the airline specifically to 

lead this transformation and through 

her direction, in the last 18 months, Air 

Malta has become a more dynamic, 

commercially driven and customerfocused 

airline. 

Ms Silling will be leaving her post at 

the end of the month but will however 

continue supporting the airline in the 

interim period and with future projects. 

She joined Air Malta in February 2015 for 

a definite period until March 2016 but 

her contract was extended to ensure the 

realisation of a number of key projects. 

“Ursula has brought radical change in 

the thinking and the running of the 

Commercial Division. Through her 

resourcefulness she has spearheaded the 

digital transformation of the airline with 

projects like the re-design of the website 

with its mobile friendly features, fronted 

the airline’s digital communication and 

promotional initiatives, and directed 

customer-focused investments in new 

technology within commercial. She has 

also been instrumental in reducing costs 

by finetuning Air Malta’s route network in 

conjunction with the airline’s fleet plan 

initiative,” said Joseph Galea, Air Malta’s 

Acting CEO. 

“Last year she has also driven a radical 

transformation of Air Malta’s product 

offering with the launch of the new 

product range that gives customers a 

choice of three tiers in Economy and three 

tiers in Business class. This was a very 

important development and a significant 

milestone for Air Malta,” added Mr Galea. 

Before joining Air Malta Ms Silling has 

worked with both low cost and network 

airlines, IT systems providers and tour 

operators in different countries and held 

senior executive management positions 

with Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin 

Express, Brussels Airlines, the TUI group 

and Aerosvit Ukrainian Airlines. 

“I feel privileged to have worked and 

assisted the airline as Chief Commercial 

Officer in these challenging times and ever 

changing aviation environment. In these 

last few years we have accomplished so 

much by being innovative, resourceful 

and flexible whilst reducing our costs. 

With the launch of our “We Care More” 

campaign we have actively demonstrated 

our commitment to put the customer 

at the heart of everything we do. I am 

proud of the accomplishments of the 

whole team and look forward to continue 

working with them to achieve further 

milestones,” commented Ms Silling. 

The process to recruit a new Chief 

Commercial Officer has started and Ms 

Silling is supporting the airline in the 

process. In the interim period acting 

Chief Executive Officer Joseph Galea, 

who was the Deputy Chief Commercial 

Officer until his recent appointment, 

will be overseeing the running of the 

Commercial Division. 

Creditline: AirMalta 


Ursula Silling, Air Malta’s Chief Commercial Officer 

56

DIGITAL CLUSTERS 


Malta Digital Cluster Launched at Malta 

Life Sciences Park 

By James Vella Clark 

The Malta Digital Cluster was launched 

at the Malta Life Sciences Park by Life 

Sciences CEO Ing. Joseph Sammut and 

Edwin Ward, Chairman of Paragon 

Europe. The role of the cluster is to 

create collaboration between academia, 

researchers, private sector entities and the 

public sector to take advantage of growth 

and new opportunities in digital. 

The Malta Digital Cluster is being housed 

at the Malta Life Sciences Park and will 

become a member of the European 

Cluster Collaboration Platform. Members 

of the Malta Digital Cluster will gain the 

opportunity to join the EU ecosystem of 

digital clusters to network, share best 

practice in a European and global context, 

find partners and financing, as well as to 

identify funding programmes, research 

funding opportunities and EU-funded 

projects in which the cluster members can 

participate. 

The Malta Digital Cluster was introduced 

by Malta Life Sciences Park CEO Ing. Joseph 

Sammut. Ing Sammut explained how the 

Digital Hub is contributing to attracting 

foreign direct investment and bringing 

new kinds of digital businesses to Malta. 

Mr Edwin Ward added that this is an 

opportunity to make Malta’s digital 

business more competitive for cluster 

members to collaborate and to grow the 

digital industry further. 

Mr. Ward outlined some of the larger EUfunding 

programmes such as Horizon2020 

(H2020) which have a wide variety of 

funds available for digital projects such as 

ICT, IoT, cybersecurity, big-data, cloud and 

storage . Significant funds are also available 

for applications development and ICT 

projects. Within Big-Data alone more than 

€2.5BN has just been released via H2020 

to cover data visualisation software and 

devices, data analysis infrastructure, data 

processing infrastructure, data storage 

infrastructure as well as transport and 

network infrastructure. A further €2.5BN 

has just been made available for Research 

Infrastructures under the Excellent Science 

programme. 

The Malta Digital Cluster will be networked 

with international partners from blue-chip 

digital companies, leading universities and 

digital clusters elsewhere in the EU and 

beyond. There are many international 

donors, the EU, NATO, the World Bank, for 

example, who require service provision. 

The Malta Digital Cluster will represent 

and introduce Malta’s platform to these 

donors on service provision in tenders and 

contracts. 


For further information visit http://projects. 

paragoneurope.eu/digitalcluster.php or call 

+356 9920 7677 

Creditline: Corporate Identities 

FIMBank welcomes Fitch 

Ratings upgrade 

Fitch Ratings has upgraded Malta-based 

FIMBank's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating 

(IDR) to 'BB', from 'BB-', and its Support 

Rating to '3' from '5'. In its report, the 

rating agency also confirms the outlook 

for the Bank as being ‘Stable’. The agency’s 

report highlights the fact that the upgrade 

takes into account the demonstrated 

record of capital and funding support 

provided to FIMBank by Kuwaiti-based 

Burgan Bank, and its sister bank, Bahrainbased 

United Gulf Bank, as well as the 

increased management and operational 

integration of FIMBank with Burgan Bank. 

Commenting on the news of FIMBank’s 

upgrade by Fitch Ratings, Group CEO 

Murali Subramanian explained that 

“Strong and demonstrated parental 

support as required, for the funding and 

capitalisation of FIMBank, is the main 

reason Fitch have cited for this ratings 

upgrade. While we welcome this decision, 

we believe the best is yet to come. We 

have unrelenting focus on delivering the 

kind of performance which is expected to 

progressively render ever stronger returns 

to our shareholders. It vindicates our 

strategy based on a series of organisational 

restructuring, operational review, and cost 

controlmeasures,whichwe have been 

implementing over the past 18months”. 

He added that “As a result of this strategy, 

2016 has been a turnaround year for the 

Group, and this is also reflected in the 

improved profitability of our operations. 

Moreover, legacy misadventures of prior 

years are being dealt with firmly, and will 

be fully behind us in 2017”. 

Noting the dynamic process of 

transformation being undertaken at 

FIMBank, and its anticipated positive 

effect on the Bank’s profitability, the Fitch 

Ratings report concludes by stating that 

“a successful restructuring of FIMBank 

and a strong recovery in its financial 

metrics could result in FIMBank's VR being 

upgraded”. MBR 

For more information about FIMBank plc, visit 

www.fimbank.com. 


57


newsmakers 

People in Malta and Australia benefit from the warm relations between 

the two countries 

Commissioner to Malta, Jane Lambert, at the 

Party Headquarters. 

Australia is, for many in Malta, a second home, 

and it feels like a natural extension of our 

family. Nationalist Party Leader Simon Busuttil 

said so as he welcomed the Australian High 

Simon Busuttil said that the warm relations 

between Malta and Australia need to translate 

into concrete benefits for the people of both 

nations. These relations have also to be 

considered in the context of the European 

Union. Simon Busuttil said that a Free Trade 

Agreement between the EU and Australia would 

open new opportunities across all levels of 

society not just the wealthy. 

The Leader of the Nationalist Party said that 

it was a great pleasure to meet Jane Lambert 

who, in the past four years has witnessed a 

change in government as well as the first results 

of the current administration. Simon Busuttil 

congratulated the High Commissioner on her 

fruitful work and her commitment to strengthen 

the relations between the two countries. 

Jane Lambert, on her part, expressed her 

pleasure in meeting Simon Busuttil again 

and agreed with him that the Malta and 

Australia enjoy a special relationship. The High 

Commissioner said that she is particularly 

encouraged to see linkages develop among 

young generations of both countries especially 

in the areas of sport, science, and human rights. 

Jane Lambert ended by thanking Simon Busuttil 

for his support to an EU-Australia Free Trade 

Agreement and for his positive work since 

becoming leader of the Nationalist Party. MBR 

Maltese and German Finance 

Ministers meet in Berlin 

Yesterday, Minister for Finance Edward 

Scicluna held bilateral talks with German 

Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang 

Schäuble in Berlin as part of the preparations 

for the 2017 Maltese Presidency of the 

Council of the European Union. 

Minister Scicluna and Minister Schäuble 

discussed areas of common interest including 

the Capital Markets Union, taxation, 

budgetary issues, and the future of the 

Monetary Union in the context of improving 

fiscal and economic performance by the 

eurozone within the current international 

context. 

Earlier, Minister Scicluna delivered a lecture 

Minister Helena Dalli wins the Hero 

of the Year at this year’s European 

Diversity Award 

Dr Helena Dalli, Minister for Social Dialogue, 

Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties won the 

prestigious Hero of the Year Award during the 

6th edition of the European Diversity Award 

that was held in London last night. Among 

those nominated in the various categories were 

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, and 

Italian Undersecretary of State Ivan Scalfarotto. 

The ceremony which took place in the London 

Museum of Natural History, was attended by over 

500 participants working in the field of equality 

and diversity across Europe, and amongst 

others Minister Dalli received congratulations 

from officials from the Office of the UN High 

Commissioner on Human Rights and the Council 

of Europe. 

The award is given to politicians, journalists, 

athletes, companies and publishing houses that 

act as trailblazers in the enhancement of equality 

in European society. 

In her acceptance speech Minister Dalli said that 

we must work hard so that the advancements 

made will not get undone, referring to the 

particular point in time we are living in where 

threats to equality are increasing. She also 

pointed out that democracy must never become 

a tyranny of the majority and attention to 

entitled ‘Malta: A Mediterranean Success 

Model in the Euro-Zone’ at the Europäische 

Bewegung Deutschland, in Berlin. The 

audience included members of the 

diplomatic corps, officials from the Bundestag 

(the German Parliament), officials from the 

German Foreign Office (including Malta Desk 

officer and Head of Unit on Finance policy), 

as well as representatives of the German 

Chamber of Industry of Commerce and the 

Association and the Association of German 

Banks (BdB). 

The Minister also met with a number of 

political and financial correspondents of 

well-known publications such as Politico, Die 

Welt, Bild, and Bild am Sonntag at the Berlin 

headquarters of Axel Springer SE, which is 

the largest publishing house in Europe. 

Minister Scicluna was accompanied by the 

The Nationalist Party’s proposals 

are designed to help start-ups 

The Nationalist Party is set to support business 

start-ups with innovative policies. Party 

Leader Simon Busuttil said so during a visit to 

Creolabs, a start-up in Microsoft Innovation 

Centre at Skyparks Business Centre. 

Simon Busuttil said the Party wants to 

encourage start-ups with financial guarantees 

and low-interest rates on loans in order to 

help entrepreneurs develop their business 

ventures. 

The Nationalist Party Leader presented the 

recently-launched Policy for Retailers to 

Panayiotis Ioannou, Country Manager for 

Microsoft Malta, and Joseph Woods, Director 

of Creolabs. He said that the proposal to offer 

a reduced income tax rate of just 10% for 

small businesses is aimed also for start-ups. 

minorities should be high on the agenda of every 

government. 

On the national level, finishing touches on the 

Equality Bill and a Human Rights and Equality 

Commission Bill aimed at mainstreaming 

equality for all persons in all spheres of life are 

now underway – after a wide consultation 

process - with the intent of presenting the Bills to 

Parliament shortly. MBR 

Photos Credit: MSDC 

THE MINISTRY FOR SOCIAL DIALOGUE, 

CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES 

Maltese Ambassador to the Federal Republic 

of Germany Albert Friggieri, Permanent 

Secretary Alfred Camilleri, and Chief of Staff 

Tania Brown. MBR 

Credit/Photos: MFIN/DOI 

Simon Busuttil was accompanied by 

Spokesperson for Small Businesses, Retail and 

Self-Employed Robert Arrigo, Spokesperson 

for Financial Services, IT and Gaming Kristy 

Debono, and new candidates Alex Mangion 

and Amanda Abela. MBR 

58


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Tel: +44 796 15 50 68 


www.simonestates.com | info@simonestates.com | Facebook: SIMON Estates | Skype: simon.estates 

59

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