MBR AUGUST ALL

Malta Business Review
LEADERSHIP
Respect, Learning and Team-Spirit
Deborah Schembri is the Managing Director of STM Malta Trust & Company
Management Ltd. Through her added value tactics and inspiring leadership
she has led with distinction, developing a view of leadership that blends the
need for fundamentals—vision, strategy, communication skills—with the
evolving complexities of a developing world in which corporations strive to
operate in a difficult environment.
MBR: In an industry that competes so much
on price, what difference can a brand really
make?
DS: Pricing sometimes is considered in
isolation from the rest of marketing—for
example, as part of the revenue management
function—and it may appear that companies
can go about their business of finding the
“right” price to charge with no regard to the
rest of marketing strategy, but experience
proves otherwise. Pricing is the marketing
lever with the most immediate and direct
business impact. Management decisions to
change prices translate into revenue and
profit. Pricing also is closely tied to the other
elements of brand strategy.
Traditional pricing practice starts from the
classical economic notion that volume
demand for a product will decline as price
increases. This applies to many marketing
situations, under the assumption that
“everything else is equal.” However, effective
brand marketing can give consumers
compelling reasons to pay a premium.
MBR: What kind of authority do you give
the members of your team?
DS: I believe that employees need the power
and authority to make the critical decisions
necessary to produce quality products and
serve customers effectively.
Employee empowerment does not mean
absolute authority or absolute power.
Empowerment is the extent or degree of
responsibility and authority given to an
employee or to a team. Different people and
different teams will have varying degrees
of empowerment based upon their level of
experience and expertise.
Employee empowerment also entails
identifying how much responsibility and
authority an individual can effectively
handle without becoming over-burdened or
distressed.
MBR: How does STM create added value to
its customers?
DS: Added value is an important tactic that can
be used by businesses to acquire and retain
customers, increase brand awareness, and
differentiate one’s place in the marketplace.
Four ways to create added value will include:
• Consider customer’s perspective
• Consistently work and improve
customer’s satisfaction
• Implement marketing models within
your strategy
• Develop a memorable customer
experience
Empowerment is the extent
or degree of responsibility and
authority given to an employee
or to a team.
MBR: What keeps this business so fresh for
you?
DS: The only thing constant in life is change.
Life – and with it society, technology, trends,
priorities – constantly changes. Because of
that continuously fluid state of affairs, your
business must be ready, willing and able to
change along with the times to remain viable
in the marketplace. We’re not talking about
a complete change of identity necessarily;
in most cases, small yet significant tweaks
to what you’re already doing will keep your
business current with customer needs and
tastes.
Adjusting certain aspects of your operation
to meet the expectations of your customer
base is in no way a negative reflection on
your business’ past performance. If it wasn’t
meeting the public’s needs, it would not have
remained successful. The key to longevity
is to continue meeting the needs of your
current customers while attracting new ones.
Updating or re-imagining things is simply a
smart way to keep your business robust and
moving forward.
MBR: Which aspects of STM’s culture stand
out to you?
DS: Company culture is the personality of
a company. It defines the environment in
which employees work. Company culture
includes a variety of elements, including work
environment, company mission, value, ethics,
expectations, and goals.
I describe and foster STM Malta’s culture as
Respect, Learning and Team-Spirit. MBR
All rights reserved - Copyright 2017
EDITOR’S
Note
BA(Hons) Accty., Dip. Tax.,
FIA, CPA, DipPMI, MIM,
MBA (Henley) Deborah has
twenty years experience in
the financial services, gaming
and hospitality industries.
In her various C-level and
board member roles she had
formulated new strategic
directions and implemented the necessary
changes. She has been instrumental in setting up
and growing various companies. She is a Certified
Public Accountant, holds a Masters in Business
Administration from Henley Management
College and she holds a Diploma in Retirement
Provision pursued with the UK Pensions
Management Institute. She is the only Maltese
resident holding such a qualification in pensions.
She is a Fellow Member of the Malta Institute of
Accountants, and a Member of the Malta Institute
of Taxation, Malta Institute of Management,
Institute of Financial Services Practitioners and
Pension Management Institute UK. Deborah
won Malta’s Best Knowledge Entrepreneur of the
Year Award 2015. She has also been nominated
and then voted as one of the four finalists for the
Commonwealth Women Entrepreneur of the Year
2015.
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