Business Agenda - Issue 37

BUSINESSAgenda THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MALTA BUSINESS BUREAU ISSUE 37 | WINTER 2019/2020

THE POWER OF THE EU SINGLE MARKET for MALTESE BUSINESSES Innovative technology and its impact on the way we dine

NEWSPAPER POST

Prof. Juanito Camilleri on entrepreneurship, “do-how” and the future

OFFICIAL SPONSORS OF BUSINESS AGENDA

Safeguarding iconic Maltese trades in the era of disruptive change

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BUSINESSAgenda EDITORIAL

PHOTO: RAY ATTARD

ON to 2020!

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BUSINESSAgenda EDITORIAL

I am very pleased to welcome you to this year’s winter edition of the Business Agenda magazine.

On the occasion of the 15th year of our membership of the European Union, this issue makes reference to a comprehensive study which MBB has undertaken on the effect of the Single Market on Maltese businesses. Providing tangible evidence, our report shows that, even though Maltese businesses have benefitted much since joining, the Single Market has not been unaffected by barriers which still have an impact on local businesses. We have identified some of the administrative and legislative burdens our businesses face, whilst operating within the Single Market, and have asked our comment providers to discuss these results on page 22.

Business Agenda also turns to Malta’s European Parliament Heads of Delegation, MEP Miriam Dalli and MEP Roberta Metsola, following the EP elections held earlier this year. Now that they are back in Brussels and driving their manifesto plans, they share their insights on these plans as well as their views on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in our Meet the MEPs feature on page 62.

We shift our focus back to Malta on page 110 to explore some exciting initiatives that are currently in motion to support the development of a national design policy as a priority ‘Design Action Plan’ – which, as such, is intended to have an impact on the wider design and innovation ecosystem. The European Commission encourages all EU member states and regions to develop these action plans because these are important tools to boost any economy’s competitiveness and growth. However, the route to building capacity for designdriven innovation in SMEs

remains somewhat unclear for policymakers.

On page 101 we outline the efforts being made to lay the foundations for fruitful collaboration with Ireland through our work as Enterprise Europe Network partners, by bridging new links for our businesses between the two islands.

Moving on, and in line with a festive food and drink mind-frame, as we approach the holiday season, we thought it would be interesting to inform our readers about a recent European study which suggests that online delivery and booking portals are bound to play a phenomenal role in the restaurant sector. Our experts discuss the importance for the restaurant sector to customise and anticipate its services to accommodate this new demand on page 46.

Of course, at a time of many festive dinners and lunches, let us remember to be conscientious and not let food go to waste. The MBB is working hard on mitigating food waste, through education and awareness among businesses and consumers, as this has a real impact on our environment, economy and, even, society. Get involved and learn more about our food waste initiatives, on page 75.

Finally, Prof. Juanito Camilleri shares with us his views on the society of the future, as well as his love for wine-making on page 30.

I hope you enjoy reading the features in this issue and I augur all of our readers a good end to the year and a prosperous one ahead!

Joe Tanti MBB CEO

PUBLISHER

Mallia Building, 3, Level 2, Triq in-Negozju, Zone 3, Central Business District, Birkirkara CBD 3010 Tel: +356 2132 0713 info@contenthouse.com.mt www.contenthouse.com.mt

Malta Business Bureau, 64, The Exchange Buildings, Republic Street, Valletta VLT 1117 Tel: (+356) 2125 1719 info@mbb.org.mt infobrussels@mbb.org.mt www.mbb.org.mt The Malta Business Bureau is a non-profit making organisation acting as the European-Business Advisory and Support Office of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association. The MBB has two offices, the Head Office in Malta and the Representation Office in Brussels.

EDITOR Joe Tanti EDITORIAL COORDINATORS Ana Vella and Rebecca Anastasi DESIGN Nicholas Cutajar EDITORIAL TEAM Jo Caruana, Caroline Curmi, Helena Grech, Emma Mattei, Martina Said and Timothy Vella CORPORATE SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Bernard Schranz ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Sue Pisani Business Agenda is the bi-annual magazine of the Malta Business Bureau. Business Agenda is distributed to all members of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, all the members of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, and to all other leading businesses. Business Agenda is also distributed by the Malta Business Bureau to leading European and business institutions in Brussels.

Articles appearing in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Content House Ltd or those of the Malta Business Bureau. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publishers is strictly prohibited.

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BUSINESSAgenda COVER STORY

THE RESOLUTE POWER OF THE EUROPEAN SINGLE MARKET

The Malta Business Bureau has recently completed a research study on the value of the European Single Market for Maltese enterprises. In an exclusive to Business Agenda, Emma Mattei speaks to its President, Simon De Cesare, the Minister for the Economy, Chris Cardona, as well as to MEPs Alex Agius Saliba and Roberta Metsola about their reactions to the findings of the survey and how they each intend to address the issues brought to the fore.

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“We believe that Market Surveillance authorities should be given greater resources in order to effectively monitor and enforce rules set at EU and national levels.”

SIMON DE CESARE, PRESIDENT, THE MALTA BUSINESS BUREAU

The value of the Single Market has been much disputed in recent years, with Brexit and the rise of populism seemingly delivering shattering blows to the integrity of the dream, one which links every single European across the continent, facilitating trade and industry between the EU’s 28 member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway through bilateral treaties.

With this in mind – and with the local context firmly in view – the Malta Business Bureau, embarked on a research study asking: what is the value of the Single Market for Maltese businesses today?

The MBB’s study, conducted by Grant Thornton, sought to explore the tangible benefits of the Single Market while identifying barriers

about ineffective enforcement of EU law at a national level, while 26 per cent of the respondents are uneasy with the inefficient implementation of legislation which, they say, has resulted in more stringent regulatory burdens and higher costs than necessary for local operators, causing a competitive disadvantage for businesses.

PHOTO: ALAN CARVILLE

On 28th February 1986, years of hard work and perseverance paid off as the then European Economic Community (EEC) adopted the Single European Act, a treaty with the objective to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour – what would later be termed the ‘four freedoms‘ of the European Union. The legislation heralded fundamental changes in the way ordinary citizens interacted, worked, lived and connected, with the Maastricht Treaty – that came into force on 1st November 1993 – solidifying the shift, transforming the EEC into the bloc we know today.

and gaps in legislation that need to be addressed, both at national and EU levels. The findings of the study will support the MBB’s endeavour to directly influence proposed EU legislation and ensure a favourable outcome for Maltese businesses.

The survey found that 89 per cent of respondents have claimed they are better off since joining the Single Market. However, 49 per cent of the respondents – comprising local firms and entrepreneurs – are concerned with excessive legislation, 35 per cent are worried

Simon De Cesare, President of the Malta Business Bureau, believes that the study’s results will provide enough material to be able to back up lobbying work in Brussels over the next five-year political cycle with evidence and hard facts.

“This will enable us to pinpoint accurately to the key decision makers in the EU where exactly the problems lie, and this will aid us in our quest for tangible solutions,” he explains.

However, in addition to searching for such solutions, Mr De Cesare is also concerned with ensuring that the rules – as they stand – are adhered to. One of these crucial elements is “the principle of mutual recognition,” he states, whereby member states must allow goods that are legally sold in another member state to also be sold in their own territory. “The legislation at European level is robust but there seems to be little enforcement by the Commission,” he says, “and there are several instances where this principle isn’t WINTER ISSUE | 23

BUSINESSAgenda COVER STORY

“SMEs need EU rules that are future-proof and sufficiently flexible to allow for innovation, new business models and digital transformation” CHRIS CARDONA, MINISTER FOR THE ECONOMY

functioning as it is supposed to.”

Another issue of concern stems from the fact that businesses often do not operate on a level playing field, with some businesses importing goods which do not conform to EU health and safety standards, or labelling and packaging requirements. EU law requires member states to conduct their own market surveillance to ensure that products conform with EU rules. “We believe that Market Surveillance authorities should be given greater resources in order to effectively monitor and enforce rules set at EU and national levels.

It is crucial that all businesses operate on a fair level playing field, by ensuring that standards such as labelling and packaging restrictions are adhered to,” he continues.

Therefore, while the main aim of the Single Market project was to eradicate all barriers to trade, the survey results suggest that there is the perception that several still remain. In this regard, the European Commission has recognised the need to address certain issues with the Single Market as a whole. The MBB President notes that, as a result, towards the end of the last political cycle, and over summer, there was a huge effort to gather more information on the remaining barriers. Mr De Cesare indicates that the MBB saw this as an opportunity and undertook the study in order to participate in the

Commission’s process of analysing these issues. “Malta will have given its contribution to the process in order to ensure that the solutions brought forward will be to our benefit,” he underlines.

Echoing many of these thoughts, Economy Minister Chris Cardona points out that, over the past 26 years, the Single Market has come a long way. “During this period, it has become the most economically integrated trading bloc in the world,” he says. “It has successfully dealt with considerable growing pains to reach this milestone,

including expanding to include new member states with very difficult economic legacies and ever freer movement of goods, services, labour and capital.” This achievement has allowed Maltese companies to make good use of the resources available to them, and consumers now enjoy a variety of choice.

Reacting to the findings of the study, Minister Cardona says that “the Maltese Government has always been a firm supporter of the Single Market. Nonetheless, we have listened to the concerns of Malta’s biggest companies and SMEs as they regularly blame mounting regulations for stifling competition that threaten their businesses with thousands of euro in extra costs.” In Dr Cardona’s opinion, excessively complex or burdensome legislation means they do not reach their targets, resulting in SMEs using their scarce resources to ensure they abide by the rules, rather than growing their businesses and creating jobs. “SMEs need EU rules that are future-proof and sufficiently flexible to allow for innovation, new business models and digital transformation,” he continues.

“I believe that policy initiatives and programmes on SMEs should be better assessed to avoid disproportionate administrative burdens,” he adds. Dr Cardona thinks it is essential to improve SME access to information on markets and regulation, simplifying the administrative procedures needed to operate cross-border, and tackling barriers due to bad implementation and the lack of enforcement of the Single Market legislation. “If we do so, we would be achieving another step to reap the potential which the EU Single Market can have.”

MEP Alex Agius Saliba agrees that the Single Market is Europe’s best asset to generate economic growth. However, he feels that it is underperforming in many areas and has brought about several challenges that hinder participation and cross-border trade. Companies often find WINTER ISSUE | 25

BUSINESSAgenda COVER STORY

Commenting further on the results of the MBB’s survey, when it comes to the existing rules, compliance and enforcement are essential to creating a level playing field, where all players compete fairly. “Better enforcement and implementation of Single Market legislation and ensuring the correct application of the current rules will create a trust for businesses to confidently engage and participate in the Single Market,” he continues.

Yet, Dr Agius Saliba proposes the need to further examine whether the existing framework is still suitable for the new digital world since “most of the EU legislation that deals with the internal market has not been created with a specific digital structure in mind.” He points out the need to lower the cost of internet access for SMEs and to further improve the related infrastructure such as 5G, also noting that “we need to have a stronger competition policy regulatory regime concerning the economic dominance of the large players.” In this regard, the concept of digital skills in Europe has become “a cornerstone of a truly functional digital society and the digital Single Market,” Dr Agius Saliba says, also pointing out the need to deliver the appropriate measures to adapt the Single Market to the new digital environment.

Moving on to the free movement of services, he says that “the Services Directive and the Professional Qualifications Directive stand out” since “both directives have had a significant impact on the liberalisation of the services market, enhancing the freedom to provide services.” Despite this, companies still face different notification and registration obligations, and there is lack of technical and administrative infrastructure within the services sector as well as of an appropriate framework to digitalise procedures and services. “Points of single contact often do not communicate and underperform,” he remarks. Thus, “there is room for improvement. There is a need to improve the implementation of

the acquis in the area of services and to improve the sharing of best practices between the member states,” the MEP continues.

Referring to the current upheavals in the European political system in certain member states – and with Brexit in mind – Dr Agius Saliba reiterates the power of the Single Market. “What is for sure is that the Brexit process had one silver lining, which is that the member states are now even more aware of the benefits of Union membership and the Single Market.”

Indeed, he notes that, in order to avoid other countries leaving the bloc, “we should venture into continuously rebuilding and achieving a citizens-driven Single Market that truly benefits businesses and consumers alike, built on trust, choice, and a high level of consumer protection.” To this end, “maintaining, enforcing and deepening the Single Market is a never-ending but vital task to retain growth, foster competitiveness, and promote the emergence of new businesses in Europe,” Dr Agius Saliba asserts.

MEP Roberta Metsola also feels that local businesses need to be given all the tools they need to be able to compete, with the two most important being access to finance and the reduction of bureaucracy, as also evidenced by the survey results. “I have, and will continue, to push against a one-size-fits-all approach. It is clear that such an approach cannot always work, especially considering economies of scale,” she says. Access to finance means

PHOTO: MICHEL CHRISTEN

themselves negatively exposed, “either because the current legislation is not appropriately enforced or, simply, because it has not been developed to deal with the new digital challenges.”

“We need to have a stronger competition policy regulatory regime concerning the economic dominance of the large players.”

MEP ALEX AGIUS SALIBA 26 | WINTER ISSUE

BUSINESSAgenda COVER STORY

In addition, and looking ahead to the new legislative cycle, the European Commission needs to continue working on its action plan aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency and legal certainty for a fully functioning Single Market, she adds. It will need to continue “eliminating the backlog of harmonised standards that have not yet been published in the Official Journal of the European Union,” as well as streamlining “internal decision-making processes with regard to references to harmonised standards; elaborating a guidance document on the practical aspects of implementing the Standardisation Regulation; and, finally, reinforcing the system of consultants to support swift, robust assessments of harmonised standards and

timely publication in the Official Journal,” Dr Metsola states.

Malta’s size and insularity were always going to be a challenge for the functioning of Maltese businesses inside the Single Market, at any rate. “Legislative bodies should reconcile the desire for avoiding a one-size-fitsall approach with ensuring an adequate level of harmonisation, to ensure a fair level playing field and functioning Single Market with minimal barriers,” she adds. It is in the interest of the EU as a whole to ensure that every part of the Single Market functions properly.

“Malta and Cyprus, for instance, are small in geographic terms and located in the EU’s periphery,” Dr Metsola comments, “but there are a number of other regions around the EU for which it is especially important to promote fullydeveloped strategies and action plans, including specially designed programmes aimed at ensuring that economic regions are not deprived of the advantages.”

Dr Metsola observes that Brexit has been very damaging for the European project as well as for the image of the United Kingdom globally, saying that she does “not think anyone expected it to be plain sailing but the way it has developed politically, socially and economically has been very painful.

“It is the ability to understand these four freedoms that will ensure we communicate a strong message about the significant gains brought about by EU membership.”

MEP ROBERTA METSOLA

PHOTO: MARC DOSSMANN

increasing the uptake of EU funding by SMEs. She praises the InvestEU Programme, which will trigger more than €650 billion in additional investment, and will make EU funding simpler to access, with one set of rules and procedures, and one contact for advice. “This programme will bring together a multitude of financial instruments under one roof, but it is the channelling of information related to this programme that is especially important to make sure that it is implemented effectively,” Dr Metsola stresses.

A deal in place benefits everyone.

We all lose in a no-deal scenario.”

The implications of Brexit for Malta remain serious, she underlines.

Businesses cannot plan effectively, meaning that industry is forced to take measures to ensure stock and seek alternate routes of supply.

“It is the uncertainty that is the worst; having a deal has always been the aim of any responsible politician. Only this would provide the parameters with certainty on how business can be conducted, and only with a deal can people be sure of their rights,” Dr Metsola points out.

A no-deal Brexit would spell economic and social difficulties, and Dr Metsola hopes that a nodeal is wiped off the table. She urges politicians and stakeholders, including businesses, to join forces to communicate and explain, in a tangible manner, the benefits of EU membership and its four freedoms: the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.

“It is the ability to understand these four freedoms that will ensure we communicate a strong message about the significant gains brought about by EU membership,” Dr Metsola declares.

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BUSINESSAgenda SOCIETY

PHOTOS: INIGO TAYLOR

“IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS, A LOT OF US WILL BE ASKING: W H AT D O E S IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?”

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BUSINESSAgenda SOCIETY

Former University of Malta Rector, Professor Juanito Camilleri, has been an active player in stimulating innovation, both within academia and through his pioneering work at the forefront of some of Malta’s major businesses. Here, he speaks to Rebecca Anastasi about the revolutionary changes which await society; the centrality of the humanities in helping us understand who we are; and his passion for telling stories through the vintages forged at his winery, Ta’ Betta Wine Estates.

“There’s a renaissance in entrepreneurship in Malta at the moment, and this is very positive,” Professor Juanito Camilleri smiles, as we sit in his office at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation (CEBI) at the University of Malta. And, Prof. Camilleri knows a thing or two about that evolving thrust of innovation which pushes business minds and creatives to thrive on disruptive ideas, forging ahead to bring about change.

“There will actually never be enough entrepreneurs, but mindsets do change, and technologies will continue to open up opportunities for Maltese to become role models in this regard, perhaps even becoming business angels to other entrepreneurs.”

Indeed, Prof. Camilleri has, himself, been a role model and mentor for many innovators on the island, with his contributions to industry and academia embodying the cyclical nature of idea-creation. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Kent at Canterbury, with a First Class Honours with distinction, he enrolled in the doctorate programme at the University of Cambridge,

specialising in Theoretical Computer Science, and completing the course in 1990, staying on as a Research Fellow and Research Consultant.

Two years later, however, in 1992, Prof.

Camilleri decided to move back to his home island, where he started working as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta (UOM), founding the Department of Computer Science and AI – the precursor to today’s Faculty of ICT – which proved to be foundational to the islands’ economy and future. He left in 1999 to take up the position of founding Chief Executive Officer for the then-nascent Go Mobile, which he nurtured into the powerhouse it became. “I was still quite young at the time – only 33 – and we were a very young group of professionals, with little experience.

And, indeed, little did we know what we were going in for. But, that’s the beauty of entrepreneurship. It was a great ride and you really feel people stepping up when you have the right type of empowerment,” he recalls fondly. Later, he became the Group CEO for Melita Cable, before being “lured back to academia” and taking on the prestigious role of Rector at UOM.

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BUSINESSAgenda SOCIETY

“Setting up a business is as complex as it is simple. There’s no rocket science to it, but it’s about orchestrating all the bits and bobs at once, like building a mosaic.”

“When you’re rector, it’s not a full-time job, but it takes up all of your time. There isn’t one moment in the day when you’re not thinking about the responsibility here. I don’t tend to sleep long hours anyway, but I used to be awake, sending SMSs, even at 4am in the morning. It’s full immersion,” he attests. He compares this with being the CEO of a company, saying that the level of commitment is consistent across roles. And, indeed – just as he had done in his corporate positions – Prof. Camilleri got things done at the nation’s highest educational institution.

of ‘yes, we can, yes, we will, and let’s do it’ became ingrained,” he says, adding that, though this required more resources to be “ploughed into” the institution, the university, today, has started to create its own resources as a result.

Under his leadership, the UOM opened new faculties – those of ICT; Social Well-Being; Media and Knowledge Sciences; and the Health Sciences – and welcomed a substantial number of students from abroad through international master’s programmes. This enabled the university to remain “anchored in what was happening elsewhere, while also bringing in a significant amount of revenue, thus allowing for independence in terms of research projects,” he explains. And, as a result of these developments, as well

as by means of an academic collective agreement signed in 2008 – which Prof. Camilleri refers to as a “milestone” – the research agenda was also broadened.

These achievements, Prof.

Camilleri is at pains to emphasise, were built on the foundations left to him by his predecessors and the work has been continued by his successor. “Today, we can truly say this university is based on the three pillars of teaching and learning; research and innovation; as well as outreach and entrepreneurship,” he says, underlining that the role of an institution like the UOM is “not simply generating the human resources for tomorrow”. This, he continues, is especially the case “since the jobs for tomorrow have yet to be defined”. Instead, UOM

“I feel that, as rector, I helped to redefine the notion of power.

When I first arrived in the early ‘90s, resources were so limited, but I think the UOM has gone through a renaissance over the past years and the notion of power to empower has entered our language relatively easily.

I feel that I helped bring that new culture in, where the idea WINTER ISSUE | 33

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outside the box, who think in a versatile way – those who are given a problem, even in an unknown area, and who are able to start to deconstruct it into smaller more manageable parts, and, thus, to understand the systems-based approach to problem-solving,” he explains.

“needs to an active player in stimulating innovation in the economy, and developing new sectors, particularly in this period of active change,” he explains.

Indeed, it’s the revolutionary upheavals which society is set to undergo in the next 10 or 20 years which concern Prof.

Camilleri the most – a concern which is the foundation of his drive towards ensuring that creative and critical thinking, taught through art and the classics, remain central. “In the next decade or two, humanity is not going to know what has hit it. The changes are going to be very profound on our society. This is why I am a strong believer in the humanities. It cannot only be about business and science since we can lose sight as to why we’re doing things. And, with all the new technologies set to impact us soon, in the next 20 years, a lot of us will be asking: what does it mean to be human?”

It is this ability to cut through the surface which has seen Prof. Camilleri continue inspiring future generations of thinkers and doers. Currently, his work at CEBI, which offers the Master’s in Knowledgebased Entrepreneurship – a practical three-semester 34 | WINTER ISSUE

programme guiding students in materialising their ideas and bringing them to the market for financing – is testament to this. “Mentoring is very much within me and I learn as much from my students as they do from me. I get great satisfaction supervising students with their business plans and teaching in the Master’s programme.

More than 100 have already graduated from the course – which I think is quite a significant achievement – with a new cohort graduating in a few weeks’ time. And, sharing this journey with them is a tremendous thing,” he asserts.

This is part of his quest to “create a culture where we valorise more creativity, more problem solving and ingenuity”. He calls this “dohow”, rather than “know-how”, quickly affirming that these are two sides of the same coin.

“We tend to over-emphasise the latter, but I don’t know why we insist on our children becoming thesauri or miniWikipedias when we already have the means to acquire such knowledge.” This is especially so, he continues, when those jobs requiring memory work, patternmatching and processing will soon be obsolete. “What we’ll need is people who think

And, this is what he aims to impart on those he comes into contact with and what he sees as central to the process and raison d’etre of every university. “The role of UOM is to think ahead and to prepare people for what can impact them, elevating the debate about precisely what kind of society and identity we want to forge. It should encourage the growth of the Maltese identity, creating those people who will produce the jobs of tomorrow, and not only fill or work those jobs. If we manage to do that then, by definition, we’re preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs,” he says.

It’s this entrepreneurial spirit which also stands Prof.

Camilleri in good stead in his work in the corporate world – currently, as the nonexecutive Chairman of Harvest Technology, within the Hili Group of Companies – keeping him close to what he calls “the cold face of business”. This, he asserts, is “still very much in my genes”, though he admits he prefers the “start-up phase” rather than the “mechanistic” process of a business which can run itself. And, he brings this real-world experience to the fore in his teachings, as he strives to impart what he has learnt to the next generation.

“It’s a jigsaw puzzle you need to bring together. Setting up a business is as complex as it is simple. There’s no rocket science to it, but it’s about

BUSINESSAgenda SOCIETY

orchestrating all the bits and bobs at once, like building a mosaic,” he states.

The artistry behind this is also evident in Prof. Camilleri’s approach to his long-standing passion: his winery in Siggiewi, Ta’ Betta Wine Estates. “My hobby has now turned into a business venture and sometimes I wonder whether it was a good idea or not,” he laughs. Launching their first bottles in June of this year, the viniculture producer has already exported to Germany.

“It’s still early days but it’s very promising. This is one area where art meets science par excellence and where both meet the beyond, nature, or God, if that’s what you want to call it.” For, indeed, the quality of the wine, he explains, is very much based on factors out of human control. “The truth is it cuts you down to size. At the end of the day, you’re as good as nature wants you to be. If you want to leave an impact, you need to have substance, and you must rely on the terroir noire, and on the weather.

Every single year, the good Lord shows us who is boss, and the story of each year is reflected in the wine itself,” he describes.

For it is, indeed, stories which are bottled up and served through the wine produced,

Prof. Camilleri explains fondly.

“It’s a beautiful juggling act.

The metaphors around winemaking are so profound. You can see the Christian story of death and resurrection in this and from nothing you’ve created something.

That’s actually lesson 101 in entrepreneurship,” he says. Yet, fundamentally, it is a deepseated sense of joy which has pushed Prof. Camilleri and his family to invest in this venture.

“It’s a beautiful project which defines our family. Bettina, my daughter, grew up on that land and has childhood memories there which she’ll cherish

“The metaphors around winemaking are so profound. You can see the Christian story of death and resurrection in this and from nothing you’ve created something.”

forever. So, it’s part of our story as a family and we hope we carry other people with us,” he says with affection.

But what else does the future hold for the entrepreneur, academic and vinicultural producer? “I still have more juice. I’m very much into future studies and emerging disruptive technologies.

I wouldn’t want to be a spectator when what’s going to hit us, does. I want to be growing and evolving with it.

And I want to remain anchored in the world of business and technology, learning from youngsters who understand how the world of technology is evolving,” But, his winery will never be far from his thoughts, he says. “The world of wine is one of lifestyle and beauty. It’s one which anchors me in the real world since you literally have to be with your feet on the ground. And, I hope my liver will allow me to enjoy many more vintages,” he smiles.

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BUSINESSAgenda BANKING

PUTTING CUSTOMERS at the HEART OF BANKING

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BUSINESSAgenda BANKING

With a long career already behind her, HSBC Malta’s new Head of Commercial Banking, Joyce Grech, has spent 23 years working in the bank’s retail and commercial arms, as well as in the Risk function. Helena Grech catches up with her to discuss the institution’s strategy within the rapidly-changing banking environment and to understand what the role is all about.

No stranger to the banking world – having worked her entire career in the industry – HSBC Malta’s new Head of Commercial Banking, Joyce Grech, is excited to dive into the role. Officially appointed in September, Ms Grech is most eager about reconnecting with the bank’s customers, in the wake of a thorough risk management exercise. “We went through a period of risk mitigation activity, and we are now in a position where we are operating with customers that meet our risk appetite,” Ms Grech explains.

PHOTOS: INIGO TAYLOR

Following this exercise, Ms Grech notes that, at this stage, the bank is “in an excellent

position to focus on growth.”

Shedding light on the strategy behind plans to take the business forward, she adds that “it will be measured growth” while the bank will maintain a “well-defined risk appetite.”

Helping clients benefit from the bank’s unique international dimension is another area of potential growth. “We are strategically placed to help customers trade internationally as well as those who wish to expand locally,” she explains.

This form of collaboration can be achieved through the bank’s many subsidiaries throughout the world, she continues, adding that “it is remarkable how connected internationally

“Gender balance in the workplace is very important to me and I am a big supporter, as I believe that women have a valid contribution to make to organisations and to society.”

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BUSINESSAgenda BANKING

local companies have become, trading far beyond Malta’s shores.” Indeed, HSBC “can really plug clients into these international markets. We offer a service whereby if a company, for example, wants to do business in Indonesia, we can look for companies within the same sector and connect them. This is a service which adds value and that is unique to us. HSBC Group has aligned its operations to exploit the main trade corridors, evidencing the importance that HSBC places on providing such connections.” To this end, last July, HSBC Malta launched an international business fund worth €250 million, aimed at

assisting local companies that are aiming to grow and trade outside of Malta. Ms Grech shares that take-up has been encouraging.

Turning to Ms Grech’s strategy as the new Head of Commercial Banking, she reveals that her two main focus areas are connecting with the bank’s commercial clients and rethinking current processes, not solely from an internal perspective but also with the aim of keeping the client at the centre of the bank’s strategy.

The commercial banking arm of HSBC, simply put, provides services to companies, large and small. “These include

“Today, I am excited to be working directly with customers again.” lending products, such as loans and overdrafts, as well as trade and cash management products.” Drawing strength from the bank’s international standing, “we are also very wellplaced to provide companies with international exchange products and hedging instruments, for example.”

On her new role, Ms Grech says that “working with customers is something that I had missed in the past few years.” She joined the bank at a junior position in the bank’s Trade division and progressed to a relationship manager position in a few years. “Foregoing direct customer contact was my biggest dilemma when I applied for a Head Office role 18 years ago, but I wanted more breadth and went ahead with the move. Today, I am excited to be working directly with customers again”.

She explains that her days are spent meeting people, “whether it is internally, including relationship managers and those in support functions, or people in other areas within the bank. It’s all about meeting, communicating, engaging, and understanding people in

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various roles, from internal staff to customers.” She explains that her focus and that of the bank’s relationship managers is to ensure they retain constant communication with customers. “In addition, I want to make processes simpler. I am very mindful that processes can be improved. We were focusing heavily on risk and not so much on making the process better for customers who are interacting with us.

For me, improving the process when requests and queries are sent to us and replying with a decision in a timely fashion is key.”

Asked what the most rewarding aspect of her role is, Ms Grech is quick to identify collaborating with clients to meet their needs. “For me, that is really exciting. Opening a newspaper and reading that a customer of ours has expanded and is doing well, and knowing that we’ve helped them in some way, perhaps by providing finance or linking them with suppliers overseas, is by far the most rewarding aspect.”

When it comes to challenges, Ms Grech highlights that it is certainly difficult when a customer is undergoing financial difficulties. “Handling an issue and advising a client that they must take certain action, otherwise the bank will need to protect its interests, is a very challenging conversation.”

She is quick to point out that, as a positive person, she tries to look at the success stories, “especially when those success stories involve a client who was facing a challenging situation and after coming up with a plan together, starts to trade profitably again. In some instances, customers express

their gratitude that we took a tough stance when it was needed at a particular point in time.”

Another area which Ms Grech is keen to discuss is gender balance. She is a mother who is succeeding in a senior ranking career while also enjoying family life. “Gender balance in the workplace is very important to me and I am a big supporter, as I believe that women have a valid contribution to make to organisations and to society.”

For Ms Grech, it’s about choice: “if a woman does not want to pursue a career, that is, of course, fine, but for those who do, tools and structures need to be in place in order to provide opportunities for them to progress irrespective of gender.” She adds that it makes for a happier work environment, maintaining that if she “was held back because of gender that would have made me tremendously unhappy.”

She highlights that HSBC has a number of initiatives to promote gender balance in a way that upholds meritocracy.

As an example, when interviewing candidates at a senior level, the interviewing panel is required to have both male and female members.

Mentoring programmes are also in place for men and women, while line managers are provided with training to deal with conscious and unconscious bias at the workplace.

Asked to identify her most valued professional and personal achievements, she shares that she is proud to have joined HSBC at such an entry level position and took all the opportunities that came her way. This culminated when she was appointed as the first local female Chief Risk Officer in Malta. On a personal level, she says that nothing comes close to the experience of raising her daughter to become an independent young woman.

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UNVEILING THE recently I N A U G U R AT E D M A L TA BUSINESS REGISTRY The latter part of 2018 saw the Registry of Companies end its position as a unit within the Malta Financial Services Authority and the beginning of the Malta Business Registry as a stand-alone agency. Helena Grech sits down with the MBR’s Chief Operations Officer, Kenneth Brincat, to understand what the future has in store.

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of the International Taxation Unit removed from within the MFSA and integrated within the nascent entity. And, in 2019, the Malta Business Registry’s (MBR) first employees began commuting to the newly built offices in Zejtun to report for work.

The MBR is broadly responsible for collecting and storing data on every Maltese company, as well as ensuring that information submitted is accurate, correct and up-to-date. Such data may include annual returns, shareholder information and compliance documentation.

MBR Chief Operations Officer Kenneth Brincat sheds light on

PHOTOS: TYLER CALLEJA JACKSON

As an island successful in attracting companies to set up in Malta – whether through the lure of warm days, the widespread use of English, or attractive taxation incentives – the country has worked hard to meet the challenges of administrating the spate of firms opening in the jurisdiction.

Therefore, many welcomed the recent news that the Registry of Companies, within the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), would be replaced by a new standalone agency, the Malta Business Registry (MBR), set up to improve efficiency and ease bureaucracy.

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“As the Maltese Government continues to position the country as a Blockchain Island, entities such as the MBR are set to benefit from modern technology that should serve to improve efficiency and transparency within the agency.”

the reason for the new set-up: it was “the result of a decision by the Government to establish the MBR as a stand-alone agency, so that the MFSA could focus more on its regulatory functions,” he notes. Moreover, setting up a separate management structure for the MBR allowed for greater focus to be dedicated to the administration and monitoring of individual companies themselves.

The COO clarifies that, apart from the administrative functions of the past, the MBR is also entrusted with regulatory functions, in line with obligations arising from global developments in financial monitoring. “We carry out due diligence – we are not just a filing cabinet for company information,” he emphasises in this regard.

Furthermore, as the Maltese Government continues to position the country as a Blockchain Island, entities such as the MBR are set to benefit from modern technology that should serve to improve efficiency and transparency within the agency. Indeed, Malta has made international headlines for its plans to have the first blockchainbased registry of companies in the world. Asked about this milestone, Mr Brincat explains that “being on a blockchain registry will facilitate our relationships with other key entities. For example, if we take a look at banks – should they accept to be part of the blockchain registry – they could use the system and bypass the need to request 44 | WINTER ISSUE

company specific information from accountants and corporate service providers.”

Clarifying the intention behind such a technologically-centric move, he adds that “the aim is not to have the MBR’s system on a blockchain in isolation, but to have other entities make use of the technology – such as the Income Revenue Department and the VAT Department. At the moment, a company submits its accounts to the MBR at the end of the year.

Entities like VAT Department and banks can make use of our system, they can cross-reference the information much more easily. Our current system is already public, but it is not user-friendly and it can be a time-consuming exercise to perform the manual checks.”

Mr Brincat moves on to highlight that, apart from facilitating relationships between entities, the new system will allow the MBR to have its own identity management system, through the use of advanced technology, and specifically through Artificial Intelligence (AI). It aims to remedy the current situation, which, he notes, is not user-friendly: the MBR currently makes use of the chips within ID cards, meaning that all keyboards within the Registry are fitted with ID chip readers. If a desk officer forgets to bring his/her ID card to the office, they would need to retrieve it in order to carry out a day of work.

Mr Brincat states that the new system will use a Know Your Client approach, whereby an image of ID documentation can be uploaded through a mobile phone. He adds that the MBR will also accept corporate signatures, and employees within a Company Service Provider (CSP) can be assigned to make use of that signature, speeding up processes both for CSPs and the agency itself. “We will also have a level of AI which will help the desk officer when checking certain information such as ID numbers, the electoral registry information, sanction lists, and so on, making processes less timeconsuming.”

Mr Brincat is keen on another novelty: the introduction of a live-chat that will enable users to get in touch with desk officers at the agency.

Currently, CSPs, or members of the public needing information, must phone in. Through the new system, a live-chat will be enabled, with a full and clear history of communication sent and received, thereby improving the audit trail and covering both CSPs and the desk officers.

He believes this introduction will facilitate the work of officers and help them to focus on more complex tasks. “We will eliminate a situation where desk officers and staff at CSPs send over documents back and forth due

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to documentation issues. Through the live-chat there will be a more clear, live and direct means of communication.”

Asked about timeframes for the execution of the MBR’s plans, Mr Brincat reveals that the first phase ought to be complete by April 2020, with the entire system fully functional by the end of the year.

This includes the implementation of the new blockchain-based system allowing for the incorporation and registration of companies, though Mr Brincat concludes by stressing that the current system will be used in parallel until a full migration is achieved, in order to mitigate any inconveniences which may be caused.

“Being on a blockchain registry will facilitate our relationships with other key entities.”

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I N N O VAT I V E TECHNOLOGY AND ITS I M PAC T O N T H E WAY we dine The traditional dining experience is changing, and technological developments are at the forefront of the revolution. Martina Said chats to HOTREC’s Adrian Cummins and Malta Business Bureau Director Claudienne Harb to understand the types of changes, their impact on restaurants, and what it means for the diner on a European and local level.

Technology is paving new ways of doing things in every aspect of modern life, including our dining experiences. Until a few years ago, the idea of booking a table online was unheard of, as was the concept of ordering your food without a person at the other end of the line ready to jot down your order. But all this is changing and quite fast too.

A study by HOTREC – the umbrella association of hotels, restaurants and cafés in Europe – and the HES-SO Valais-Wallis School of Management in Switzerland, carried out in 2018 and published

last May, unveiled interesting findings on the European restaurants sector and its response to technological developments, namely online delivery and booking portals. Titled HOTREC Restaurant Booking Study May 2019, the study sought to get an updated picture of how “restaurant reservations are being made by guests, who are the key players, and what are the main trends.”

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“Online food delivery platforms expand choice and convenience, allowing customers to order from a variety of restaurants with a single click on their mobile phone. This is the future and there is no turning back.”

ADRIAN CUMMINS, CHAIR, HOTREC RESTAURANT AND PUB WORKING GROUP

association “to draw an actual picture on the importance of booking and delivery services in the European restaurants sector.”

Quandoo (Recruit) and Bookatable (Michelin).”

Adrian Cummins, Chair of HOTREC Restaurant and Pub Working Group, says restaurant booking portals and online delivery services are still at an early stage in Europe. However, given changes in consumer behaviour, namely millennials and generation Z, technology evolutions – such as the penetration of mobile technology, the development of automated delivery, as well as the slow digital transformation of the restaurant sector – seem to have the potential to encourage businesses’ growth.

“These new services may also represent growth opportunities for the enterprises in the hospitality sector if cost issues, including commissions, and strategic aspects, such as the dependency on international or global players and the evolution of business models, are managed properly,” he notes.

HOTREC’s survey found that nearly half of guests (43 per cent) book a table in advance in European restaurants. Nine out of ten of these advanced bookings are still direct (64 per cent are done by phone and 12 per cent by e-mail), whereas third-party platforms generate roughly 6 per cent of advanced bookings.

“An analysis of 1,200 restaurants in Germany and France shows that

nearly 20 per cent of restaurants offer third-party booking options on their own website and only 11 per cent have their own online reservation system. The individual third-party booking platforms are generally used by less than 10 per cent of the analysed restaurants,” says Mr Cummins.

“Major online restaurant reservation platforms in Europe are in the hands of established global players. Five main players can be identified in Europe, connecting diners with 20,000 to 51,000 restaurants: OpenTable (Booking Holding), ResDiary (Accor Hotels), lafourchette/thefork (TripAdvisor),

The same study showed that less than 10 per cent of restaurants in HOTREC’s restaurant survey worked with food delivery services, for an average turnover of 2 per cent, compared to overall revenue.

Mr Cummins says that the main motivations for restaurants to work with food delivery providers are to get additional revenues, to accommodate future seated customers and to increase market visibility, adding that the numbers, in this regard, are set to grow exponentially in the coming years.

“The number of online food delivery users in Europe is expected to be around 200 million in 2023, and revenues of the food delivery sector are expected to show an annual growth rate of roughly 10 per cent in the following years, to reach nearly €20 billion in 2023.”

Despite the slow rate of adoption among users of online delivery services in Europe so far, Mr Cummins believes that the technology is in place for any restaurateur to embrace and adopt in his/her business. “There is a fear factor at first but once the restaurateur uses the technology, he/she will see the immediate and tangle benefits.”

And what about the users?

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and convenience, allowing customers to order from a variety of restaurants with a single click on their mobile phone. This is the future and there is no turning back.”

Mr Cummins adds that the business of delivering restaurant meals to the home is changing rapidly as various new online portals develop in Europe and internationally. “These platforms are attracting significant investment and high valuations, with estimated market caps of players being between €2 and €20 billion,” he says. “After the rise and demise of several local start-ups, many takeovers and international expansions, it has become clearer that the food delivery market in Europe will be dominated by the following players: Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Delivery Hero, TakeAway and JustEat. Yet, overall, the competitive landscape is still complex, and no dominant player has emerged.”

Turning towards the biggest challenges being faced by restaurants, the HOTREC Chair says keeping pace with the rapid changes driven by consumer trends is a challenge, as is demographic change, including growing preferences for healthier foods, concerns about environmental sustainability, increasing competition from grocery stores, increased consumer expectations, and rapidly evolving technologies that are reinventing the traditional food experience and forcing a change in the way the industry works.

On this last point, Mr Cummins expands, saying that “restaurants have been losing market share to supermarkets, which have started stocking wide ranges of readyto-eat meals, with an increasing number of them adding eat-in areas.” This is just one way the restaurant industry is being forced to change. “Also, restaurants have been focusing on reducing food waste to manage rising costs and to ‘go green’. Consumers have an inclination towards global cuisines, therefore, an increase in 50 | WINTER ISSUE

preferences for global and ethnic cuisines is prompting restaurants to diversify their businesses.”

On a local level, Claudienne Harb, a Council Member of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) and a Director at the Malta Business Bureau (MBB), says the findings of HOTREC’s study on customer behaviour in the food delivery market “are pivotal to the local emerging market”.

“Such findings spread between the benefits of online systems, such as delivery platforms, and the actual need for such a market. It is important that we study worldwide market trends and assess the local market drivers and changes by comparison,” she stresses.

Ms Harb refers to a 2016 study, conducted by the global research organisation McKinsey & Company, which uncovered the loyalty of customers who sign up and order via a delivery platform and what customers’ satisfaction is driven by.

“We can observe the ‘how’, ‘where’, and ‘when’ related to the delivery of ordered meals. ‘How’ – delivery has to be swift, not more than 60 minutes in waiting time.

‘Where’ – home orders outweigh by far the orders placed from the workplace. ‘When’ – the majority of orders were placed on weekends. According to the survey conclusions, online booking platforms and delivery services are slowly gaining momentum, and the drivers are mainly consumer behaviour and the industry itself, and its adaptation to technological change.”

Although the HOTREC survey was carried out among restaurants in France and Germany, could any parallels be drawn with the use of technology in Malta’s restaurant industry? “Geographically, Malta cannot be compared to France and Germany, and that makes it a very different scenario to inspect. Among other variables, the major players to study would be local preferences, tourist spend, restaurant food and service standards, and also the labour market,” Ms Harb says.

However, she adds that the local trends that are driving innovation in the restaurant industry are in line with the study’s findings.

“The key motivators are healthy eating with minimal impact on the environment, the younger generation setting their own trends and taking them to social media, such as food blogs, and intensified competition, with supermarkets and shopping malls offering readymade meals to take away or even eat on-premises, saving time for the diner, making it a convenience in itself.”

Ms Harb expands that Malta’s dining scene is evolving at a fast pace but, while opening a restaurant or fast-food eatery is relatively trouble-free, investing in technologically-advanced systems depends on various factors and is quite a process in itself. “Locals still appreciate the one-to-one experience, be it for a take-away order or on-premises dining. The booking portals, if available, are mostly used to book in advance.”

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The higher the standards of the restaurants, the greater the chance of having their own online booking system, possibly through their website. Alternatively, they subscribe to a third-party platform, such as TableIn or Taaable. “These platforms let the diner choose the restaurant according to the area, date, time and even according to the type of food that the diner favours at the time of booking,” Ms Harb remarks. Statistics published by local news sites last August revealed that www.tablein.mt, represented locally by Yellow, made over 50,000 reservations and booked 200,000 diners in the previous 12 months – a figure which shows promise that both the local restaurant scene as well as patrons are embracing the use of technology for their dining experience.

“The higher-end restaurants that offer their food as take-away often require both systems – the online booking system as well as online take-away service – not necessarily offering the delivery service. These trends are growing as fast as the culinary scene is.”

However, these aren’t the only trends which are driving the restaurant industry forward and down new avenues. Ms Harb singles out other tech-driven services emerging locally and internationally as a result of clients’ demands. “The increase in offpremises dining is a direct result of a lifestyle that requires comfort and convenience. Customers enjoy the peace of mind that their meal is sorted from order to delivery stage with a few clicks.

For dine-ins, digital menus are an

innovative development. These would generally be integrated with sophisticated POS systems through tabletop tablets, and customers may place the order themselves and send it directly to the kitchen.”

Online reservation is also catching on once guests come to recognise the benefits that it brings with it, which, in turn, also reduces the need to manually take note of all bookings. “The benefits relate to time spared in manual labour from the restaurant’s end, and the luxury of tracking reservation history, allergies and celebration dates, all through a customer database. These systems also send automated emails or texts as a reminder of the booking, which, then, reduces the no shows by giving appropriate reminders,” Ms

Harb says. “Free Wi-Fi at restaurants has also become a requisite, which is an advantage to the restaurant too as the diner is requested to check-in, therefore making the choice of restaurant visible on social media – another form of marketing.”

Looking towards the future challenges and opportunities for operators in this highly-competitive industry, Ms Harb believes that the biggest challenges will be primarily associated with costs.

These include costs associated with upgrading existing online systems to accommodate the concepts that already provide take-away and delivery services to their customers, with finding the appropriate delivery service, and with developing a sound marketing strategy, which is essential if eateries decide to expand into the delivery market.

However, she believes that opportunities will follow too.

“Expansion resulting from consumer demand will increase revenues, and, if costs are managed properly, the turnover will increase as well. Within a healthy, competitive environment, restaurants in general will focus on improving the quality of their product while minimising overall costs,” Ms Harb notes. “As a small nation, Maltese consumers still find the personal experience satisfying, either by calling the restaurant to order or book or by presenting themselves to order and wait onpremises for a take-away. There will certainly be a cultural challenge within the industry but we have risen to similar challenges in other industries in the past.”

“Locals still appreciate the one-to-one experience, be it for a take-away order or on-premises dining. The booking portals, if available, are mostly used to book in advance.”

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PHOTO: INIGO TAYLOR

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Despite being trained as a software engineer, Heritage Malta Acting CEO Noel Zammit possesses a distinct charisma, which highlights his personal appreciation for – and sensitivity towards – the nonvirtual. While admittedly not his original interest, he now believes that through his current work with Heritage Malta, he is not only protecting himself but also acting as a guardian “for future generations, for my kids and for their kids.”

Mr Zammit is the first to point out the differences between the corporate world and Heritage Malta, which he refers to as the “more noble mission”. Heritage Malta is intent on ensuring a holistic experience for its visitors: “We’re not a profit-making organisation by all means but we try and make as much money as possible so we can reinvest it in our assets,” he says.

ENSURING A FUTURE to our past Heritage Malta has been championing the preservation of our national cultural heritage since its inception in 2002. Now, it is building upon its solid foundations to project its vision onwards into the future. Caroline Curmi meets Acting CEO Noel Zammit to discuss the agency’s mission, and the linkages between the past and the future.

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Mr Zammit’s personal vision for Heritage Malta has evolved to become more involved with the general community. “My thinking was, and still is, that this will bring out a better and more creative outcome in ensuring a future to our past,” Mr Zammit explains.

Starting at the agency’s core, its two main pillars – conservation and protection – continue to retain a high degree of importance today, yet a third pillar – accessibility – has been erected to solidify the agency’s mission.Despite its physical denotation, the term accessibility places a spotlight on the intellectual element, thus creating a combination which has proved vital to the agency’s relevance in a constantly changing society.

“Training is something which is crucial in our industry because we live in an environment which is changing all the time.” He acknowledges that most workers employed with the agency are dedicated and willing to learn, with some even taking their own education into their hands. With Heritage Malta also financing scholarship schemes for employees, the return on this

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two-way investment model has proven to be high as the constant and uninterrupted drive to excel, preserve and showcase Heritage Malta’s best assets allows the agency to stand out among global competitors.

Linking back to Mr Zammit’s comments on accessibility, this amalgamation has created the perfect environment for Heritage Malta to launch its sister brand, Taste Malta. Inspired by observations of behavioural patterns of museum visitors, Mr Zammit explains that “when you come to a museum, you learn, you listen, you see and, sometimes, you touch,” but that “now it’s time that you taste your history.”.

After much meticulous research into recipes from the Inquisitors’ and Grandmasters’ times, Heritage Malta is ready to tantalise the senses through delectable feasts hosted by curators, who “explain every dish while an 80-person dinner is set up.” The attention to detail s is extraordinary: not only is the recipe duplicated, and the exact same ingredients used, but the components used originate from specific local farmers, thus allowing Heritage Malta to ensure that breeding and harvesting conditions are in line with ancient procedures.

Heritage Malta’s approach to subtle educational campaigns provides a delicate balance that connects the public’s interest in new experiences to the agency’s aims to instil cultural awareness and initiate respect towards the island’s resources. This also extends to Heritage Malta’s activities for schoolchildren, which seek to merge physical and intellectual engagement with a higher educational purpose, such as learning to identify birds from bats and learning maths through the inscriptions in the catacombs.

sites but as a multipurpose cultural resource.” This is reflected through Heritage Malta’s choice for a first event held at St Elmo: a Wintermoods concert. Following its success, more musical events ensued witha Tribali performance at Hagar Qim and a Tenishia concert at Fort St Angelo.

Despite the apparent commercialisation of these historical venues, Mr Zammit asserts that the objective – to protect and conserve – has remained consistent throughout.

“It is very important that all is done with a sense of conservation,” he explains, highlighting that extra attention is paid to how these events are carried out through risk assessments and evaluations by conservators. “There are very strict clauses in our agreements, and very high indemnity and guarantee fees, many times higher than the actual rental fee,” Mr Zammit reveals, adding that this procedure is necessary “to ensure that contractors pay attention and do not cause damage.”

Asked about hosting an event which could potentially cause structural harm, Mr Zammit breaks a small smile as he confirms that such a proposal would be transferred to the rejection pile immediately.

The demand for Heritage Malta’s venues has changed over time, with bookings moving into more sentimental events. As Mr Zammit can attest, it is nowadays common practice for prestigious venues

such as Bighi, sections of Fort St Angelo and MUŻA to be rented out for high-end weddings.

In terms of corporate events, the clientele is comparatively more international. Summits have become a considerable part of the business for Heritage Malta, the most notable of which – THU: Trojan Horse was a Unicorn – brought over 20,000 people to the island and to Fort St Elmo for a week, with more summits expected in 2020.

The turn of the decade proves exciting in more ways than one with Heritage Malta expected to debut its strategic reinterpretation of the agency’s vision: each site is not just a stand-alone but also a key player in a town’s dynamic.

“Our intention is to give back to these communities and make these places as accessible as possible for tourists to understand and locals to rediscover.”

Mr Zammit believes this is crucial to the agency’s forward-moving plan, with the overarching aim being to “create value to a visit through experiences.” The agency is also pushing harder to change local museum culture. “You should go to a museum to have fun and not to listen and be quiet,” Mr Zammit says. Ultimately, as an extension of our national identity, the CEO believes that museums “belong to each and every one of us.” There is a brief pause before Mr Zammit makes his final comment: “…as long as you don’t cause them harm.”

Collectively, the past seven years stand as a testament to these strategies. Indeed, Mr Zammit emphasises that Heritage Malta does not see “museums and sites as just museums and historical WINTER ISSUE | 55

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BOOSTING HUMAN RESOURCES through INSURANCE Employee benefits are an important tool for employers to reach out to attract new recruits and retain their current workforce.

Boris Curmi, Chief Commercial Officer at MAPFRE Middlesea plc, talks Emma Mattei through the flexible offerings that can be tailor-

PHOTO: TYLER CALLEJA JACKSON

made to suit the needs of every company.

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With Malta experiencing a saturated human resource market, competition between firms vying for the best recruits has increased, leaving companies looking for ways to retain a cutting-edge over competitors, while also maintaining a high level of satisfaction among those employees who are already inhouse. As a result, more and more firms are looking to purchase group insurance policies to offer additional financial benefits to employees, at a reasonable cost. These solutions can consist of flexible product offerings to meet specific custom-made requirements and include life, pensions, accident, health coverage and assistance services. “In this era of full employment, by offering group insurance schemes for employees, a company can create a feeling of security among staff, and boost overall morale and productivity,� Boris Curmi, Chief Commercial Officer at MAPFRE Middlesea plc, says. An insurance

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underwriter by profession, and with an employment history of over 20 years with the firm, Mr Curmi was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in 2018. This wealth of experience has taught him that bespoke product offerings can cater for any requirements. Indeed, “insurance is so vast, when it comes to understanding your clients, you need to be able to tailor packages to suit their needs,” he underlines.

And, MAPFRE Middlesea plc, a subsidiary of the fourth largest insurer worldwide, is well-placed to do just that. It is the largest insurance group in Malta and holds a substantial market share in both the life and non-life sectors, including motor, home, health, marine, and general liability.

Globally, the company boasts 35,000 employees, 86,500 brokers and 5,300 offices, offering a broad range of products and services.

By means of these resources – as well as advanced technological tools – the firm is able to adopt a personal approach with its local clientele, ensuring needs are listened to and requirements adhered to.

“We seek solutions that address new challenges and we provide our customers with full support by harnessing the latest technology; we are also driving digital transformation via products designed to respond to future risks, even covering activities that do not yet exist,” says Mr Curmi. This is clearly evident in the firm’s main area of focus – employer benefits insurance, which comprises group health, group life, group personal accident and employer’s liability insurance, and which are adapted to the needs of each corporate client, the COO explains.

“The ultimate aim of the employer is to be the employer of choice.

Employees usually ask: what comes with our salary? And, the package offered – be it group health insurance, group personal accident insurance or group life insurance – is what many employees look for when seeking employment,” explains Mr Curmi.

“In this era of full employment, by offering group insurance schemes for employees, a company can create a feeling of security among staff and boost overall morale and productivity.”

There are several advantages to this, the COO continues to explain.

Group packages help in improving and strengthening employee and employer relationships, when offered as a perk, and may aid employers in retaining employees.

They can also be a means for the employer to recover part of the training costs and acquisition expenses incurred when replacing a key member. Furthermore, the sum assured under a group life policy may be used as collateral against a loan, should it be required. And, another benefit of insuring a large number of people, bound within one group, is the relatively low premium with very little underwriting.

“Some employers may think packages are costly, but, actually, we tailor our offerings based on their requirements, although employers may simply offer basic group health cover, with the option for employees to upgrade. And, as it’s a group scheme, it works out to be much more affordable than an individual policy, with dependents also included at a discounted price,” continues Mr Curmi.

Besides the flexible options available for group health cover, Middlesea MAPFRE also offers the group personal accident package, a policy that pays out in the case of death or disability following an accident. “Once again, this can be tailored to be occupationbased, and could even cover an employee’s commute,” says Mr

Curmi. “Moreover, there’s also the group life insurance that protects employer’s liability, covering the legal responsibility of the employer towards the employee, in case of injury or loss of hearing, sight or speech following an accident at the place of work. Many companies have found this to be of great benefit,” he stresses.

In addition, the insurance firm has recently introduced the Worksave pension voluntary scheme, to provide some ease in later years.

Curmi points out that we are an aging population and that the existing pension scheme is not sustainable. “I think people aren’t quite aware on how pension schemes work. So, what we have introduced is a voluntary scheme and we want to drive awareness about this, since it can be taken up to attract employees to a particular firm.”

Concluding, Mr Curmi reflects upon how the company’s customer base has transformed drastically in the last 10 years. “The market is rapidly changing, clients have become more demanding and informed, so we just can’t sit back,” he says.

Instead, the insurance firm strives “continuously to improve customer experience overall, and to adapt to the current demands of today’s workforce, allowing technology to take over where it can so we can focus on what really matters – tailoring our offering to the individual needs of our customers,” Mr Curmi asserts.

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DELIVERING EXPERTISE T O M A L TA ’ S TECHNICAL INDUSTRIES

The company’s Managing Director, Christopher Busuttil Delbridge, was one of the first two employees to join. He says that, in a nutshell, Evolve can assist technical entities in four ways: designing, equipping, training and maintaining of facilities.

Mr Busuttil Delbridge explains that Evolve “can design technical spaces, whole factories or labs, extensions to existing facilities, operating theatres or even hospital wards. We oversee the importation of lab furniture and equipment, as well as offer consultancy services to help find the right suppliers.

In terms of training, we advise on the best methods to use for specific equipment, how to achieve the best efficiency and how to configure software within the relevant technical environment. We also offer a maintenance service in order to keep efficiency at a maximum.”

When asked to describe his role, he says that, primarily, he is a scientist and that most of his team are scientists too. The 58 | WINTER ISSUE

Managing Director’s first degree is in chemistry and biology, after which he read for a Master’s degree in wood conservation science.

“After that, I spent 20 years at the university of life,” he quips.

Servicing technical industries like pharmaceuticals requires staff to have highly specialised knowledge about their clients’ specific industries. So how does Mr Busuttil Delbridge ensure that the expertise and know-how is up to scratch internally in order to serve clients in a timely, relevant and professional manner?

He explains that the company is split into various business units: industrial labs, healthcare and diagnostic environments, aftersales, administration and support functions, and industrial quality control laboratory environments.

PHOTOS: INIGO TAYLOR

Evolve Ltd is not a company that seeks to make headlines, despite being around for some 20 years.

It offers specialised services to entities that engage technical people, such as scientists, doctors, surgeons and engineers, for the setting up of laboratories or facilities to perform quality control activities, to carry out testing or to perform industrial or healthcare tasks, among others.

This group of 27 people and growing, touches the lives of so many people around the world and this dimension gives us not only pride in what we do but holds us accountable to the importance and precision of our services.”

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In view of the highly specialised nature of its work, Mr Busuttil Delbridge remarks that staff “all have expertise in their respective industries. The most important attribute is not to be an excellent scientist, although that goes a long way, but to adhere to and align with our core values. That is the first filter that we go by to choose our people because a company is nothing without its people. I want people who are better than me. I want the best in the industry to be able to offer the best.”

Mr Busuttil Delbridge is passionate about the company and the work carried out by its staff, currently numbering 27 employees. “I often tell my employees that our efforts

affect millions of people each day,” he adds. How so? I ask. The Managing Director explains that the products that Evolve helps to control, maintain and analyse “actually go into braking systems in cars, pharmaceutical pills, lifesaving equipment and even mobile phones”. “So,” he continues, “this group of 27 people and growing, touches the lives of so many people around the world and this dimension gives us not only pride in what we do but holds us accountable to the importance and precision of our services.”

company’s core values which guide its day-to-day decision-making: PRIDE – standing for positivity, respect, integrity, dedication, and exceeding expectations. While this may appear to be an abstract concept, he stresses that these principles are not just words on a poster displayed in the office. In the realm of positivity, for example, “everyone has challenges but how you decide to communicate your news, how you react to any given\ situation, any given challenge, can be tackled in a positive or a destructive manner.”

In line with this focus on delivering such important services in a precise and efficient way, Mr Busuttil Delbridge highlights the

“We actively encourage people to choose positive. How? Through our language; we have built a library for our people focusing on WINTER ISSUE | 59

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Organisations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

In addition, Mr Busuttil Delbridge maintains that the company has invested in “the best customer relationship management system in the world. It is not just on the shelf but we use it in our everyday jobs to the advantage of our customers, our efficiency and our stakeholders. We have also invested heavily in changing the company culture.”

With the rebrand, he muses, “we are looking to do justice to what we have been doing all these years.

We are trying to communicate our company more clearly, to represent who we really are today and where we are heading in the future.” positive psychology. We invested nine months of coaching and workshops on positive psychology by the only certified trainer in Malta in the field. It goes a long way.”

Turning to respect, Mr Busuttil Delbridge stresses that showing respect to clients and demanding respect for the work carried out for clients is “a very important part that employees should know.” In terms of integrity, he cautions that while it is easy to do the right thing with people watching, “in business, many opportunities arise that allow you to cut corners. We have never done that and we do not plan to start doing so in the future.”

As for dedication, Mr Busuttil Delbridge concedes that staff work long hours, inclusive of Saturdays and evenings, in order to get the job done in a timely fashion.

Explaining the need to work such hours for certain projects, he notes that “we are currently installing a lab. In this case, we were engaged to work at the very end of the whole process. The first stage is the building of the lab, followed by works on the floor and, finally, all civil works have to be carried out. Only when these processes are finished are we asked to 60 | WINTER ISSUE

commence our part of the project.

So the project is already delayed before we step in and, as a result, all the pressure mounts on us. In some cases, we’ve even had to send a person overseas to collect a part, with the expectation that he would be back by the evening.”

He explains that, as a company, such extra services come at no added cost to the customer. “It’s easy to say yes to a client and then cross-charge them for the extra time needed. We do not do this.

If we give our word that we will finish within a specific timeframe, we try to meet and even beat this deadline.”

Mr Busuttil Delbridge goes on to explain that Evolve is in the process of carrying out a rebranding exercise which will see the company take on a whole new image, encompassing a transformation from an import/ export company to a projectoriented, professional servicesoriented company. He clarifies that Evolve has invested heavily in its infrastructure, being the first company in the field on the island to become certified in ISO9001, an international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system.

Mr Busuttil Delbridge elaborates that “Evolve is transforming from a locally-based company focusing on Malta to a locally-based company focusing on a region.” He highlights that the company has undertaken projects around the world but has identified Sub-Saharan Africa as a region of interest. “This decision has not been taken to the detriment of our local market; Malta will remain 100 per cent serviced. We are investing in additional resources and partnerships to tap into foreign

“Evolve is transforming from a locallybased company focusing on Malta to a locally-based company focusing on a region.”

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jurisdictions, rather than shifting resources away from operations in Malta.”

Sub-Saharan Africa was singled out, among other reasons, for its potential for development, its stability and the widespread use of English. Apart from these factors, Mr Busuttil Delbridge says that “most companies I meet are led by a business strategy, and on the side, when things are performing well, they carry out some corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity.”

“I like to think of Evolve as CSR with a bit of business on the side.

We love what we do in terms of science, enabling people, making people’s lives better by helping technical people focus on what they do best, on what they are trying to do, like save lives or innovate. We have done this in Malta for 20 years and saw that, actually, the island has been like our test bed.”

“We have learnt so much and have so much more to learn but now we want to help others do it. Where do we go? Europe, where they are so much more advanced than we are? No, we want to go somewhere where we can use our expertise to help. I believe this is the best industrialising region for a number of reasons.”

“It’s easy to say yes to a client and then cross-charge them for the extra time needed. We do not do this. If we give our word that we will finish within a specific timeframe, we try to meet and even beat this deadline.” been slower than expected, Mr Busuttil Delbridge stresses that the legislation has “taken Malta by storm”. Elucidating on the company’s strategy following the introduction of medical marijuana, he says: “we positioned ourselves at the forefront by investing heavily.

We had a massive stand at the World Medical Cannabis Forum last November and will do the same this year.”

He goes on to state that the medical cannabis industry offers a big opportunity for the company as it exists in the realm of pharmacology, an industry Evolve is highly specialised in. “We offer services ranging from the design of a whole facility to equipping that facility, training its staff and

maintaining it. We would like to communicate to investors coming to Malta to work within this industry that we are prepared for them.”

Mr Busuttil Delbridge points out that, currently, the company is working on the finishing stages of the first local medical cannabis facility and that Evolve is the only company in Malta to have commissioned, designed and built such a facility. He believes that the future is bright for this industry and that plans in the pipeline are intended to disrupt the supply chain process of procuring technical equipment and materials. He promises to share more about this in the future, as it unfolds.

Mr Busuttil Delbridge shares a moment of serendipity, as he reveals that, following the company’s decision to focus on Sub- Saharan Africa, Government announced the opening of two new embassies in the region and is adopting a Government-to-Government approach in terms of sharing expertise. “We are very keen on helping that transformation as we did in Malta.”

Meanwhile, on the topic of new opportunities on the home front, Mr Busuttil Delbridge discusses the legalisation of medical cannabis, introduced in March 2018, saying that it provided Evolve with “massive opportunities”. While the process of medical cannabis companies setting up in Malta has WINTER ISSUE | 61

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MEET THE MEPS

MEET THE MEPS: THE MALTESE HEADS O F D E L E G AT I O N BLAZING A TRAIL Having fought hotly-contested European Parliament elections earlier this year, newly re-elected MEPs – and Heads of Delegation – Miriam Dalli and Roberta Metsola are back in Brussels and forging ahead with their manifesto plans. Here they tell Jo Caruana how those plans are going, and share their hopes for the future of their roles, Europe, and of the crucial European Green Deal they both steadfastly believe in.

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“I am pushing for a robust set of properly funded objectives that encourage member states to show solidarity with other member states, and with people in need of protection.”

MIRIAM DALLI Dr Dalli, with the European elections over and a new European Commission soon taking over, a new momentum is expected to finalise the EU budget for 2021-2027. Do you think the EU’s investments match its political priorities and are sufficiently ambitious?

As S&D – the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats – we have already established important priorities to which the Commissionersdesignate have committed themselves.

For us, a Just Transition Fund through a New Green Deal is a must to ensure economic, environmental and social progress.

It’s about leaving no one behind.

Other priorities include agriculture and the EU’s cohesion policies.

The Parliament has been trying to engage in negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for over a year. But, since the negotiations are taking so long, the S&D is insisting on having a safety net to protect the beneficiaries of EU programmes. We have, thus, called for an MFF contingency plan in case negotiations cannot be finalised successfully by the end of the current budget period.

To meet the current socioeconomic priorities, the EU must

also address youth unemployment, the skills gap – the upskilling and reskilling of workers – and access to quality education. Education is key to fighting poverty, leading to a more dignified life. With more women joining the labour market, salaries must reflect the job that an employee does – irrespective of their gender.

A flagship priority for the Von der Leyen Commission will be the fight against climate change, with one of her first commitments being to issue a European Green Deal. What are your expectations for this initiative and do you think the EU can balance between an ambitious green deal and safeguarding economic competitiveness?

The EU has a leadership role to play in the fight against climate change.

Ursula Von der Leyen’s decision to create the new European Green Deal portfolio bodes well for the future. This should, however, not be limited to proposals on paper – it needs to be put into action and citizens expect to see a legislative proposal on an EU 55 per cent reduction target by 2030. If Von der Leyen is serious about achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, then we require ambitious targets for 2030.

As the S&D Vice-President responsible for a Green New Deal, I will be monitoring the

Commission’s work in this regard.

The EU has the potential to take leadership in implementing and enforcing current policies, and in coming up with new proposals that can deliver the emission reductions required. Urgent action is needed to address maritime and aviation emissions, while the enforcement of standards for road transport are also a priority as is ensuring new energy-efficient building stock and renovating current buildings.

The peak of the migration crisis has passed, yet, little progress has been made to create a new framework that would prevent or help the EU deal with a similar crisis in the future. With geopolitical relations with Turkey, a strategic partner in addressing migratory flows, at a historic low, and several EU member states not willing to cooperate on longterm solutions, what progress do you see possible in this area, and what role can the EP play in the process?

Very little progress has been registered but, at least, we can see some practical efforts by a few member states to reach an agreement on relocating people seeking protection upon arrival in the EU. The importance of funding as an incentive to member states should also not be overlooked. The new EU Asylum, Migration and WINTER ISSUE | 63

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Integration Fund is currently under negotiation. As the rapporteur for this instrument, I am pushing for a robust set of properly funded objectives that encourage member states to show solidarity with other member states, and with people in need of protection. I am seeking to ensure that the money is spent where it is needed – in front line member states and in those member states with the largest number of people seeking, or being granted, international protection across the EU. We also need to ensure that more money is available for the integration of people in need of protection into our societies.

A new SME strategy is long overdue. This appears to be forthcoming during this mandate. How do you think SMEs can be aided to be productive, and to innovate and grow?

SMEs are the backbone of our economy, representing over 90 per cent of all businesses. At an EU level, they account for 85 per cent of new jobs created in the last five years.

To support SMEs is to support family-run businesses. It means supporting innovators and entrepreneurs. From a Maltese perspective, they provide vocational training to young people.

In the SME strategy outlined by Von der Leyen, the Commission is expected to develop a new private– public fund specialising in initial public offerings for SMEs. The initial

investment is expected to come from the EU, and that could be matched by private investors.

To encourage growth, funding is not enough. Governments should provide SMEs with the necessary tools to help set up proper internal governance. This is especially important for familyrun businesses whose interest is to keep on growing and expanding.

Most of the budding SMEs today – such as those operating in sales and IT sectors to give an example – can expand their business to other EU member states. So, to increase their competitiveness, funds and schemes should provide internationalisation and innovation support services to SMEs. Finally, the EU is facing many labour market challenges, particularly characterised by

“A skilled workforce not only secures a better standard of living for citizens but also ensures the availability of adequate future labour supply.”

an ageing population and a structural skills mismatch.

Companies today are struggling to hire employees with the right profile compared to 5-10 years ago. What, in your view, can the EU do to address what many have already started labelling as a ‘skills crisis’?

The pace of economic change is likely to accelerate because of technological developments and the spread of Artificial Intelligence.

As a result of this, continuous education and training are needed.

Education and training for students and current workers must take into consideration the jobs of the future.

For a country to move forward, it needs to invest in a sustainable economy and services in different sectors. Innovation is the key, including the need to revitalise crafts and trade. This applies to a wide range of sectors, such as machinery, energy and smart grids, 3D printing, blockchain and more.

Through continued social dialogue, governments, employers and unions can chart the way forward on how best to generate the necessary pool of funds that can be allocated for the upgrading of skills. A skilled workforce not only secures a better standard of living for citizens but also ensures the availability of adequate future labour supply.

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ROBERTA METSOLA Dr Metsola, with the European elections over and a new European Commission soon taking over, a new momentum is expected to finalise the EU budget for 2021-2027. Do you think the EU’s investments match its political priorities and are sufficiently ambitious?

Our quality of life depends heavily on the environment we live in, so climate-relevant action is, of course, one of the priorities for the next EU budget, with a proposed 25 per cent dedicated to the important decisions that must be made to address climate change.

But, importantly, the budget also addresses the reduction of the use of plastic and the improvement of air quality.

This proposed EU budget includes significant increases in financing that will go towards Erasmus+, migration and border management, as well as research, innovation and the digital field. It is crucial that Europe continues to invest efficiently in industry, with the best possible results, and this must be done in a manner that ensures the continent is capable of keeping up with its global competitors.

A flagship priority for the Von der Leyen Commission will be the fight against climate change, with one of her first

commitments being to issue a European Green Deal. What are your expectations for this initiative and do you think the EU can balance between an ambitious green deal and safeguarding economic competitiveness?

We need to make the European Green Deal work. If we cannot find a bold fix for our environment and for our climate now, we never will.

But, of course, we need to tackle this complex issue in a holistic and sustainable manner. We must look at the idea of moving from a linear economic model to a circular one.

This shift is beneficial, not only in terms of environmental impact, but it makes economic sense.

Naturally, member states cannot act alone on this, so it isn’t simply about a common approach but, more importantly, about a common will. The European Parliament’s Environment Committee, which I form part of, will be a watchdog to ensure the proper implementation of this plan once we look at all the details of the European Green Deal, together with all the stakeholders in a manner that strikes the right balance.

The peak of the migration crisis has passed, yet, little progress has been made to create a new framework that would prevent or help the EU deal with a similar crisis in the future. With geopolitical relations with Turkey, a

strategic partner in addressing migratory flows, at a historic low, and several EU member states not willing to cooperate on longterm solutions, what progress do you see possible in this area, and what role can the European Parliament play in the process?

We cannot allow issues like migration to become existential questions that are agreed only on short-term lines. It is clear that there is the need for a more effective control of the EU’s external borders.

Europe needs to be able to effectively manage its external borders, to ensure that returns are effected more efficiently and to provide for enhanced security within the Union. In the EP, I will be pushing for an approach that is holistic, one where we are fair with those in need of protection, firm with those who are not eligible and strong with those who seek to exploit the vulnerable. Migration is, above all, a human issue, and we can never lose sight of the fact that, behind every statistic, lies a person, with dreams and hope for a better future.

A new SME strategy is long overdue. This appears to be forthcoming during this mandate. How do you think SMEs can be aided to be productive, innovate and grow?

Saying that SMEs are the backbone of Europe’s economy shouldn’t simply be a fancy way of describing

“We need to make the European Green Deal work. If we cannot find a bold fix for our environment and for our climate now, we never will.”

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PHOTO: RENE ROSSIGNAUD

for the backbone of Europe’s economy in a way that it is SMEfriendly, the new SME strategy needs to be designed in a way that puts SMEs in the best possible position to operate in the current global climate and to continue doing so effectively in the future. To this end, the strategy must address issues such as skills and talent, innovation and digitalisation, as well as internationalisation.

our 21 million SMEs across the EU, for about 85 per cent of jobs actually depend on SMEs. While governments need to focus their strategic efforts on improving the environment in which SMEs operate, we need to be looking at an SME strategy that doesn’t simply improve the business environment in an isolated national context. The new SME strategy must ensure that businesses

are given all the tools necessary to exchange best practices, for instance, with respect to finding ways of improving access to finance and increasing the uptake of EU funds. The process needs to be less cumbersome and funding must be made more accessible, even for the smaller firms.

While we need to make sure that the Single Market caters precisely

“In the EP, I will be pushing for an approach that is holistic, one where we are fair with those in need of protection, firm with those who are not eligible and strong with those who seek to exploit the vulnerable.”

The EU is facing many labour market challenges, particularly characterised by an ageing population and a structural skills mismatch. Companies today are struggling to hire employees with the right profile compared to 5-10 years ago. What, in your view, can the EU do to address what many have already started labelling as a ‘skills crisis’?

We need to work on European legislation like the Blue Card that will allow any member state to better fill any gaps in the labour market.

It is not only about legislation. This is another area where exchange of best practices across member states could be extremely beneficial for SMEs. The EU’s action-plans have been focusing on increasing the EU talent pool and helping people to acquire new skills, with a focus on new technologies.

Much more, certainly, needs to be done to properly implement these plans by creating stronger networking programmes between educational institutions, such as the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and the University of Malta, and their counterparts across the other member states.

But this also needs to be done in conjunction with industry players in order to ensure that the various needs are addressed and met accordingly.

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NEWS Enterprise Europe Network News Updates JUNE - DECEMBER 2019

Joe Tanti visiting the Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship (Cork Institute of Technology)

JUNE-JULY

2ND-4TH OCTOBER

SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES IN IRELAND AND THE NETHERLANDS

EEN TOURISM & CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ICT SECTOR GROUPS COLLABORATE IN TURIN

Start-up and development support to SMEs was the aim of a learning best practice visit MBB Senior Executive and Enterprise Europe (EEN) Project Manager Ana Vella made to Groningen last July, hosted by her EEN Dutch counterparts at the Hanze University Centre of Expertise Entrepreneurship.

Such visits do not only serve to share best practices among the EEN partners but also to help them identify synergies and encourage future collaboration that could lead to new opportunities for the Network’s SME clients as well as improved business support services.

Prior to Ana’s visit to the Netherlands, MBB CEO Joe Tanti was hosted in Cork between 17th and 21st June

by Professor in Entrepreneurship, Thomas Cooney and EEN partners who organised a series of meetings with high-calibre regional stakeholders. Meetings were held with game changers and leaders of the business support ecosystem such as Cork Innovates, the Cork Institute of Technology, Rubicon, UCC and the Cork Chamber of Commerce. During the visit, stakeholders within the Centres of Excellence shared insights into their work and expertise in the spheres of innovation within enterprise and research.

Ana Vella, co-Chair of the EEN Tourism & Cultural Heritage Sector Group, co-organised and participated in the group’s second 2019 meeting, held in Turin.

For the first time in the sector groups’ history, an official collaboration with the ICT Sector Group kicked off at a Lego Serious Play workshop event.

Members of the two sector groups, comprising over 50 international experts, collaborated in a joint strategic workshop to co-create an effective joint plan of action and a set of new joint deliverables between the groups.

In working closely with the ICT Sector Group, it will become increasingly easier for the Tourism Sector Group to find technology suppliers for their tourism clients (SMEs), which can provide useful technologies to support the integration of tourism SMEs into global digital value chains. This goal falls directly in line with the Tourism Sector Group’s strategy which aims to foster the cooperation of SMEs across sectors to innovate and face key challenges such as digitalisation.

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21ST-22ND OCTOBER

ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN HELSINKI Ana Vella participated in this year’s EEN Annual Conference – the project’s main event – held in Helsinki, Finland.

The event brought together hundreds of business advisers and network partners from all over the world as well as representatives from the European institutions and key external stakeholders.

European SMEs and the Network that supports them are facing a number of challenges, from major shifts in the political environment to the rapid rate of industrial and technological change. In light of these challenges, the overarching theme for this year’s event was ‘Addressing future needs of SMEs’. The theme was addressed in a number of sessions covering a selection of topics ranging from industrial policy and sustainability, the Single Market, innovation support, internationalisation, access to finance and scale-ups and digitalisation, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).

28TH NOVEMBER

SECTOR GROUP CHAIRS MEET IN BRUSSELS Ana Vella was invited to represent the Network’s Tourism & Cultural Heritage Sector Group at this year’s Annual Chair’s meeting organised by the Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) in Brussels.

Each year, the meeting brings together sector specialists to learn about new developments and priorities which will set a context for the implementation of the Network’s vision in the year to come.

Announcements regarding new roles for the 17 key expert Sector Groups when supporting SME capacity building and future funding opportunities for SMEs were made at this meeting.

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EEN UPCOMING EVENTS 9-12TH DECEMBER

OUTGOING COMPANY MISSION TO IRELAND MBB is organising an outgoing company mission to Cork, Ireland, in December with the aim of offering local companies the opportunity to establish business ties with some of Ireland’s most reputable clusters, organisations, businesses and innovators.

Limited spaces for SMEs to accompany the MBB on this mission shall be open to a selected number of ambitious SMEs operating in target quality sectors such as AI, IoT, ICT, FinTech and FinServ, showcasing that Malta has some high-quality business offers that could benefit Irish companies and also support Cork’s endeavour to grow certain sectors in which Malta is able to display its knowledge and expertise.

Please refer to the Business Profile article on page 101.

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NEWS Looking back on MBB highlights JUNE - DECEMBER 2019

MBB FOOD WASTE INITIATIVES

The MBB has, since 2018, expanded its sustainability portfolio into the area of food waste reduction, seeing this as an opportunity to help businesses reduce costs while positively impacting the environment and society more generally.

Earlier this year, as part of the EU-funded LIFE Foster project, two lecturers from the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) received expert food waste reduction training provided by the Italian University of Gastronomic Sciences. The lecturers then trained another group of ITS lecturers over the summer months, who have now incorporated the best practice techniques into the ITS curriculum.

As part of the Life Foster project, the MBB hosted the project partners meeting in Malta on 21st and 22nd November to assess the work conducted over the last year. The partners set out a strategy to share this knowledge and support hospitality businesses through training workshops and practical activities.

27-28TH JUNE

MBB’S DIFME PROJECT MEETING IN DUBLIN

MBB CEO Joe Tanti and Project Manager Marika Huber attended the second project partners meeting of DIFME, an Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances project led by the MBB. The meeting served as an opportunity for the project partners to analyse and discuss the online SME HUB, which aims to assist both micro and larger-scale entrepreneurs to find digitally innovative ways to develop and internationalise their business.

The two-day meeting was hosted by Technological University, Dublin.

Whilst in Dublin, Mr Tanti had the opportunity to meet up with EEN network partners including Enterprise Ireland, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and the Local Enterprise Office.

19TH JULY

LAUNCHING VITA DIGITAL LITERACY TOOLBOX

The MBB launched the Business Against Food Waste this October. This is a two-year national awareness raising campaign led by the MBB in collaboration with ITS and the HSBC Malta CSR Institute, supported by Wasteserv, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry for Tourism.

Over the next two years, the MBB will be organising a series of food waste reduction demonstrations with professional chefs, educational seminars on food waste, as well as a national competition for ITS students. Interest has been very strong, with over 200 registered for the first four educational seminars.

A digital literacy toolbox was launched at a Business Breakfast co-organised by the MBB and MECB Ltd as part of the Erasmus+ VITA project.

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The VITA Toolbox is a free repository of all the training material adult trainers can use to engage and help adult learners catch up with digital skills.

The VITA Toolbox comprises the curriculum designed by the project partners, learning framework providing guidance to form training paths, Augmented and Virtual Reality case studies, the VITA E-learning management system, and a repository with raw content (such as Powerpoint slides) that can be customised for specific uses.

Users are encouraged to exploit the content available in this open toolbox.

24TH JULY

MBB HOSTS FINANCING ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONFERENCE The MBB, in collaboration with the Energy and Water Agency, organised an Energy Efficiency Conference at the Malta Life Sciences Park, San Gwann.

Local and international experts were invited to discuss available funding for energy efficiency investments in businesses as well as potential opportunities in this area. An energy cluster was also launched. This brings together experts, clients and suppliers in the field of energy, facilitating the exchange of best practice and knowledge transfer, as well as help identify challenges (and potential solutions) businesses are facing on energy.

Finally, the event served as a helpful reminder to nonSMEs on their obligation to undergo a certified energy audit by December 2019.

19TH AUGUST

INTRODUCING FUNDING INNOVATION Launched as a follow-up to the MBB’s past project ‘Innovation Leaders’, Funding Innovation is a platform to support and train local businesses on EU Direct Funds. Through this platform, the MBB is providing enterprises with professional training, covering areas of topical interest linked to specific EU funding streams.

The first training programme offered focused on the competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs, that is, the EU COSME Funding Programme. This was held in October 2019, when 11 participants from nine local businesses participated in an introductory webinar followed by a three-day workshop in Brussels. During the Brussels workshop, the participants were also given the opportunity to attend a study visit at EASME, which is the EU’s agency in charge of the COSME programme and is responsible for projects in the field of innovation, energy efficiency, environment and maritime affairs, with a particular focus on SMEs. All sessions were delivered by EU funding experts Marko Paunovic and Dino Babic, from Out of the Box International and the European Projects Association, respectively.

The three-day workshop was hosted ny the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU and addressed by H.E. Daniel Azzopardi and MBB CEO Joe Tanti.

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18TH SEPTEMBER

LAUNCHING INVEST+ MENTORING PROGRAMME TO BOOST FINANCIAL LITERACY 1ST OCTOBER

INTRODUCING THE LEADER PROJECT On 1st October, seven organisations based in Denmark, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain launched LEADER, an Erasmus+ project aiming to support students in Vocational Education and Training (VET) to develop appropriate ‘people skills’, allowing them to take control of their careers. ‘People skills’ refer to the competencies needed to communicate, cooperate and work productively.

INVEST+, a project seeking to improve levels of financial literacy in Malta through mentoring sessions and workshops on finance, accounting, savings and investment was launched by the MBB together with HSBC Malta Foundation last September.

The objective is not to turn participants into financial experts but to give them an understanding of crucial concepts, thereby allowing them to become financially independent on a personal and professional level.

Acting as a follow-up initiative to a past EU-funded project that successfully developed a free financial literacy online toolkit (accessible to the public via: www.investproject.eu), the ultimate objective of INVEST+ is to ensure that the financial content collected and developed in this past project reaches as many people as possible through an interactive educational and mentoring programme. The delivery of the programme would not have been possible without the support of HSBC employees – ranging from graduates to directors – who have willingly committed themselves to mentor project participants.

The first three full-day mentoring sessions were held at the Ghajn Centre, in Rabat in October and November, reaching over 40 participants.

MBB will be announcing further calls for the next set of sessions in 2020.

LEADER sets out to develop an innovative serious game that will help VET students acquire insight into their qualities and allow them to develop the skills required to occupy a rightful place in the labour market. The LEADER game will include real-world, decision-making scenarios demonstrating how specific skills work in different situations. In addition, educators and trainers will be trained to make sure they are well-equipped to teach leadership and people skills.

A strong and thorough research will be undertaken to make sure the LEADER project meets the criteria of both VET students and employers in business.

3RD–4TH OCTOBER

MBB CEO NOMINATED AS MEMBER OF CEDEFOP BOARD MBB CEO Joe Tanti was nominated as an alternate member of CEDEFOP management board, representing the Maltese employers, together with Joe Farrugia, the permanent member for Malta.

CEDEFOP is one of the EU’s decentralised agencies that supports the promotion, development and implementation of EU policies in the field of Vocational Education and Training (VET) as well as skills and qualifications policies by working together with the European Commission, EU member states and the social partners.

The management board meeting was held in October, in Thessaloniki, Greece.

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BUSINESSAgenda NEWS

7-8TH OCTOBER

MBB EU AFFAIRS MANAGER ATTENDS EUROCHAMBRES ECONOMIC FORUM MBB EU Affairs Manager Daniel Debono participated in the third European Economic Forum in Rome with Malta Chamber’s Vice President and MBB Director at the time, Frank V. Farrugia.

The event included a series of plenary and parallel sessions on current EU and business challenges, including digital transformation, the financing need for the sustainable transition of SMEs, the necessity of continuing to break barriers in the Single Market, and more market access for companies internationally.

Some of the recommendations suggested were to intensify the exchange of best practices of digital tools and services by business support organisations for the benefit of members, to reduce more barriers for the provision of cross-border services, and to promote more mobility both within and from outside the EU to address the current skills crisis.

The key takeaway from the European Skills Week was that just as jobs and ways of working transform, so does the emphasis on skills and learning. Digital transformation breeds digital skill gaps, potentially affecting one in three workers, therefore, sound digital and technological literacy is key to social and economic participation.

During the Skills Week, Mr Tanti met up with Giorgio Sbrissa, President of the European Vocational Training Association and Cesare Onestini, Director of the European Training Foundation.

12-14TH NOVEMBER

PILOTING THE INCOME TOURISM LEARNING MODEL The 2019/2020 academic year is hosting the implementation of the INCOME Tourism piloting programme among firstyear students reading for a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Studies at the University of Malta. Partner universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) in Croatia, Spain and Portugal are implementing a similar programme with their selected pool of tourism students.

15-17TH OCTOBER

MBB PARTICIPATES IN EUROPEAN SKILLS WEEK MBB CEO Joe Tanti participated in the fourth edition of the European Vocational Skills Week, held in Helsinki, Finland, in October.

This year’s theme was VET for All – Skills for Life. The aim of the week, organised annually by the European Commission, is to provide visibility and recognition for vocational education and training, offering European actors in the field, including businesses, a chance to network and engage in dialogue.

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Echoing Germany’s dual education system, the project’s piloting programme is seeking to expose students to a combination of theory and training embedded in a real-life work environment. In Malta, Eden Leisure Group, Westin Dragonara Resort, Grand Excelsior, Robert Arrigo & Sons Ltd and MHCS Ltd are all collaborating with MBB on this project.

The INCOME Tourism partners convened in Girona, Spain, from 12th to 14th November to evaluate the measures taken by all participating organisations in the implementation of this EU-wide piloting programme.

BUSINESSAgenda NEWS

20TH NOVEMBER

MBB RELEASES STUDY ON THE SINGLE MARKET The MBB released a comprehensive study on the impact of the European Single Market on Maltese Businesses. The report provides tangible evidence showing how much Maltese businesses have benefitted within the Single Market, while pointing out the administrative and legislative burdens they face when operating in the Single Market. In addition, the report also strives to offer suggestions to decision-makers to alleviate these burdens on businesses and to ensure that local businesses get the very most of the Single Market.

On 20th November, an MBB delegation - led

by MBB President Simon De Cesare and accompanied by Board of Directors and representatives from the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association presented the Single Market study to Minister for the Economy Chris Cardona and Minister for European Affairs Edward Zammit Lewis. On the same day, a business seminar was held on ‘Doing Business in the EU’ which delved deeper into the benefits of the Single Market, while discussing how things can be improved for businesses.

The study, carried out by Grant Thornton, was only possible with the direct feedback of Maltese businesses through a wide-ranging survey and face-to-face consultations.

To view the full report, visit www.mbb.org.mt

PHOTO: RAY ATTARD

25-27TH NOVEMBER

MBB SENIOR EXECUTIVE JOINS SME ASSEMBLY JURY IN HELSINKI Having been named winner of the SME Assembly’s Youth Essay Competition in Graz, Austria, in November 2018, MBB Senior Executive Marija Elena Borg was invited by Kristin Schreiber, Director for COSME Programme and SME Policy at DG GROW, to form part of this year’s jury and have a say in naming the winner of the 2019 competition.

While Ms Schreiber assumed the role of Chair of the jury, Ms Borg joined Diana Filip, CEO and VP Marketing & Development at JA Europe, Jamie Crummie, coFounder of Too Good To Go and Pekka Ylihurula, CEO at S-Pankki and behind the Millennial Board initiative, as members of the jury.

MBB CEO Joe Tanti also attended the SME Assembly in Helsinki. Hosted by the Finnish Presidency, this year’s Assembly will gather participants from across the globe to discuss and innovate within the entrepreneurial and policy spheres.

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BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS UPDATE

FIMBANK EXTENDS PAY M E N T C U T - O F F T I M E In a bid to enhance its standing as a leading provider of local and international corporate banking products, FIMBank recently announced an extension to its payment cut-off time. According to the bank, payments executed up until 4pm CET via its digital banking platform, FIMBank Direct, can now be processed on the day, subject to all criteria being met where applicable.

Loranne Pace, Head of Banking Operations and Project Management at FIMBank, says that this measure “underlines the bank’s commitment to provide a quality service to its esteemed clientele. We are constantly enhancing operational efficiencies so as to deliver a higher value service to our customers. This added convenience and flexibility is a key step forward in maintaining FIMBank’s competitive edge as a bespoke provider of local and international corporate banking products.” Ms Pace adds that, over the years, “the bank has engaged a team of international corporate bankers with experience in identifying customer needs and matching these with system solutions, complemented by dedicated support.”

The bank has also invested significantly in its offering for efficient international settlements in major currencies such as USD. These settlement options are offered for same day and next day, for both normal and high value transactions.

Chris Trapani, Head of Cash Management and Central Customer Services at FIMBank, explains that “the bank is strongly geared to offer a wide range of corporate products.

Our strategy hinges on the commitment to provide added value to our local and international clients by focusing on specialised customer service and sophisticated systems.

FIMBank offers corporate relationship support for all business needs, competitive USD and other currency deposit rates for the short and medium term, together with a strong international settlement reach.” Mr Trapani goes on to explain that the bank also provides treasury services supporting international payments in a large list of tradeable currencies at competitive rates.

The service experience is enhanced by the bank’s digital banking platform, FIMBank Direct. This platform is specifically designed to address the needs of corporate customers, providing a framework where accounts can be managed efficiently and securely. Such account holders may execute single and multi-currency funds transfers, as well as competitive Forex transactions, and benefit from other general banking products.

For further information about FIMBank, visit www. fimbank.com or contact the business development team on cm.businessdev@fimbank.com WINTER ISSUE | 87

BUSINESSAgenda LOGISTICS

#WEAREORANGE – A SEAL OF THE UNIQUE QUALITY A N D VA L U E S W E S TA N D F O R In accounting terms, the cost of quality is defined as ‘a methodology that allows an organisation to determine the extent to which its resources are used for activities that prevent poor quality, that appraise the quality of the organisation’s products or services, and that result from internal and external failures.’

“At Express Trailers, the cost of quality does not only deal with the service delivered but transcends it to address the more holistic concept of the brand promise. “Our #WeAreOrange tagline is more than just a tagline. It is a seal of what we stand for and quality, in all of its elements, is one of these,” says Mr Azzopardi.

“For us quality is enshrined in the legacy, an inherited tradition, a corporate culture made of family values where people are the highest priority. Quality is reliability and timeliness. It is the passion of a tradesman and a craftsman. This is where quality starts for us in our value promise to our customers, our people and all stakeholders we affect in any way,” he added.

“We work very hard to sustain and improve the perceived value of the company by investing in our three main business enablers namely, 88 | WINTER ISSUE

our equipment, our space and our people. Our bright orange coloured fleet was always at the forefront of any long-term investment and whenever the company looked at growth, this was always in terms of fleet resources because an upgraded and diversified well-kept fleet enables better and more efficient logistics operations that satisfy clients’ increasing demands.

We guarantee a quality service based on constant investment in new transportation vehicles and in the best drivers that help us operate in the safest and most reliable manner.”

The company’s value is also reflected in the people it attracts and retains. We have worked hard with our strong management team made up of both family and nonfamily members, and we focus a lot on our people, and invest heavily to offer them continuous training and education to turn them into true logistics specialists and better people overall. The launch of our Express Training Academy last year and our recent huge investment in our new and modern multi-media The Link training centre reflect the importance the company gives to its people, which ultimately return more value and quality to our customers and our shareholders.”

Mr Azzopardi highlights the fact that over the past months, Express Trailers has been actively trying to educate and inform various stakeholders who somehow come in touch with the world of transport and logistics to help them realise what a sophisticated and specialised industry this has become.

“Express Trailers has been undergoing many internal changes in terms of operation and technology systems throughout its different business activities.

The prevention costs we speak of are in terms of the substantial investment we have been undertaking not only to bring a change in our collective thinking process but also to strengthen the way people look at our company.

It has been an exercise in defining the cost of Express Trailers’ quality proposition,” says Mr Azzopardi.

Speaking of investment, Mr Azzopardi draws the attention to what he describes as ‘the three principal business drivers” in the industry, namely people, equipment and space.

“Investment needs to be incessant in all three areas of resourcing because ultimately, this is what

BUSINESSAgenda LOGISTICS

guarantees the quality service that our customers demand from Express Trailers – the same quality that helps us guarantee our Excellence, Experience and Expertise proposition,” he says.

“Among the many internal changes that we have affected over these past months is a long process of implementing a new Core Transport Management System, a platform which we consider to be the heart of our system and that enables us to be at par with the highest international standards.

This was like major surgery in our Operations and Methods, and it is changing the way we take bookings, to the way we plan the delivery and the invoicing cycle.

Our commitment to quality is also being built on an ongoing exercise of optimising our processes and the space where we work to reach more efficiencies.”

Mr Azzopardi refers to Express Trailers’ large fleet of trucks and trailers on the road as probably the biggest challenge the company faces daily.

“We are constantly striving to find a balance between our operations while ensuring that our presence on the road causes the least danger or inconvenience possible.

Alongside this, managing all the risks involved in the handling and delivery of any goods, whatever the circumstances, is another challenge that we face daily.”

“In the end, quality is relative and this is what determines the price.

If say, a customer wants to spend very little on a car, he cannot expect leather seats and the latest navigation and safety features to be included. He can only expect the vehicle to run properly and take him from one destination to another. In this case, quality is considered to be a vehicle that functions, rather than a luxury experience.”

“We are not after offering a luxury experience but an experience that empowers our customers, their businesses and their lives. The cost that our customers pay for our

“When we speak of quality, we go beyond the perceived value of the service we offer. We concentrate on the creation and delivery of services and values that meet the long-term expectations of those who decide to make our company their transport and logistics partners” FRANCO AZZOPARDI, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF EXPRESS TRAILERS.

services reflects an intricate set of processes and operations through which we can guarantee a service at the lowest risk possible. The key challenge will always remain that of ensuring that our operations remain relevant and competitive in a dynamic sector that is becoming more elaborate and time-sensitive.

Striking the right balance between a quality service at a price that reflects it, is a win-win situation for both ourselves and our customers.

Because ultimately, mitigating the risks involved not only increases the profitability of a business, but enhances the level of customer satisfaction and retention,” concludes Mr Azzopardi. www.expressgroup.com WINTER ISSUE | 89

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NOUV ANNOUNCES CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM Today, NOUV is an operation of around 30 professionals who service local and international clients from various sectors including restaurant, catering and hospitality, education, iGaming and tech, manufacturing, professional services, retail and consumer products, transport and logistics, wholesale and distribution, as well as family businesses, foreign investors, and non-profit organisations.

NOUV, a multidisciplinary firm of certified public accountants, practising auditors, company service providers and certified information systems auditors has recently announced its new core management team.

Mark Aquilina, who founded NOUV in 2008, is the company’s Managing Partner and heads the corporate arm offering a full range of corporate services, including company incorporation and re-domiciliation (Malta and other jurisdictions), as well as general administration.

NOUV offers business and management consultancy services that intertwine with technology services, helping clients transform and grow their organisations. These arms are headed by Tonio Farrugia, Anthony Sammut, and Andrew Naudi respectively while James Ellul heads the Audit department.

“Our vision from day one was to offer a ‘one-stop solution’ to our clients, and I can proudly say that after 10 years, we are very close to achieving that goal. It’s important to set a strategy and work hard towards realising it, and NOUV was no exception. Over the years, we’ve built the brand, backbone structure, and a reputation as a firm that is really interested in helping businesses succeed,” says Mr Aquilina.

“Through networking with people of common interest, we managed to attract the right partners, and, today, the collective knowledge of the five partners, combined with those of key personnel, strengthens the professional advice we provide to our clients. Over the coming years, NOUV plans to continue focusing on steady growth and seeking a quality of service that has a positive impact on organisations and on business owners’ lives. We will keep focusing on adding more services and team players who can help us achieve that,” he adds.

For further information visit www.nouvconsulting.com

247PAY WINS MYPOS PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD 247Pay are the local agents and distributors for myPOS payment terminals and are offering fantastic deals for businesses that want to start accepting card payments at their outlet or on the go. In less than a year, some 600 customers have already switched to 247Pay and are very satisfied with the service and the product. This is evidenced by the increasing number of referrals 247Pay receives every day. Customers using myPOS enjoy instant settlement, exceptionally good rates, free 3G connectivity, and unrivalled 247 customer support. myPOS also offers a great smartphone app for total control over one’s account.

247Pay was announced as the Partner of the Year at the myPOS Partner Summit held in Bulgaria. 247Pay was praised for the commitment shown throughout the year for promoting and supporting the range of products and services myPOS offers in Malta.

In the coming months, 247Pay will continue to bring innovative payment solutions to the Maltese market and is committed to grow stronger and better by offering a range of customer-centric financial products that help small and medium businesses grow. In line with our vision to make financial services more accessible to the general public, 247Pay is investing heavily in customer support, education, marketing, and product development so as to provide the necessary tools for businesses to track, manage and facilitate their finances.

For more information, call on T: 9997 5679; E: sales@247pay.eu. You may also book an appointment and try out the myPOS range of products for yourself.

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BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS UPDATE

USING AI AND MACHINE LEARNING TO FIGHT MONEY LAUNDERING Fighting money laundering is a massive, costly mission that needs to be perpetually in motion. For context, anti-money laundering (AML) measures cost European banks roughly €18 billion each year, with their US counterparts shelling out approximately €22 billion annually.

Banks all over the globe need to have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the FinTech ecosystem, and that means paying close attention to their transaction monitoring standards.

Failure to do so could leave banks with a hefty fine. The last 10 years have seen a whopping 90 per cent of Europe’s banks slapped with fines for failing to take the required AML measures – that’s €23 billion on fines alone.

Changes in the tech landscape Staying at the forefront of tech is crucial for any organisation hoping to remain relevant in a highly competitive industry. AI and machine learning are developing at breakneck speed, with the biggest cloud providers in the industry making them a clear priority over the last few years.

institutions meet regulations more efficiently, which frees up human resources that can be assigned to other vital areas of the business.

Types of AI and machine learning There are two types of AI and machine learning – supervised and unsupervised – each with its own set of pros and cons. Supervised learning involves a model trained using data which has already been categorised to raise a red flag on any transaction that seems suspicious.

In unsupervised learning, raw, uncategorised data is introduced to the system, making it start from scratch.

By interacting with that data, the system starts to identify patterns indicative of money laundering activities whilst also creating new ways to sort and analyse data.

For more information visit www.comply-radar.com or email info@computimesoftware.com

This tech has the potential to completely revolutionise the front- and back-end operations of financial bodies across the globe, boosting risk management efforts, maximising efficiency, and reinforcing the effectiveness of financial crime investigations across the board. Embracing this new tech can also minimise costs by helping financial

BEAUTY UNSPOILED: THE RISE OF INVESTMENT IN THE SOUTH More quiet and rural in nature, the southern part of Malta is increasingly garnering interest among property investors.

Here are some reasons why.

Due to the urbanisation of the more central regions of the island, Maltese and foreign investors are continually seeking more traditional and unblemished areas to settle into. The culture-rich territory, set against picturesque landscapes and slower-paced lifestyles in village cores in the south, still give off a sense of Malta’s yesteryear.

Works on the 12 km stretch of uninterrupted lanes in the Marsa junction project are certainly contributing to greater accessibility in the area. Investment continues to increase in areas where schools, sports facilities, tourism and commercial activity are thriving. Catering establishments continue to mushroom. However, other commercial ventures in Fgura and, most recently, Centerparc in Qormi, are also seeing big brands land in this part of the island, thus increasing demand for commercial and residential properties. Moreover, regeneration projects, such as that of Dock 1, have drawn a spotlight to an area awash with historical riches.

The new campus for the Institute for Tourism studies, together with a new private hospital, also promise more growth in the heart of Kalkara in which most office spaces within Smart City are already taken up. On the other hand, 92 | WINTER ISSUE

Marsaxlokk encompasses the very essence of Maltese authenticity.

Zanzi Homes appreciates the unique value of the south and ensures to give it the special attention it deserves.

Indeed, the real estate agency feeds on the passion Franchise Owner Bert Galea has for this part of the island.

“I grew up in the south of Malta, and it is here that I want to keep living till I’m blessed with life,” says Bert. “The south has a special hold over me and I want to share this with our clients,” Bert continues.

With such promising prospects in the south, we are proud to announce the launch of our new branches in the heart of Fgura and Marsascala. This is part of our commitment to continue bringing more vendors and property seekers together. In order to achieve this, we are constantly looking for new talent and raw determination. If you think you have what it takes and long to be a part of our culture here at Zanzi Homes we’d like to hear from you!

Bert Galea joined Zanzi Homes in early 2017. He runs a team of 25 professionals, with a number of them propelled towards this area of the island, following their leader’s footsteps.

BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS

BESPOKE SME BUSINESS SOLUTIONS DELIVERED WITH INTEGRITY Having established itself as one of Malta’s leading one-stop shops for consultancy solutions, NOUV has evolved into a partner firm for many smaller businesses seeking bespoke services. Mark Aquilina, the firm’s Managing Partner, believes that integrity has been one of the fundamental factors leading to its success. Timothy Vella finds out more.

NOUV was born out of the desire to do things differently. “Having worked in the Gulf, I was yearning for a new professional challenge. In fact, the name NOUV derived from the word nouvelle, a testament to what I set out to achieve from the first day. I wanted to help out micro-companies and small businesses, with a particular emphasis on local start-ups,” Mark Aquilina, the consultancy firm’s Managing Partner, says.

And, indeed, NOUV focuses on serving as a major asset to client 94 | WINTER ISSUE

organisations, helping them identify, design and execute their strategies, creating the change that matters by working with them and partnering with industry experts to develop and realise business goals. The market today needs companies that give value to integrity, and NOUV is contributing to this end by adhering to its core values and working in tandem with its clients, Mr Aquilina explains.

In so doing, the firm keeps in mind the context of today’s economy, the Managing Partner continues while

basing their operations on three building blocks strategy, change and development. “We all know that the financial services sector can be fragile at times, and, despite its importance as a major pillar of Malta’s economy, the protection it needs isn’t given or earned,” he says. “So, much depends a lot on our approach, our behaviour and our operating standards. Not only do we help our clients grow, but we help secure their longterm interests as we are driven by an insatiable will to achieve their goals, without ever having

BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS

to undermine our integrity and professionalism,” he asserts.

When asked about the challenges that SMEs face vis-à-vis larger businesses, he is quick to highlight that there are a number of significant advantages to being an SME. “First and foremost, SMEs and family businesses, especially smaller ones, have the advantage of being more flexible and able to adapt to fluctuating conditions in the market, sudden developments and impeding commercial challenges,” he says.

Yet, this can also prove to be a disadvantage for smaller companies. “Of course, SMEs and family businesses perhaps won’t have the sound financial and institutional backing of larger corporations nor a diversified portfolio of products or services which can give them a stronger sense of security.” Moreover, Mr Aquilina states that the biggest challenge for SMEs is having the right people and team in place, to help make the necessary changes for long-term survival.

Management Consultancy; Audit and Tax; Technology; and Legal.

Mr Aquilina seeks to demystify the concept of business advisory services, as he claims that the term is often not fully understood.

“Sometimes, small companies feel that a business advisory service provider would be out of touch with their very specific issues or requirements.” Yet, he underlines, this couldn’t be further from the truth: NOUV itself started off as a small firm and understands better than most what it takes for small companies to thrive and grow. “We understand that it is unrealistic to expect a ‘one size fits all’ model, but our experience has taught us that every business that seeks a new lease of life needs to build its culture on four fundamental values – learning, integrity, fairness and effectiveness. These are the values that NOUV brings to the table when dealing with any type of company,” he continues.

Despite the challenges, a positive attitude is imperative when running a smaller business. “While at times, the small size of SMEs could lead their owners to think that growth is impossible, our job is to present them with opportunities where they cannot see them, and lending them our expertise to address these opportunities in a holistic manner,” the Managing Partner states.

The consultancy firm, indeed, prides itself on being able to deliver a clear picture of affairs even in cases – such as in family businesses – where emotions are involved. To this end, the firm delivers a realistic report of where the business stands, based purely on the vision of solid corporate culture. “The management of a family business is a very complex task, because one is not only dealing with a company structure, but with an additional structure that carries a very heavy emotional load, an aspect which may be a hindrance to business,” he says.

This is where NOUV excels and where it can play a major role in supporting these business, he asserts. Through its dynamic team of experts with a wealth of experience, and its specialisation in small businesses and family-owned ventures, the firm gives companies that seek consultancy solutions the ability to achieve the desired results. To this end, its core team is composed of five partners each handling their area of responsibility which fall under the overlapping strands of Corporate, Business and

In such an environment, change can easily become a struggle, and, even when family members all agree to move forward, the issue of how they plan on doing so can often be the source of many problems. Despite all this, Mr Aquilina feels that NOUV is adequately positioned to assist such businesses because its service is based on trust and commitment, aimed at turning every client’s story into a success, whichever sector the client operates in. “We have a diversified portfolio of clients, in

various sectors – such as catering and hospitality, education, iGaming and tech, manufacturing, nonprofit, retail, transport, wholesale and distribution – and we bring our wide experience to the table whatever the market,” he says.

Moreover, with the advent of iGaming in Malta, NOUV is looking to expand its market share. In 2017, the firm was entrusted by the award-winning Coingaming Group to re-organise and subsequently assist its finance function, including designing the necessary management and KPIs reporting; introducing the necessary internal controls and procedures; and carrying out systems and financial audit. Moreover, NOUV has also developed a new offering called the ‘iGaming specialist service’ which provides a one-stop-shop for iGaming companies to set up or re-locate their iGaming services to Malta “through an assembled team of industry experts that provide advisory, regulatory compliance and assurance services complemented by the right mix of product offerings,” he says.

Looking ahead, and in the coming months, NOUV has prepared itself to continue focusing on steady growth, thus seeking to deliver a quality of service that has a positive impact not only on the organisations themselves, but also on the business owners’ lives, even venturing into more advanced technologies. “Besides focusing on providing more expansive services and experienced team players, we are looking to the future to contribute to the protection of the industry by promoting responsible gaming driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI),” he says.

And, in this way, and through the experience NOUV has developed over time, the firm will continue to provide its clients with a standard of excellence unattainable elsewhere.

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BUSINESSAgenda TECHNOLOGY

MAKING THE WORLD a SMARTER PLACE

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BUSINESSAgenda TECHNOLOGY

HandsOn Systems is an international technology company specialising in GPS tracking and fleet management, usage-based insurance, RFID asset tracking and inventory management, as well as task and dispatch management software. Emma Mattei talks to CEO and founder, Geoffrey Farrugia, about being a disruptor and key player in the technological age.

PHOTO: ALAN CARVILLE

Geoffrey Farrugia, CEO and founder of HandsOn Systems, is an entrepreneur and disruptor. With a background in computer science and physics, Geoffrey began to develop his business 10 years ago in a small garage, a set-up typical of many success stories within the new technology sector. “I saw a gap in the market and a need for a new player to bring the latest in technology into the field,” says Mr Farrugia. “So, I set about developing software with the main objective of tracking assets and vehicles – cars, trucks, trailers, buses, taxis – for operational purposes.”

Mr Farrugia spent a year developing the software platform, which he then offered to some of Malta’s top logistics and transport companies.

The software he created did not just track a vehicle’s location, it also tracked temperature control and fuel consumption, providing data crucial to the efficiency and control of complex transport systems.

HandsOn continued to offer that state-of-the-art GPS tracking and fleet management system via an internet browser or smartphone app. However, it wasn’t long before the firm had reached saturation

“I saw a gap in the market and a need for a new player to bring the latest in technology into the field.”

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“Our mission is to connect people to things and things to people through the development of our software platforms, which are simple and easy to use, powerful, yet, affordable.”

point in terms of finding business for its software locally. Furthermore, this first product, fully developed in-house, had potential for other uses. “Disruption can have a variety of meanings,” Mr Farrugia continues, “and we wondered what else we could do with this technology.”

The CEO and founder understood that he needed to cross-engineer the product and cross-sell. “The key objective of our business was always that of creating subscription-based software products that can generate

recurring revenue streams year after year. This has also created a certain interdependency between our company and our customers,” explains Mr Farrugia.

By 2013, the company was also offering usage-based insurance through its platform. “We realised that the technology we had developed, which monitors driving behaviour, would definitely be of interest to the insurance sector, so we partnered up with a local insurance company and targeted younger drivers, up to the age of 30, to offer performance-based

packages.” For the first time in insurance history, companies were able to collect detailed data from their customer base “and, as we know, data is the new oil”, continues Mr Farrugia.

The method for collecting this data was – and continues to be – simple as well as useful for the driver: a tiny black box is installed in a car and this sends data to the customer via an app, which provides feedback and scores on a daily basis. By providing immediate feedback through a scoring system, drivers become more aware of their driving behaviour, and make efforts to drive more carefully since the better the driving, the cheaper the insurance.

The technology developed made it possible for any insurance company to offer a pay-as-you-go or a pay-as-you-drive insurance product, transforming the way insurance companies calculate the risk profiles of their insured drivers.

Using telematics, big data and AI, the software makes insurance companies more intelligent and gives the opportunity to legacy insurance companies to change their business model and reinvent how risk insurance is measured, managed and priced.

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BUSINESSAgenda

PHOTO: TYLER CALLEJA JACKSON

TECHNOLOGY

“Our mission is to connect people to things and things to people through the development of our software platforms, which are simple and easy to use, powerful, yet, affordable. We are system integrators. We purchase the product; we programme it, and we integrate it with our own software,” asserts Mr Farrugia. “We don’t produce hardware but we have plans to do so. It’s only that our volumes don’t justify this move as yet.”

The firm’s buoyant profits in recent years – as a result of these innovations – has seen HandsOn Systems, based within the Mosta Technopark, move into a much larger space than the one in which the business first started out and has seen its staff grow to 30 employees worldwide, with regional offices in the Middle East (Oman), West Africa (Ghana) and Europe (Malta and Sicily).

Today, Mr Farrugia travels extensively, while also working on the ground to develop his ideas and the software that realises

those sparks of creativity, allowing him to straddle both business development and product development. Moreover, and more recently, the focus for Mr Farrugia has been the expansion of the enterprise’s local premises, together with its research and development department. “We’re transforming our premises into a space that will also be able to test autonomous vehicles, drones and suchlike,” Mr Farrugia points out.

Thus, though the company has come a long way since its inception, the CEO still prides himself with being hands-on.

Indeed, Mr Farrugia is developing and testing a new type of rearview mirror – the latest in taxi meter technology – in his own car: the mirror reflects but also acts as a screen, with a camera that can record accidents. “People sometimes tell me that I’m too hands-on but, besides the passion of developing the actual products, I also need to oversee the strategy and the business side of things.

This isn’t a job, it’s my vocation.

Though I might not have envisaged dedicating my life to this, it has been a journey and an evolution that continues,” he concludes.

“We realised that the technology we had developed, which monitors driving behaviour, would definitely be of interest to the insurance sector.”

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L AY I N G T H E F O U N D AT I O N S for FRUITFUL C O L L A B O R AT I O N

Through an outgoing company mission in the coming weeks, the Malta Business Bureau and a number of organisations including the Enterprise Europe Network partners and the Cork Innovates Partnership are bringing the two islands together to create new business links and relationships. Malta Business Bureau CEO, Joe Tanti, and Siobhán Finn, Project Director at the Cork Innovates Partnership, tell Martina Said what’s in store.

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“Establishing cross-border partnerships is the ultimate mission of the Enterprise Europe Network service.”

JOE TANTI, CEO, MALTA BUSINESS BUREAU

Building on its existing support service for local businesses through Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), the Malta Business Bureau (MBB) is in the process of establishing a business-twinning model with Ireland, further expanding the pool of opportunities for local businesses to grow their operations overseas. But for its CEO, Joe Tanti, the connection with Ireland was established a while back.

“My connections with Ireland date back to the noughties, prior to my time here at the MBB when I was at the Malta Tourism Authority, primarily engaged in the areas of people development, tourism and hospitality services. Since then, I have considered Ireland as a best practice and an excellent place to network,” Mr Tanti says.

“Recently, through the MBB’s work and with the support of Professor in Entrepreneurship Thomas M Cooney, I have had the pleasure to establish a new link with the Cork entrepreneurship and business network. It made me realise there is much that Malta and Cork can do together and much that both sides have to offer and share in terms of their respective pioneering initiatives.”

Mr Tanti also sees similarities between Malta and Cork in terms of demographics and economic opportunities. “Cork is Ireland’s second-largest financial services hub. The plan for Cork as an 102 | WINTER ISSUE

government, state agencies, educational institutions, business support organisations, entrepreneurs and the extended Cork business community to engage in a collaborative and complementary manner, promoting the Cork story.

“The Partnership represents the leading agencies, business organisations and third-level institutions across Cork promoting their mantra that ‘Cork offers the right mix for success in Ireland, the best small place in the world for business’. I think we can take a page out of the Cork story book here,” he points out.

international financial services location is progressive and ambitious. Malta and Cork share a similar population size and our businesses also face the same challenges that island states are faced with. Additionally, both Cork and Malta are focused on economic growth strategies.”

Cork Innovates Partnership was established in 2012, a pioneering initiative that managed to bring the best regional stakeholders together, including local

Siobhán Finn, Project Director at the Cork Innovates Partnership, is in agreement that the Irish city and the smallest EU country can learn a lot from each other. “There are strong political, economic and cultural ties between Ireland and Malta that go back many years. Malta will be the only other English-speaking country left in the EU after the UK’s departure and for both of us, as island nations on the periphery of Europe, Ireland and Malta must learn from each other and work in collaboration to build strong and sustainable economics into the future.”

“Cork has a number of pre-existing twinning relationships that have been successful and have delivered economic, cultural and networking

BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS PROFILE

benefits,” she notes. “There are many benefits to be gained by formalising the relationship between Cork and Malta in the future, in line with the city’s approach to the establishment of twinning relationships.”

Mr Tanti explains that, following his recent visits to Cork, it seemed right to organise an outgoing company mission as part of the MBB’s Enterprise Europe Network business support service. The aim of the mission, is to create an environment that will encourage and foster new collaboration and potential business partnerships between the regions.

“Our delegation is composed of top calibre companies targeting

quality sectors such as accredited training and education, IT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), FinTech, digital transformation and advisory,” Mr Tanti says. “By showcasing what Malta has to offer and also with the exchange of best practices and sharing of knowledge, I am sure that both sides will benefit from this mission.”

Ms Finn adds that the focused Maltese delegation of businesses in the ICT sector will connect with leading cluster organisations and companies in the Cork region.

“Cybersecurity, in particular, is one of Cork’s fastest-growing sectors, with Cork home to a significant and fast-growing cluster of leading cybersecurity companies including Trend Micro, FireEye, Cylance and

Johnson Controls, in addition to an emerging indigenous base,” she remarks. “Recognised as the leading location for cybersecurity in Ireland, Cork has been selected by global investors over many other major European locations due to the strength of the ecosystem.”

In view of the upcoming business mission and looking beyond, Ms Finn believes the new flight route operated by Ryanair between Cork and Malta has created valuable opportunities to extend and build upon economic and business collaborations going forward, though not necessarily limited to the ICT sector.

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sectors in addition to a number of cluster networks, including CyberIreland, Energy Cork, IT@ Cork and Taste Cork. In December, through a series of meetings over the course of two days, the Cork business community (via Enterprise Europe Network Cork and Cork City Council) will facilitate business partnering and collaboration opportunities across geographies and sectors,” she says.

She adds that the Malta company mission will empower Irish and Maltese companies to gain valuable market insights into Malta and Ireland, along with meeting new companies and creating a basis for relationships.

“It is an opportunity to promote their business in the minds of prospective buyers and partners in the Irish and Maltese markets, to learn from the experience of peers and to avail of new opportunities that support competitive advantage.”

Ms Finn continues that, once a company invests in Cork, it is provided with a range of support from IDA, Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, on an ongoing basis. “These

include acting as a key contact for networking opportunities and connections with public bodies, Irish firms and other multinational companies.”

Mr Tanti is confident that MBB’s mission to Cork will render positive results for the Enterprise Europe Network participant businesses.

A few years back, the MBB had organised an outgoing company mission to Tallinn, Estonia, which was coupled with the Design For Europe’s ‘Powering Innovation’ Summit that welcomed over 200 pioneering individuals and organisations at the forefront of design-driven innovation. “It was a great opportunity for our delegation to gain insight into the best trends and practices on what generates success in business. Our local companies also participated in a number of tailored businessto-business meetings,” he recalls.

“For one business in particular, the meetings served as inspiration when submitting a tender application, which was a success.”

Such success stories provide the impetus necessary for both the MBB to organise other similar overseas missions as well as for

“For both of us, as island nations on the periphery of Europe, Ireland and Malta must learn from each other.”

SIOBHÁN FINN, PROJECT DIRECTOR, CORK INNOVATES PARTNERSHIP

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companies to take the next step to expand their business beyond Malta’s shores, while forging business relations and close ties with overseas companies.

“Establishing cross-border partnerships is the ultimate mission of the Enterprise Europe Network service,” Mr Tanti stresses.

“Given that the meetings we organise with our host in the other country are bespoke, we also want to ensure that our companies meet with the perfect match that satisfies their business offer or business request.”

Indeed, “for this mission, as with every mission, our goal is to once again support and generate tangible collaborations in the pipeline, which will benefit both sides,” the CEO adds.

Turning to Cork, Mr Tanti says the Irish city has made great strides on the research and development front, and has successfully implemented a twinning agreement with Shanghai and San Francisco. “This best practice excites me because I can see that there could be similar opportunities for Malta and Cork in the future. Our first outgoing company mission is a good starting point.”

BUSINESSAgenda EU POLICY

WHEN DESIGN

takes

CENTRE S TA G E

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As the European Commission encourages member states to boost design-driven innovation through the creation and implementation of Design Action Plans, Jo Caruana speaks to key stakeholders in this area to discover what this could mean for the sector, and beyond.

Design isn’t just about the way things look but also about the way things work. With this in mind, the European Commission places great importance on accelerating the take-up of design in industrial and innovation activities at European, national, and regional levels because it knows that design creates value and contributes to competitiveness, prosperity, and well-being in Europe.

In fact, the importance of design as an activity to bring new ideas to the market has been recognised by the Innovation Union – a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Growth Strategy. Through it, the EC hopes to be able to increase the use of design for innovation and growth across Europe, raise awareness of how design-driven innovation increases efficiency in public services and drives business growth, and create capacity and competencies to deliver these policies.

As a result of this, the EC has encouraged all its member states to develop Design Action Plans, translating political vision into programmes and actions that develop national design resources and encourage their effective use in their respective countries. Locally, the design sector is composed of more than 600 enterprises employing 1,269 individuals, of whom around 40 per cent are self-employed. Notably, the sector

generated a healthy €26 million in 2010, and numbers have continued to rise since.

Explaining the concept behind a design policy, Anna Whicher, Head of Design Policy at PDR – a design consultancy and applied research centre within Cardiff Metropolitan University – in Wales, highlights that it is a government intervention aimed at stimulating the demand for, and supply of, design in a country or region or city. “The increasing awareness and use of design in government is arguably due to two trends,” she explains. “Firstly, there’s a paradigm shift in government understanding of innovation, and, secondly, there’s the stronger and changing nature of evidence making the case for design.”

Dr Whicher highlights that, since the early 2000s, the remit of innovation has continuously expanded and evolved from a purely technical standpoint to a relentless focus on the user. “As part of this broader definition, design is being recognised as a driver of user-centred innovation that can co-create solutions that are desirable, viable and usable in the private and public sectors,” she explains.

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an economic case for government intervention for design. Beyond that, design advocates have been able to convince policymakers, by involving them in design projects, to gain a tangible and practical experience of the added value that design can bring. Data opens the door but it is the wider impact of design that enables policymakers to take those first steps through the door on the journey to a design policy.”

There are some very clear statistics as to why it is recommended that design policy should be implemented by policymakers and governments across Europe.

To begin with, according to Maeda’s 2019 Design in Tech report, since 2004, over 100 design agencies have been acquired by multinational companies such as Google, Facebook, Accenture, McKinsey, Deloitte and IMB – with 60 per cent of them having been acquired since 2015.

“Big business is recognising the value that design can add to products, services, systems, processes and strategies,” Dr Whicher continues. “Similarly, governments are also internalising design expertise. The UK-based innovation foundation Nesta estimates there are more than 100 policy labs around the world and mapping was performed for the EC identifying more than 60 policy labs across Europe. These policy labs are multidisciplinary government teams that use a range of innovation methods – including design – to actively involve the people in public service and public policymaking.

However, the Innobarometer studies on trends in EU businesses have shown that 56 per cent of European SMEs do not use design at all or do not use it systematically.

Without government intervention, SMEs will fall behind the curve.”

Highlighting the Design4Innovation EU Interreg Project that is currently supporting the EC’s mission to encourage member states to develop their own national Design Action Plans, Dr Whicher goes into detail about the collaboration

between eight European partners exchanging expertise to integrate design into innovation programmes and to support regional and national governments to develop Design Action Plans.

“Between 2017 and 2021, Design4Innovation is co-funded

by Interreg Europe through the European Regional Development Fund,” she points out. “To develop these Design Action Plans, the Design4Innovation partners have mapped out design ecosystems, identified our systemic strengths and weaknesses, and, thus, developed targeted actions to enhance the performance of those design ecosystems,” she continues.

In addition, “over the course of the last three years, we have also reflected on the critical success factors for Design Action Plans.

After all, design is about testing and iterating. We are taking a design approach to developing our Design Action Plans, and will support each other to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate those plans,” she notes.

Locally, the Valletta Design Cluster has been a partner in Design4Innovation since 2017, joining seven other innovation agencies from Spain (Galicia and Barcelona), Poland, Greece, Belgium, Latvia, and the UK with the aim of supporting mutual efforts to promote and sustain design activity.

“In this project and at the Valletta Design Cluster we understand design as a problem-solving tool that can be adopted by business and by the government to focus on real needs and to provide user-centred solutions that effect positively the well-being of the target users and of society at large,” explains Caldon Mercieca, manager of both Valletta Design Agency and Design4Innovation Project.

“One of the early steps we undertook through the project was a mapping exercise wherein the local design ecosystem was assessed in terms of where it stood and how this compares to

“Big business is recognising the value that design can add to products, services, systems, processes and strategies.”

ANNA WHICHER, HEAD OF DESIGN POLICY, PDR

our partner regions. Over the past three years, we have also had seven workshops hosted by the various partners, aimed at developing solutions to address some of the gaps that were identified.”

In Malta, it was found that these gaps related to three main areas.

“Firstly, we have a lack in dedicated facilities to assist newcomers in the creative sector, including designintensive practitioners, coupled with a lack of concrete space for networking and collaborations between new and established operators as well as between practitioners coming from various disciplines and practices,” Mr Mercieca notes.

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“Design as a problem-solving tool that can be adopted by business and by the government to focus on real needs and to provide user-centred solutions.”

CALDON MERCIECA, MANAGER, VALLETTA DESIGN AGENCY AND DESIGN4INNOVATION PROJECT

“Secondly, while we have generic financial support for start-ups in practically all sectors of the economy, we have noticed how several European countries and regions are using design vouchers, which are locally unavailable, to facilitate the provision of design services and solutions to businesses that do not traditionally engage with design.

“Thirdly, we have an underrepresentation of the sector within constituted business bodies that needs to be addressed if we want to maximise the benefits of design within the wider economy.”

Already, work on the Valletta Design Cluster community space for cultural and creative practice has reached a very advanced stage.

The infrastructural works for the project, led by the Valletta Cultural Agency, is receiving support from the European Regional Development Fund, and should be completed in 2020. And, apart from having a direct impact on the immediate neighbourhood through the upgrading of the formerly derelict building of the Old Abattoir, and of the adjoining streets, as well as the creation of a new public garden on the roof of the site, the project will create new spaces and facilities that are currently unavailable to the creative sector.

“These include a ‘makerspace’ equipped with traditional and digital fabrication tools, a coworking space supported by meeting and conference facilities, 114 | WINTER ISSUE

a food space for community projects, and a number of studios for more long-term based teams of practitioners,” Mr Mercieca explains.

“The physical facilities in which investment is currently being made are a critical tool that we see as complementary to the already ongoing work to provide support to creative practices in their very early stand-up phase, including students and pre-start-ups, as well as an excellent platform to encourage fruitful encounter between practitioners coming from various fields within and outside of the creative field.”

Meanwhile the Malta Business Bureau (MBB), which is tasked with a key role in the development of enterprise policy and which provides support in the tapping of EU funding opportunities, has recently been involved in a couple of EU design-led innovation activities.

The first was the MBB’s appointment as Ambassador for the European Commission’s Design for Europe initiative, wherein it successfully piloted the first Design Support Programme in Malta. “At the time, the programme was set out to showcase to business and public services the benefits they can achieve by integrating leadingedge design,” Ana Vella, Senior Executive at the MBB, says. “We joined a network of international ambassadors which was vital to extend the reach of the project, ultimately helping more of Europe’s enterprises to understand how design can help them provide better products and services, and increase the standard of living for EU citizens.”

The MBB later completed the ‘DesignShots’ Horizon 2020 project, together with two major Design for Europe partners in Luxembourg and Greece.

“European cases have shown that design support initiatives are being implemented in some countries.

This is a response to the increasing recognition of the importance of design. In general, governments have started to understand design as a tool for innovating products, services and systems,” Ms Vella continues.

“However, challenges still need to be faced in order to introduce design as an overarching approach within SMEs. Since SMEs represent the majority of the European economy, governments are to raise awareness and enhance the understanding of design by

BUSINESSAgenda EU POLICY

“In general, governments have started to understand design as a tool for innovating products, services and systems.”

ANA VELLA, SENIOR EXECUTIVE FOR BUSINESS ADVISORY AND SUPPORT, MALTA BUSINESS BUREAU.

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promoting and sponsoring design support programmes. These programmes can focus on raising demand for design in SMEs as well as on building capabilities among designers: from consulting or advisory services and mentoring, to training and dissemination of information about the economic value of design.”

“Through our experience, both as local stakeholders supporting design-led initiatives and as international partners within EU innovation projects, we have built a strong basis with industry in Malta and we have also engaged key public stakeholders along the way, involving them in our design and innovation policy sessions,” she says.

“It now gives me pleasure to look back on our journey of design support initiatives which, five years

on, have served as a catalyst for some really excellent ecosystem development projects currently in motion. As we look to the future, we are actively supporting the implementation of a Design Action Plan for Malta, which is currently being devised,” Ms Vella concludes.

BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS UPDATE

UPDATE TO PROPERTY AND CONSTRUCTION MARKET REPORT RELEASED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE The report estimates that the total direct and indirect contribution to Gross Value Added generated by the construction industry amounts to between 13 per cent and 16 per cent of the economy’s total. It is also estimated that approximately 43,000 full-time equivalent occupations are, in some shape or form, supported by the construction industry. Such a statistic represents nearly one in every five full-timers in Malta.

Steve Stivala

David Pace

The recently held Construction Industry & Property Market – National Conference 2019 provided an engaging platform for the release of the third update to a KPMG report, commissioned by the Malta Developers’ Association (MDA), on the local construction industry and property market.

The construction industry is an integral part of the Maltese economy and is of particular interest due to its far-reaching effects, directly and indirectly, to members of the general public residing in Malta, as well as to economic agents that depend on the industry for their business activities. This sector has also attracted heightened attention in recent years due to its growth and impact on the social fabric of our country. In the latest report update, KPMG examines the current state of the industry, its impact on the national economy, property price movements and housing affordability, as well as what challenges may lie ahead for the industry’s key stakeholders.

The report provides insight into recent developments in shifting property asking prices in 2018, including those for apartments, which saw an average increase of 16 per cent over 2017 data. In addition, a Housing Affordability Index shows that although property prices are still rising at a faster rate than incomes, this trend appears to be slowing as property price growth appears to be approaching a plateau. KPMG’s analysis finds that affordability for a median apartment fell by 3.37 per cent, resulting in an index of just 0.8040, meaning that households on a median income would be able to afford an apartment of circa €181,000, equivalent to 0.804 of the median of the asking prices for apartments. The report also looks into the potential restrictions on real estate bank lending imposed by the Central Bank of Malta’s recent directive.

Moreover, the report captures the general outlook expressed by seasoned industry operators, as part of a consultation exercise, on various aspects including on the slowing down of the overall growth rate in demand for property, local labour market shortages, and risks such as rogue operators in the industry.

For further information: Steve Stivala, Associate Director – Advisory, E: stevestivala@kpmg.com.mt; David Pace, Partner – Advisory, E: davidpace@kpmg.com.mt

OVER 25 YEARS DELIVERING DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMMES As a top 25 UK-based University, Leicester has always been home to great minds: academics, researchers and students who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo, advance new practices, and develop a fresh way of thinking. Through ground-breaking research, distance learning students tackle the emerging social, corporate, economic, political, and scientific issues head on, and set the agenda where others simply follow.

At Leicester, students aren’t confined by academic boundaries. Students are given the space and support in which to be creative and develop, both personally and professionally. Programmes are contemporary in content and provide the specialist subject knowledge and international outlook demanded by employers around the world. With access to unparalleled academic resources and facilities, students gain the real-world transferable skills to remain competitive in the global job market and join the University of Leicester’s ranks of alumni who have made positive contributions to their industries and fields of expertise.

Represented exclusively by FHRD, the University provides Diploma, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate programmes to a thriving base of candidates hailing from all walks of life. FHRD was one of the first providers in Malta to offer academic distance learning programmes, with the first intake of Maltese students taking place in the year 2000.

To learn more about the University of Leicester programmes, and join the almost 2,000 Maltese alumni, email dl@fhrd.org, visit www.fhrd.org or call on 2131 3550.

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A BUILDING WHICH GOES BEYOND YOUR EXPECTATIONS Welcome to The Notch Conference Centre, a newly created space to host professional events, boost trade relations, business and networking and act as a catalyst for knowledge. We have taken the expected to the surprising, based on the philosophy that an event needs to be brought alive. Our role is to be our customers’ ally, sharing their vision and reinventing ourselves constantly to provide results that meet their expectations.

Our emblematic building is the perfect balance of beauty, functionality and versatility. Its spectacular façade and entrance are ideal for showcasing your event. The centre’s rooms and auditoria offer infinite versatility for all types of events, whatever their size.

The three-storey building features a foyer, reception area, and a multipurpose conference room, seating 98 people – in theatre style – on the ground floor, making it an ideal space for exhibitions or catering events. The conference room, on the first floor, can seat a total of 210 delegates, suitable for large meetings and the opening or closing ceremonies of events with large audiences. The top floor offers a world of options and essential flexibility with our five break-out rooms, the perfect complement to your event. Transformable and functional space is created by using adjustable soundproof panels, allowing you to create as much space as needed.

You can also complement your event with the latest state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and a dedicated high-speed internet connection. Raised adjustable flooring provides endless set-up options, allowing you to be the mastermind behind the configuration of your event. On-site parking is also available, providing a complete hassle-free experience.

We invite you to come over to view our venues and facilities in order to help you picture your event.

For further information and to book your event contact our dedicated sales team on T: 2138 5926 or E: events@ urbanvalleyresort.com. We will ensure your meetings and events run successfully, every time.

A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL TRANSPORT NEEDS We have seen an increase of interest in leasing vehicles, which has taken away the unnecessary headaches associated with the purchasing and ownership of an automobile, improving personal and business cashflow, and catering for specific requirements.

At Hertz Lease, we pride ourselves in providing customers with an array of leasing plans that fit both personal and corporate necessities.

The United Group of Companies offers a variety of services and products related to the rental and leasing of vehicles and owns one of the largest, modern fleets in Malta.

United Garage Limited (Hertz Malta) was established in 1926 and has been the franchisee of Hertz since 1961, making it the oldest European franchisee of this international car-hire brand, which has been the leader in its sector.

Today, we have expanded our offering by being a multibrand franchise operator of the Hertz brand portfolio. The brands we represent are Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar and Firefly.

We aim to be the one-stop shop for all your needs!

Hertz is here to get you there. Whether you need a car rental for your business, or just to cater for your vacation, we have a wide range of rental cars available to meet every need.

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If you are a private individual you can look into our competitive Hertz Personal Contract Hire – a solution for a period of between one and 11 months, provided to cater for long-term rent, with flexible vehicle models, reflecting your own needs.

Hertz Lease also provides business leasing solutions which come in different packages, whether your business requires a vehicle for between seven and 30 days; a year; or even five years. Our personalised plans cater for prolonged breakdowns or special projects, staff on contracts or seasonal peaks, as well as customers who are prepared to enter long-term fleet commitments.

Hertz Malta has something for everyone. You can enquire today on T:2247 5910.

BUSINESSAgenda BUSINESS UPDATE

NEGATIVE YIELDS, HERE TO STAY The backdrop of economies struggling to grow at anything but an anaemic rate means that central banks will continue to keep rates at or below zero for some time to come. Today, Japan, Sweden Switzerland, Denmark as well as all the Eurozone, including Malta, have some form of negative yielding bonds, and the list is growing.

So how do you make a return in such an environment?

Adjusting expectations is a good place to start. What constitutes a return in today’s world is not what we have been accustomed to in the past. In a world where banks are charging customers to leave cash on deposit, earning positive returns, whatever these may be, needs to be viewed as attractive. Ideally one is beating inflation so that your real return is also positive. This means targeting in excess of 2-3 per cent in a relatively low risk environment.

Anything above this and your risk profile is starting to accelerate northwards.

By David Curmi, Managing Director, Curmi & Partners Making an investment that is guaranteed to lose you money sounds like a ridiculous thing to do, but approximately 25 per cent of global debt is yielding negative interest rates. Put another way, investors are paying borrowers to borrow money from them, and given the outlook, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. This also means that investors are buying bonds hoping that their price will increase, and not to receive the income stream from them. Normally equities fall into this category of thinking.

Building a well-diversified portfolio of investments across a risk spectrum that suits your risk appetite is a critical building block that will help achieve such a return, whilst navigating through the risk spectrum. Understanding the underlying risk of each investment, and how it impacts your overall portfolio risk, will ensure your investment selection is a dynamic one that is continuously tweaked to reflect both market conditions and your personal appetite for risk at each point in your life.

Visit www.curmiandpartners.com for more information.

All investments carry risk of capital loss and past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Curmi & Partners Ltd are licensed by the MFSA to carry out investment services business.

TOP-QUALITY ECO MATTING In 2015 Mountville Mills, manufacturers of specialised matting in the U.S.A, chose to open one large facility in Belgium to service their European customers. Jmp were chosen to represent and distribute their large variety of matting on the islands of Malta and Gozo.

Mountville Mills has enriched jmp with their range of products, namely: • Image mats (any logo or design can be reproduced) • Standard (dust and dirt control, and water absorbent) • Antifatigue • Speciality mats • Promo mats Image mats Colorstar high-performance, eco-friendly logo mats are the most stain-resistant mats on the market, and have a significantly extended lifetime when compared to traditional logo mats. The unique PET yan fibres are manufactured with 50 per cent recycled postconsumer plastic bottles and have excellent colour and wash fastness.

They are manufactured with a high definition printer for photo-realistic designs and have a standard 60 colour palette to match virtually any décor.

Standard mats The ‘waterhog’ mats within the standard mats range are ideal for use in heavy-traffic buildings including hotel lobbies, reception areas, schools, hospitals, etc. They also hold up to four litres of water per square metre, while their Water Dam border is specifically designed to hold water and dirt.

Antifatigue mats This mat is ideal for use behind bars, on factory floors and for many other solutions. It has a textured surface, and its bevelled-edge finish renders it slip and skid resistant, all the while allowing wheelchairs and carts to roll over it easily. Moreover, it is made from 100 per cent nitrile rubber cushion, which is oil, grease and chemical resistant, and its anti-microbial treatment reduces odours by inhibiting the growth of germs and bacteria.

All the mats are lightweight and easy to clean, and are available from stock.

Enrich your premises with attractive logo matting.

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REVELLING IN LOCAL TRADITION and CRAFTS Recent design trends have unearthed a newfound respect for traditional practices, reintroducing an element of nostalgia into the arts of today. Nevertheless, local trades – which are often the source of such strength of feeling – are endangered. Caroline Curmi meets miniature luzzu-maker Anthony ‘Twanny’ D’Amato; master and apprentice filigree makers Kevin and Eric Attard; and Bus Reborn mastermind Jonathan Mizzi to discuss the relevance of Maltese icons, the hardships of traditional occupations and the EU’s role in safeguarding each nation’s culture.

PHOTOS: INIGO TAYLOR

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The past quarter millennium has seen society undergo four separate industrial revolutions and countless conflicts, leaving little space and time for society to process the upheavals. It may, thus, be easy to understand why 72 per cent of EU citizens interviewed in a 2017 Eurobarometer survey fear that technology will replace human beings. Change, especially in the midst of a calamity, is notoriously difficult to adjust to and, additionally, it is a known fact that many resort to memories of past times for comfort and security. Indeed, Out of the box International Founder and EU funds expert Marko Paunovic asserts that the fourth industrial is inevitable, and while it is assured to facilitate a human’s life, “the new era will certainly stifle old and traditional ways of doing business.”

Among the occupations listed for high-risk replacement are routine roles such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing. The increased bureaucratisation of such trades also plays an impact on their longevity, as fisherman and miniature luzzu maker, Anthony ‘Twanny’ D’Amato, can attest. “I have been on the sea since before I was born,” Twanny admits, as he allows a mischievous smile to break through his moustache. “Even though my mother was pregnant with me at the time, she would still go and help my father,” he reveals.

Following in his father’s footsteps, and his father’s before him, Twanny was happy to embark on a life at sea. Despite the obvious hardships – irregular schedules, physical stress and a plethora of dangers in a time where technology was just a figment of one’s imagination – his love for and gratitude towards fishing can be perceived through his animated and impassioned stories of traditional fishing trips.

And, as an offshoot of this first passion, as children, Twanny and his brother used to build boats out of polystyrene but, over time, they started experimenting with different materials and, today, his craftsmanship and attention to

BUSINESSAgenda CULTURE

“Women like having vases around the house while for us fishermen, having a miniature luzzu or boat is the equivalent.”

ANTHONY ‘TWANNY’ D’AMATO, MINIATURE LUZZU MAKER

detail are extraordinary, especially when one notices the interior of the cabins he creates. “Women like having vases around the house while for us fishermen, having a miniature luzzu or boat is the equivalent,” he analogises. Indeed, Twanny points to a paper with a sizeable list of names scribbled along its border and stuck to the wall. That is how he keeps track of his orders, most of which come from fellow fishermen.

The organic manner in which the craftsman approaches his business is pleasantly heart-warming but also generates a deep and confusing sense of nostalgia for a life I have never known. Witnessing the process of building a miniature boat is like seeing Twanny breathe life into the object. It is no longer just a decorative piece, but it’s an extension of his narrative.

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when I pass away.” His warm vibrancy mutes slightly as he recounts his reasons for leaving the sea behind him, revealing that increased requirements for the trade dealt the final blow. “When the paperwork started flooding in, I started feeling ill at ease in a job I’d done all my life, and I decided to let it go.”

“I think that for a craft to remain alive it needs to remain relevant.

You can’t remain traditional for the sake of remaining traditional.”

KEVIN ATTARD, FILIGREE APPRENTICE

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Excessive bureaucracy is also what preoccupies filigree apprentice Eric Attard who notes that “a lot of craftsmen depend on being at the bench all day in order to fulfil their orders.” While intrinsically a good thing, Eric is quick to highlight that “some people just don’t have the time on their hands.” Filigree master Kevin Attard adds that many are not even aware of the various funding opportunities available, both on national and international platforms, and confesses that the pair’s last commission came around completely by chance.

Looking back, this master and apprentice had different introductions to the trade. While for the former, the passion for filigree came through a family acquaintance, for the latter the matter took a longer run. “I wanted a filigree nose ring,” Eric explains simply, adding that his and his mentor’s dynamic immediately sealed into a collaboration when Eric presented sketches for a

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proposed design. Initially, the pair followed an arrangement where the younger Mr Attard produced designs and the master executed them, however both are now directly involved in the physical creation.

Kevin insists that a trade’s longevity depends on three factors: the government – which inputs money; finding people who are willing to teach; and, thirdly, recruiting people who are ready to learn.

“The weakest points in the link are the last two, but if I have to pinpoint the frailest, then it is definitely finding people who are willing to teach,” Kevin elaborates.

“Most people of my generation who practice a trade are reluctant to share their knowledge,” he continues, before adding that

in contrast, he finds “pleasure in passing on his knowledge to others.”

His apprentice also weighs in on the matter. “I think that for a craft to remain alive it needs to remain relevant,” he explains as he enforces his comments further, saying that “you can’t remain traditional for the sake of remaining traditional.” This is directly reflected in the concept of their upcoming exhibition which will see filigree merge with functional sex toys, with more ideas set to launch over the coming months.

Another concept which reflects the same philosophy is Bus Reborn, a proposal which has now been taken on by the Malta Transport Authority. Developed by Mizzi Studios, the concept saw the merging of Maltese iconography found on the original traditional buses with more environmentally friendly methods of transport. The public’s reception of this project has been astounding, a reaction which Jonathan Mizzi, Founder of Mizzi Studios, the originators of the idea, attributes to the balance between “familiarity” and “innovation.”

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“As a design studio, we have a passion for fusing technology with traditional craft – the human element of construction.”

JONATHAN MIZZI, FOUNDER, MIZZI STUDIOS

He proceeds to reveal the motivations behind such an ambitious project. “As a design studio, we have a passion for fusing technology with traditional craft – that human element of construction.” He showcases this by flipping through the studio’s most recent catalogue. The examples Jonathan points out reflect a delicate sensitivity towards the environment and a high regard for minimal art which highlights the studio’s overarching vision: fusing architecture with design in a sustainable manner. While he admits that “the buses are a purely digital element of design,” studies are currently underway to explore the feasibility in adapting

this forward-thinking concept into reality.

Jonathan confesses that there is a third reason why the design generated such a positive reception, especially from the Government’s end. “By 2025, as per EU regulations, 50 per cent of acquired vehicles will need to be emission-free,” Jonathan says.

Elaborating further on the topic, he adds that through EU funding, Warsaw has recently been allotted €47 million to purchase 100 buses.

Mizzi Studios possesses both a creative drive, an innate respect for tradition and digital awareness – traits which EU funds expert Marko

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Paunovic highlights as important to the EU with respect to the conservation of cultural elements.

“Keeping up with future trends is necessary in order to survive and improve the market position,” he asserts, adding that the best way to do this is to “invest in people to think out of the box and look for creative answers for digital transitions in Europe.”

While the preservation of trades in its organic form is not a direct focus, Mr Paunovic divulges that there are different opportunities which traditional trades can avail themselves of. Some examples would be the Creative Europe programme – targeted for collaborations; the COSME programme to assist young entrepreneurs in driving traditional ideas into the modern business world; and the European Social Fund – a nplatform which can provide aid to trade organisations and companies. Mr Paunovic banks on the improvement of tradesmen’s “networking capacities, which especially entails their presence in online spaces.”

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The immediate social and artistic values of niche and artisanal businesses may not seem at the forefront of the EU agenda.

However, as it is with changing times, the future needs a present compromise with the past. For Twanny, his trade is more personal than commercial and he hopes to pass it on to future generations.

Both Kevin and Eric are united in their belief of pushing filigree’s

artistic boundaries, while on Jonathan’s side, the approach involves balancing future and past needs. These are all different routes spurred by different motives, all equally valid. Trades are more than jobs; they are living things. The preservation, cultural conservation and evolution of trades is quite literally in craftsmen’s and artists’ hands and visions.