93
Out with the Old;
In with the New In the view of BMIT Chief Marketing Officer Jack Mizzi, in 2022 Malta needs to do whatever it takes to start restoring the reputational damage we are facing as a country, as well as looking forward and facing challenges affecting the technology sector head-on.
“T
here have been a lot of good intentions so far, but we now need to move to clear action, including taking decisions that might be unpopular in the short term, at least for some sectors of the population, says Jack Mizzi. According to Mr Mizzi, a second concern relates to the push towards tax harmonisation at EU level, and the 15% tax for multinationals. “As a country we should defend our tax schemes since key industries depend on these benefits to continue operating from Malta,” he adds. Finally, he says, Government needs to start getting serious on the environment and sustainability. For example, we are experiencing a construction drive without precedent, that not only will compromise the lifestyle of future generations, but in the more immediate term could also dent tourism, and foreigners considering moving to Malta. The tourism sector is already fragile due to the pandemic, and we need to continue offering solid reasons for tourists to come to Malta if we want to future-proof this key economic sector. The primary challenges Mr Mizzi foresees for the technologies industry relate to the ability to recruit the right talent for more specialised jobs, as well as being able to adapt new technologies to the realities of the local market. The technology sector is famously adept at turning challenges into opportunities, he asserts. “In this context,” he says, “we could expect more people to be employed on a remote work model, and tap into a wider pool of resources, worldwide. Secondly, we need to get more creative as an industry, to be able to deliver innovative solutions that seek to transform business to new digital realities rather than keep doing things as we did in the past, and therefore losing out on the bigger picture.” According to Mr Mizzi, the local technology sector has an opportunity to grow only if it has access to skills, so this is an area which continues to require attention. The sector would also benefit if businesses were incentivised to digitise their operations, or to integrate solutions that are based on new realities. Sometimes it is easy for businesses to continue consuming technology like they did in the past, but the most recent paradigm shift means that they are most likely rendering themselves uncompetitive by doing so. “Fiscal incentives, coupled with access to EU funding in this area would go a long way towards helping small and medium sized businesses do this leap forward, in the same way that larger organisations have started doing already. We feel that all this fits into BMIT’s leading position as a trusted advisor to our clients seeking to harness tech for business,” he states. BMIT Technologies will continue to invest in systems, people and technology to be able to help their customers address these challenges, continuing to roll out solutions which enable their customers to move digital in the most effective manner, quickly. “Our ambition is to be a leading player in transforming the local digital landscape in a tangible manner. Our strong legacy and exten-
“We need to get more creative as an industry, to be able to deliver innovative solutions that seek to transform business to new digital realities rather than keep doing things as we did in the past, and therefore losing out on the bigger picture.”
sive expertise as an IT infrastructure player through our datacentres or on the cloud has evolved into transforming technology into an asset, enabling us to provide peace of mind to our clients, that allows them to focus on their core business without worrying about being compliant or exposed to undue risk. We keep building on this to ensure that we truly are a digital enabler to businesses, where technology is harnessed and used to empower clients through their tech requirements, whatever they might be. It’s a big ambition, but we believe that with the right focus and passion we will succeed, once again.” n
