Naomi Mugliette

SPEAK HER MIND

INTERVIEW WITH NAOMI MUGLIETTE

It is often said not to judge a book by the cover. The first impact with Naomi Mugliette can be misleading. Behind the outer crust of calm good-looking woman with a pair of huge warm eyes and silky, jet-black hair, lies a strong, focused, determined straight talking, no-nonsense person. A woman, a mother and a notary public, she gets irritated by those who dare ask her how she manages all. Naomi believes in Steward Stafford's principle, “Multitasking is overrated - I'd rather do one thing well than many things badly. Quality supersedes quantity every time.” Moreover, she forms part of a generation of lawyers who are discovering, like 21st-century doctors and teachers, that it is possible to, “have emotions and do a job”, that you can be “both professional and a human being." Atelier recently caught up with Naomi who shared with us her interest in legal profession, her passion for food and wine and her views on the gender pay gap.

What attracted you to the legal profession? Were there any role models that you looked up to?

My role models were my mother and my own siblings. I looked up to my father for his sweet nature towards others and my mother for being so humble and yet very intelligent. She knew how to talk and in detail, about anything. She was what you can describe a forever student. I am the youngest of five children and 11 years younger than the sister before me. My early childhood memories are of my siblings studying for their university finals, I can really picture vividly how hard they used to study. None of my siblings chose the legal profession. They all chose different careers and they are all very successful in their profession. So from an early age, my mother proudly advised me to follow their footsteps. I wanted to please her but I also wanted to be different. I felt the responsibility to continue my

siblings’ legacy and make my parents prouder. Being the youngest, being the sister of a Parliamentary Secretary and later a Minister, I was always referred to as being ‘the sibling of...’ I wanted people to know me by my own name.

I was always attracted to the legal profession, probably because I heard less about it in my circles and hence got intrigued to discover more. I was not good at sciences so I chose languages, with the purpose to choose Law at University. When I chose to take the legal profession my mother was very very proud yet reluctant because she thought I would be discriminated against since I had no help from other family members. No one in the family was a notary or a lawyer, it was an era where the norm was that you followed in the footsteps of another family member, and hence her doubts. I promised myself that I would make it and succeed.

When I started the course, I realised that I was not the only one who did not have family members in the legal profession and that gave me courage. I felt that lecturers were on the lookout for fresh faces and new names. History has it that my mother passed away two days before my last final exam but I still believe that she is very proud of me wherever she is!

What does it take to succeed in your profession?

People are people, and not numbers, we are all individuals with our own situations and we demand to be treated with respect and patience. Everyone seems to be in a hurry nowadays, I live by the code of treating people exactly how I would like to be treated and that has helped me a lot. I do my best to give the people in front of me all the time needed, without any rush, I listen carefully to understand their needs. Most of my clients get referred to me by other clients, and that's an even bigger responsibility. In most of the cases, when someone entrusts you to be his notary, he/she is entrusting you with their biggest lifetime commitment. That requires a lot of work but mostly it requires a lot of responsibility. I look at it as a long term relationship which eventually finishes up in being one big family.

I am very meticulous at what I do and this is unfortunately a long process. I don’t give up on lengthy intriguing situations, I push to make sure that no stone is left unturned before I give advice.

I make it a point to answer my phone and to be reached as much as possible. On the weekend it’s difficult, especially with two young children.

I am always struggling whether to answer an email or a message. One side of me would be telling me that it is the weekend and that clients should understand this but the other side would be telling me that the person sending me the email or the message would need reassurance or peace of mind or just need to talk.

How do you find a perfect compromise between such a demanding profession and a busy personal life?

Nothing is ever flawless, but I always try to be a better version of myself. I love to learn how to be better and learn from my own mistakes We try to plan ahead and balance between the two. Having two young children and a demanding profession is not easy but we try to strike a balance. I make sure that neither my professional life and my personal life is lacking.

Sometimes you feel like Wonder Woman, but sometimes you tend to struggle more, depending on the daily circumstances and encounters. My clients think I am a very calm person. Really and truly I am not, I just do my best to leave my personal self at home. Even having clients sitting in the waiting room, tends to make me panic. I don’t like to wait, so I don’t like to leave people waiting as everyone is busy with their own things to attend but sometimes it happens and I don’t like it. Hence time management is of essence, I like to plan ahead to make sure everything goes as planned and everyone is happy and satisfied.

What does food and wine mean to you?

They are two of my joie de vivre, (fortunately and unfortunately). These two together with other spirits, like a good Single Malt in Winter and Gin and Tonic in Summer. Another life’s enjoyment is travelling, which this year has been taken away from us! Although we did visit Sicily in Summer. We call ourselves ‘turisti del cibo’ or ‘culinary tourists’. We sometimes plan our holidays around a particular restaurant! After a long day at work, coming home to a glass of good wine to unwind is all we need.

Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg recently noted in an interview, “As a woman gets more successful, she is liked by people of both genders, and as a man gets more successful, he does not take a likability hot”. To what extent do you agree?

Everybody has the right to his opinion, but I do not agree with Ms Sandberg. I strongly disagree with her statement. It is very difficult to be liked by everyone, whether or not your career is successful or not. Likeability, reliability, trust is more attached to the person rather than the gender.

Do you feel the glass ceiling remains a reality in a host of white-collar industries?

What I can say is that since we enjoy an island mentality, as a young woman starting off in a legal profession without experience, it leads to questioning about my capabilities and abilities.

Since I started working, I have never encountered any glass ceiling situation. I have started my career, in the shadow of a very important notary, which I thank him for believing in me and treating me as his own daughter. I had questioning looks when clients were expecting him and then I turned out. I was young and in the beginning of my career. I could feel the judgmental looks but I just asked them to give me just a little chance until I start and break the ice. Then I looked forward to seeing if that questioning look would change into trust. I felt satisfied when I managed to outsmart their enquiries and diffident questions. I started gaining trust and felt satisfied when clients used to question whether I would be present for their deed. On the other hand I had to learn, gain experience, become very professional and practical at the same time very quickly. The notary I worked with was a Parliamentary Secretary and I had to publish all deeds of the office. In one particular year, much more than a thousand deeds. This situation made me work endless nights but has given me tremendous experience and knowledge, it was like doing 10 years of work in one year.

The leading American lawyer, Valerie Jarrett once noted, “Every woman needs to know when she’s being discriminated against and what the reasons are why she isn't getting equal pay so we can close that pay gap, “what are your thoughts on the subject?”

Sometimes, I wonder if such statements apply to the Maltese scenario. Though, I think sometimes women do not get employed because the employer tends to be reluctant to employ a woman to avoid the possibility of maternity leave and reduced hours and other parental/ maternal commitments. I really cannot conceive of the idea of a woman being paid less for the simple reason of ‘being a woman’. If a job is done, if a commitment is fulfilled, it is irrelevant the gender of the person accomplishing it. Again this depends on the individual. I believe women are extraordinary species, in the sense that they can be intelligent in the same way the opposite sex is BUT are far more practical, understanding and looks far far ahead.

What advice would you give to students trying to enter the legal profession today?

Our profession has been overtaken by an array of rules and regulations. We get to wear too many hats. I would strongly suggest to anyone who aspires to enter the profession to meet with a few notaries first, they will help you make a calculated decision. All I can say here and now is that it’s a long journey of exciting encounters/stories and lots of satisfaction but there is also a lot of work and few yearly sleepless nights will become a part of your life. In a nutshell, it's not a joyride, you would really have to love what you do, and money cannot be your primary motivation as it will not be. The profession has unfortunately changed and our role as a notary has been given a wider responsibility. Hence, I would sincerely recommend to every student that before they enter into the Notarial world, he/she has a clear understanding of what being a notary entails.

What’s next on your busy agenda?

People ask me...."How are you? Are you busy? Sometimes I wonder if I ever can get to tell them... No I am not..." Thank God I am always busy. BUT the fact that I have ALWAYS something to look forward to, being a romantic date with my partner, family dinner or with friends, a short trip to Sicily or a longer one, maybe across the Atlantic, keeps me going on. I need to have something to look forward to. For example, in the short distance, I look forward to Christmas, Christmas decorations, listening and singing Christmas carols and songs with my children, family gatherings, entertaining guests, the smell of mulled wine ... I look forward to COVID to run away so we could actually plan. Having a passion for culinary experiences, I look forward to visiting Saint Sebastian in Spain to see if it really lives up to its reputation. I also hope that I can also fulfill my childhood dream which has been postponed because of COVID and visit South America.

Thanks to the booming economy of the past seven years, shrewd planning from the Government and the input from the Malta Tourism Authority and other stakeholders, we quickly set about saving a tourism industry which accounts for around 30% of our economy.

JULIA FARRUGIA PORTELLI

– Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection

It has definitely been a summer unlike any other. As I write this piece, I’m reflecting on the past few months that have definitely been challenging and unprecedented in every way.

All our initiatives planned for this year went out of the window the moment the Coronavirus pandemic hit our shores. Instead of maintaining the encouraging numbers of years gone by, my colleagues in Cabinet and I had to quickly come up with schemes that not only saved hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs in the tourism sector, but also enabled them to make the most of this new normality.

Thanks to the booming economy of the past seven years, shrewd planning from the Government and the input from the Malta Tourism Authority and other stakeholders, we quickly set about saving a tourism industry which accounts for around 30% of our economy.

The vouchers scheme for local residents was introduced to encourage people to go out and support all those businesses who were hit the hardest by the pandemic. This was well received as bars, restaurants, pubs and many other businesses felt the positive effect. In Gozo, hospitality and collective accommodation establishments welcomed many Maltese people, who chose to holiday in the sister island and support the local economy. In addition, the Government just launched a scheme for businesses to apply for a reduction in utility rates over the summer months. The wage supplement for businesses has also been maintained.

While these measures will not completely make up for this unprecedented situation, it does help businesses to live to fight another day.

Other initiatives were also underway, such as supporting all those who run and manage tourist attractions, together with general improvements of our tourism product. This is to ensure that once the pandemic is over, thousands of tourists can truly enjoy the best that our country has to offer.

As we move on to the autumn, the Government shall present a budget that aims to not only continue helping these businesses, but also stimulate new opportunities for growth in the current circumstances.

These are hard times, but myself and the rest of the Government are hard at work to ensure the survival and success of every person whose livelihood depends on the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. We are working tirelessly to escape the worst economic effects of the pandemic which have hit other countries, but this depends on how much all stakeholders work together. Unity is the basis of all success.

Security Concerns Remain A Major Barrier to Internet of Things Adoption

Article by Claude Calleja – Executive at eSkills Malta Foundation

Internet of Things World has released its annual IoT security concerns survey. It found that an overwhelming majority (85%) believe that security concerns remain a major obstacle to the roll-out of Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, the eSkills Malta Foundation believes with 64% of respondents thinking that IoT security is an "endto-end" approach that is the biggest obstacle to the deployment of IoT, surpassing only machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

With IoT potentially flooding wireless networks with billions of new connected devices, security must be a top priority for engineers and designers to keep up with the demands and to ensure that information travelling between devices with IoT connections remains secure. End users reported using more security software on average than the typical consumer, underscoring the complexity they face in protecting their existing communications networks.

If industrial companies are to push ahead with the introduction of IoT, they will be exposed to new security risks and need to protect themselves. The good news is that trusted vendors already exist that can mitigate the risk of security issues with proven technologies such as token-based

authentication and smart contracts that are suitable for IoT applications. Companies are still developing, learning from the risks and developing security management and insurance methods to protect their assets, industrial and otherwise, from security threats. The Internet of Things only increases the potential for devastation, but the Internet has always been chaotic and will be so in the future as well.

Companies developing industrial IoT applications face significant challenges, as many industrial devices have traditionally been designed in isolation. In 2016, the biggest hurdles to the introduction of IoT remained the same but were greatly outweighed by security.

In addition, large IT companies are continuously developing innovative solutions to ensure the security of IoT devices. Companies are rapidly expanding their risk, expanding to connect literally everything, and risking jeopardizing their customers privacy, security and even livelihoods.

In 2016, DNS providers and major websites were crippled by distributed denial of service attacks carried out by IoT devices running Mirai malware. In May 2017, Junade Ali, a computer scientist at Cloudflare, found that native DDoS vulnerabilities exist in over 70% of the world's IoT devices. The overall IoT security market grew by 27.9% in 2016 due to growing infrastructure concerns, diversified usage and the adoption of smart home devices.

By the end of 2027, revenues are expected to reach nearly €15 billion, with revenues from smart grids. Network security remains the preferred solution for IoT security products, with network security solutions for smart grids, smart homes and smart city devices accounting for more than 50% of the total IoT market in 2016. In addition, the global market for security and network management solutions in smart homes is predicted to expand at a faster rate at least up to 2027. Most technical security issues are similar to those used in traditional servers, workstations and smartphones. In general, there are no significant differences in security levels between them and IoT devices.

Given that many surveys keep indicating that security keeps being the biggest concern, we can expect the supplier ecosystem to solve this problem once and for all. With the advent and massive deployment of IoT equipment, coupled with the occasional breach of private data, companies are more cautious than ever, and rightly so. eSkills Malta Foundation firmly believes that IoT is extremely beneficial for commerce, education and society, and all are itching to invest more. It is time that vendors take a wider approach and carry out more research so that IoT devices are manufactured secure by default. In the meantime, it is highly recommended that vendors of IoT devices offer a security implementation service to prospective customers.

This article was prepared by collating various publicly available online sources.

A DRIVING FORCE FOR THE YACHTING COMMUNITY

The COVID-19 Pandemic nearly ground to a halt Yachting Malta’s activity for the large part of 2020, however it was still able to continue its objective of being a driving force for the yachting and maritime community.

The first initiative was to assist the local industry through a media campaign promoting internal tourism and more specifically, as a central theme to the campaign, yacht charters in Malta. Discover Malta Like Never Before was a first of its kind.

Yachting Malta also launched its three-year sustainability plan in which it roped in three of Malta’s most respected individuals – Neil Agius, Mario Aquilina and Maya Podesta, well known in yachting and environmental circles to promote its sustainability message.

Yachting Malta also supported the new surge of interest in Windsurfing when it sponsored a hugely successful Windsurfing Weekend hosted by Malta Young Sailors’ Club.

More recently, Yachting Malta gave its name to the annual Coastal Race, the precursor to the 41st edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The Yachting Malta Coastal Race was blessed with superb sailing conditions. The course of approximately 30 nautical miles, saw its start from outside the Royal Malta Yacht Club. The fleet then rounded the island of Comino before returning to Marsamxett Harbour. The race was won by the Maltese boat Elusive 2 – a feat that

Yachting Malta Sustainability Ambassadors - Maya Podesta, Neil Agius, Yachting Malta Chairman John Huber, Mario Aquilina

was to be repeated a week later when the Podesta family won their second consecutive Rolex Middle Sea Race. Trophies were later presented to Elusive 2 by the Hon. Dr. Ian Borg, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects.

“In spite of the challenges being faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yachting Malta continues to work tirelessly to assist the yachting community. Its initiatives and campaigns are a combination of efforts in its drive to promote the yachting industry – both from an economic and sporting perspective yet always keeping in mind the importance of making the industry sustainable in the long term whilst respecting the marine environment”

John Huber, Chairman, Yachting Malta

Yachting Malta is now looking forward to 2021 with a degree of optimisim. Yachting Malta will be backing the Yachting Malta Euro Masters Series, scheduled to take place between the 5th and 7th February 2021 and hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club. 2021 will also hopefully see the inaugural editions of the Yachting Malta Race Week and the Malta Boat Show. Events are planned to take place in May and November respectively.

Tech Matters

INTERVIEW WITH Dana FARRUGIA

Technology is a constantly evolving field. With social advancements, the tech industry must confront new realities within the current social context. As our society moves closer to gender equality, women are working to build a stronger presence in the traditionally male-dominated tech industry. Today, women spearhead some of the most important tech companies in the world. YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki, Microsoft’s Amy Hood, IBM's Ginni Rometty and Oracle’s Safra Catz are a few names who are leading the tech world. On the local front, Dana Farrugia, CEO of Tech.mt is at the driving seat to stimulate Malta's momentum in the tech sector. Indeed, Dana has been entrusted with the ambitious task to promote Malta's National Strategy on Technology and Innovation that includes areas such as; Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud software development, robotics and quantum. Smart, good looking, ambitious, stubborn, extremely focused and never taking a ‘no’ for an answer attitude, she has all the attributes to reach her goal in the sector. She also possesses the right skills to ensure a better female representation in the local Tech sector.