Ms Maria Cauchi Delia

CEO of the Malta Institute of Accountants

Maria Cauchi Delia is the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Institute of Accountants, the sole professional accountancy body in Malta. In her role, she leads the institution in the fulfilment of its strategic objectives, in advising national and international institutions in matters concerning the profession and the wider financial industry and represents the MIA in its engagements with key stakeholders at both national and international level.

As a certified public accountant, Ms Cauchi Delia brings extensive expertise gained from her diverse experience in both the public and private sectors, having worked in various institutions in Malta and abroad. She holds a degree from the University of Malta and is a Fellow Member of the Malta Institute of Accountants.

Mr Mark Bugeja

President of the Malta Institute of Accountants

Mark Bugeja is the President of the Malta Institute of Accountants, which, along with the MIA council, sets the overall direction of the Institute and ensures that it continues to develop in line with its mission and values.

Mr Bugeja is currently the Managing Partner of Grant Thornton and has been practicing, mainly in the field of auditing, since he completed the B.A. (Hons) Accountancy course at the University of Malta in 1987. 

Mr Joseph Caruana

Commissioner for Tax and Customs at Malta Tax and Customs Administration

Mr Joseph Caruana began his career with the Public Service in 1977 as a clerk. Along the years he progressed through the ranks and served in various roles across the Public Service, namely as Director Corporate Services within the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, as Head of the Maltese Paying Agency and as Director General for Fisheries.

From 2013 up to 2021 he served as Permanent Secretary within the Ministry for Education and Employment, the Ministry for Finance and Financial Services and the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects respectively, wherein he brought about a number of reforms and was responsible for the implementation of various strategies, polices and projects. Mr Caruana was appointed Commissioner for Tax and Customs on 1st February 2022 wherein he is implementing the digital transformation of the Malta Tax and Customs Administration.

Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas

Registrar and Chief Executive Officer at the Malta Business Registry

Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas is a lawyer by profession and is currently the Registrar of Companies, the Registrar of other Legal Persons, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Business Registry. She is an executive member of the Corporate Registries Forum, international fora which brings together registries from across the globe, and a member of the board of examiners for the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Malta.

Mr Nick Xuereb

CFO at Toly Products, and Deputy President at The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry

Nick Xuereb, an accountant by profession, is the CFO of Toly Group, an international Group with a presence in Europe, Asia and North America. As CFO, Nick leads the financial and ICT function of the Group.

Nick’s colourful background includes his past roles as CFO of Air Malta plc, with a concurrent role as Chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority, Finance Director at Trelleborg in Malta - one of Malta’s largest and oldest manufacturing company, and an auditor at PwC.

Nick Xuereb is also a past Council Member of the Malta Institute of Accountants.

Mr Michael Bianchi

Chairperson of the MIA Sustainable Finance Committee, and Director (Financial Services Industry) at Deloitte Malta

With well over 15 years of working experience, Michael is specialised in Investment Management Services working within Deloitte's Financial Services Practice. During this time Michael worked for two years with Deloitte in London, managing a number of multi-national companies in the Insurance and Investments Management Practice prior to returning to Deloitte Malta in 2009.

Michael services a broad client base both locally and internationally and is responsible for the statutory and non-statutory audits of a number of clients, including Collective Investment Schemes, Investment Management Companies and Fund Administrators as well as other regulated and non-regulated entities.

Michael coordinates various international engagements where he has developed numerous connections within the Deloitte Network. Michael also Chaired the FSI sub-Committee at the Malta Institute of Accountants for two years and is now Chairing the Sustainable Finance sub-Committee at the Institute.

Michael is conversant with the technical accounting and reporting requirements for a wide-range of financial instruments and derivative products under IFRS.

Michael has a good understanding and appreciation of Information Technology (IT).

Mr Norbert Vella

Member of the MIA Sustainable Finance Strategy, Reporting and Assurance Working Groups, and Assurance Partner at PwC Malta

Norbert is a Partner at PwC Malta and has over 16 years of experience in matters related to the financial sector including extensive consultation experience in relation to financial services regulation within the local banking sector.

Norbert leads the banking advisory practice of PwC Malta and is well versed with the ongoing developments in respect of the management and supervision of ESG risks for credit institutions and the wider financial services community. He is also leading PwC Malta’s ESG Reporting and Assurance initiatives.

“Think long-term, consume responsibly”

Mr Ian Stafrace

Chief Strategy Officer at Atlas Insurance PCC

Ian-Edward Stafrace FCII CFIRM MSc, Chief Strategy Officer at Atlas Insurance, spearheads digital business transformation, BI analytics and international business. With a rich background in risk and compliance, he plays a pivotal role in the group's sustainability initiatives and innovation. Additionally, he serves as a board director at Jesmond Mizzi Financial Advisors.

Mr George Douglas

Chief HSSEQ Officer, Medserv plc

George Douglas is the Chief Health, Safety, Security, Environmental and Quality (HSSEQ) Officer for MedservRegis and has been with the company for 8 years and leads the MedservRegis Sustainability Committee. Within his role he is responsible for ensuring MedservRegis conduct business in a safe and responsible manner, whilst achieving client, stakeholder and interested party satisfaction, abide to oil and gas operators approved codes of practice as well as Occupational and Environmental legislation within the countries MedservRegis operate.

Mr Stephen L. Muscat

Chairperson of the MIA Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Group

Stephen L Muscat is currently the Chairman of the PAIB Committee of the MIA, as well as a member of the PAIBG Committee of IFAC, the International Federation of Accountants.

Mr Muscat is the CFO of Liquigas Malta Limited, operating in the energy market in Malta, a company he joined in 2009.

Mr Nikhil Patil

Chief Executive Officer at Go plc

Nikhil Patil is a seasoned professional with over 20 years’ experience in mergers & acquisitions, strategy and operations in TMT industry. Currently Group CEO at GO plc, a quad-play communications operator in Malta & Cyprus. He is actively involved at Board level in Cablenet in Cyprus and BMITT in Malta, both of which are part of the GO Group. Before joining GO, Nikhil was responsible for the creation of Malta Properties Company p.l.c., today one of the largest publicly listed real estate companies in Malta, where he served as CEO until 2018. Prior to this, he held senior positions, with Interoute, EIT, Dubai Holdings and Marakon Associates. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Mumbai, India, a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from IMD, Switzerland. Mr. Patil is a Charter Financial Analyst (CFA).

Mr Malcolm Camilleri

Deputy Chief Executive Officer at PG plc

Mr Malcolm Camilleri is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PG plc, a listed Maltese company which holds a leading market position in the FMCG sector as well as the local textile industry.

A Certified Public Accountant and a fellow Member of both the Institute of Accountants and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, he sits on the Board of Directors of various PG plc owned companies.

Mr Camilleri joined PG Group in 2006 as Chief Financial Officer following a 3-year experience at an audit firm. His expertise includes business development, auditing, strategic planning, financial accounting and business analysis. He is also a resourceful individual and the company’s driving force in generating new ideas and devising feasible solutions to more efficient operational processes while maintaining a positive and proactive attitude.

My quote: “Sustainability has to be a way of life to be a way of business.”

Mr Marc Rizzo

Member of the MIA Digital Committee and D&A Lead, Advisory at KPMG Digital Solutions

Marc is the Data & Analytics Lead at KPMG Malta. He has extensive experience handling and manipulating data in support of decision-making. With a focus on extracting value from data, he has a strong background in the use of analytics tools and techniques to generate insights.

Mr Nicholas Vella

Nicholas is a Product Analyst at ManpowerGroup, a Fortune 500 company

Nicholas is an Analytics Manager at ManpowerGroup, a Fortune 500 company. He was inspired to specialise in business intelligence and data analytics throughout his early professional experience with KPMG. Nicholas is a strong believer that business people need to rapidly adapt to the global, technology-driven transformation by expanding their digital skillset and understanding.

Mr Julian Azzopardi

CEO of Up Your Level

Julian is CEO of UP Limited, a boutique business leadership and performance coaching service provider. Julian is also a Vistage Malta Chair, part of the global Vistage franchise providing peer-to-peer executive, small business and CEO coaching.

Prior to joining UP Limited, Julian was CEO at Junior Achievement Malta (Formerly Young Enterprise).

Julian holds a Cum Laude Masters degree in Socio-Economic Development and undergraduate degree in International Relations.

Julian has spent over 10 years living, working and volunteering abroad with the European Commission in Brussels, the UNODC in Vienna, the University of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa and the Missionaries of Charity across three continents. Julian is the only Maltese recipient of the JCI Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Awardee for humanitarian and voluntary leadership.

Mr Charles Xuereb

Deputy Chairperson of the MIA PAIB Group and CEO Trident Estates plc

Charles Xuereb, B.A. (Hons) Accty, CPA, FIA, MIM, was appointed CEO of Trident Estates plc in 2017. After graduating in Accountancy in 1991, Mr Xuereb started off his professional career with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He joined Simonds Farsons Cisk plc in 1995 and between 2005-2017 served as Group CFO. Since 2013, held the position of President of the Malta Association of Credit Management and sits on the Board of Administrators of the Central Business District Foundation.

Mr Marcel Cassar

Chief Executive Officer at APS Bank P.l.c

Marcel Cassar is CEO of APS Bank plc since 2016. His career started in 1987 with Price Waterhouse, followed by successively senior executive positions at MIBA/MFSC (now MFSA), Lombard Bank Malta plc and FIMBank plc. He presently chairs the Malta Bankers’ Association and sits on the board of the European Banking Federation. Marcel is a CPA, fellow of the Malta Institute of Accountants and holds an MBA in Bank Financial Management jointly from the University of Wales and Manchester Business School (1995). He has lectured, supervised and examined at both FEMA and the MA Financial Services course, University of Malta.

Mr Kenneth Farrugia

Chief Executive Officer at Bank of Valletta plc

Kenneth Farrugia joined Bank of Valletta plc (BOV), Malta’s largest banking group, in 1985 and has since occupied various positions within the Bank. Kenneth currently holds the post of Chief Business Development Officer at Bank of Valletta plc and sits on the Group’s Management Board. Kenneth is, amongst others, responsible for the improvement of the Bank’s market position, as well as the achievement of financial growth and long-term strategic business goals. Kenneth is also a Governor of FinanceMalta, Malta’s national promotional body for financial services, and also serves as Chairman of the MASA. He is also the Chairman of Malita Investments plc which is listed on the Malta Stock Exchange. Kenneth is married to Kathleen and has two children.

Ms Joyce Grech

Head of Commercial Banking at HSBC Bank Malta plc

Joyce Grech has occupied the role of Head of Commercial Banking, HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. for the past 4 years. She leads a team of 80 individuals who handle relationships with the Bank’s commercial customers, with a strong focus on meeting customer needs. Throughout her 27 year career with HSBC, Joyce has worked in various other areas of the organisation, predominantly in Risk where she was Chief Risk Officer for 7 years and in Personal Banking where she led the Customer Value Management team. She also spent some time working at the London Head Office of the HSBC Group. A strong supporter of diversity and inclusion in its various forms, she is the chairperson of the bank’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is particularly involved in gender diversity and aims to support female colleagues through mentoring and other initiatives and activities.