Malta Stock Exchange organises its annual Awards Dinner
The Malta Stock Exchange recently organised and hosted its annual Awards Dinner at the Casino Maltese in Valletta to bring together the many stakeholders of the Maltese capital market and to recognise persons and organisations that merit an award for their achievements. During the event, the following four awards were given.
Company of the Year 2017
The 2017 Company of the Year Award was given to Ian De Cesare on behalf of the Eden Leisure Group. The Group was chosen as a result of a selection process that showed that 2016 was an exceptional year for this company. Revenue for the year stood at €31.3m, an increase of 11% from the previous year, earnings before interest and tax and depreciation (EBITDA) grew by 31% and the 2016 net income before tax grew by an impressive 90%. The Group includes a casino, a sports bar, a 16-screen cinema complex, a 20lane bowling alley, Malta’s leading fitness centre, Malta’s number one radio station 89.7 Bay Radio, the InterContinental Malta Conference Arena and the 481-room fivestar InterContinental Hotel, not to mention a 310-space car park, a Business Centre and the latest Holiday Inn Hotel, among other investments.
Business Reporting Award
The Business Reporting award was given to Vanessa Macdonald who has successfully developed an investigative and professional career in journalism and business reporting over the last 25 years. Her role within the Times of Malta as well as editor of the Business Observer created many opportunities for her to report on the financial and business sectors in an unbiased, always interesting and often candid manner. In her address to the attendees, Macdonald expressed her great satisfaction at receiving this recognition and took the opportunity to appeal to the business and financial services community to work more closely with the media in a more collaborative manner.
Life-Time Award Achievement
The Life-Time Achievement Award was given to Joseph Zammit Tabona who boasts a very lengthy and successful 40-year career as an accountant and entre- preneur, owning one of Malta’s finest boutique hotels and catering establishments. He has worked extensively in government service with numerous administrations and made his mark by being chairman for various important organisations including being the first chairman of FinanceMalta, Chair of the Malta Development Corporation, Chair of the Malta Accountancy Board and previously, the chairman of the Malta Stock Exchange. He also served as president of the Malta Federation of Industry and was a member of the Board of Directors of Bank of Valletta, HSBC Life Assurance, MCAST, Valletta Cruise Ports and Medserv, among others. Besides experience in the business and government sectors, Zammit Tabona was also a diplomat, having served as the High Commissioner for Malta to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Today, he is head of the Malta Brexit Taskforce and the Prime Minister’s Special Business Envoy. Employee of the Year Award
The Employee of the Year Award was given to Stephanie Abela who was selected by her colleagues at the Exchange through a voting system. Abela has worked at the Malta Stock Exchange for over eight years and supervises the Customer Care Section. Her professionalism, attention to detail and positive attitude, while giving a comprehensively good service, singled her out for this welldeserved award.
During his address, the chairman of the MSE, Joseph Portelli, outlined the Exchange’s plans for future strategic growth. The event was also addressed by the Minister for Finance, Prof. Edward Scicluna and Joseph Cuschieri, executive chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority.