The Malta Independent on Sunday
Successfully combining an inspiring career and a loving family
HELGA ELLUL is mainly known in Malta for her role as Chief Executive of Playmobil which she ran from the time she arrived in Malta from her native Germany in 1974 until she retired in 2012. She managed with her leadership style, based on a strong belief in people, to develop the company from a start-up with 50 employees to the largest German owned company in Malta with over 1,000 employees. Helga’s achievements have been too many to list here. Suffice it to say that in 1994 she was awarded the Medalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika and in 2011 the Officers Cross of the Order of Merit on behalf of the German President. Throughout her career she held various posts on a variety of boards. In 2009 – 2011 she was the first female President of the newly merged Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. Today she is President of CORE Platform, the Maltese CSR Platform. Perhaps, more importantly for her together with her successful business career she managed to raise a loving family. Married since 1977 to Joseph Ellul they have two children, Christian and Chiara and four grandchildren. Here is her take on the Pandemic.
“It was in January 2019 that the news of this new China virus was aired on all news bulletins, but very little was really known then and nothing prepared us for what was to come.
For the last 15 years I have been meeting up at least twice a year with my very good old girlfriends from Germany. In summer we hire a villa on one of the islands – Greece, Crete, Cyprus, you name it. We spend the time cooking together, talking, playing cards, sightseeing – nothing special but just enjoying each other’s company. Towards the end of year, normally October or November we go for a one week golf holiday in the South – Spain, Portugal or Morocco, always trying to find new places and golf courses. At first there were six of us but over the years we have shrivelled down to four.
During our golf holiday in 2019 we decided, for once, to go early the following year, in March, to Oman, a country we all wanted to see. So we booked for March 6 to March 18, 2020.
By the time March 6 arrived my husband was very reluctant for me to go, but having travelled often to China during the SARS virus way back I was not too worried and off I went. Oman – a beautiful country – up high mountains with amazing views and down to the desserts, sleeping in tents. The landscape is simply breath-taking and best of all the Omanis are a wonderful people. We were also very fortunate as the son of my close friend Heiderose has a travel agency in Oman and therefore we were in the best of hands.
Naturally apart from listening to the world news I kept in touch with Malta daily.
Back in Muscat on the 14th, Joe informed me that there were rumours that the airport
in Malta might be closed. I checked for available flights out of Muscat to Malta. I left on the 15th March for Dubai and managed to catch the last flight to Malta and so straight to quarantine. This I spent in our small quaint farmhouse in San Lawrence, Gozo with a car full of food and drink supplied by the family. Much as I love Gozo being locked up alone for 14 days was no fun especially during a lockdown. But thanks to electronic means I kept in touch with family and friends giving each other courage.
Finally end of March and quarantine and I returned home to San Pawl Tat Targa and to my husband. The children came to visit but behind the doors and all masked up.
Our traditional Easter celebration, the egg hunt for adults and children and our
lunch with pascal lamb had to go – for the first time ever.
Slowly I was coming to terms with a different way of life starting with Zoom meetings, sometimes daily ones, as decisions had to be taken, and fast, as nothing could be planned and foreseen.
I was amazed at how fast everyone adapted and used technology. Working online from home became the new norm. I see this as a positive outcome of the health crisis. It shows us how amazingly quickly we can adapt when needed. Even businesses whenever they could went on to offer online services. We ordered our shopping online, and food from our favourite restaurant to be eaten at home and so on, we all – even us, the older generation, adapted to this new on line world.
When summer came everything relaxed a little – shops and restaurants opened, people slowly went out occasionally – masked up, and we were at least able to have some physical social
contact. But we relaxed too early and too quickly.
Sadly, during August and September we lost two family members – my husband’s brother of 72 years and our sister-in-law, 72 years, to this cruel virus. Cruel, cruel – they had to die alone and we could not even give them a decent last farewell. This of course left all of us in a state of shock, great grief and naturally, fear.
And so to December and Christmas, another very quiet affair: just our family, instead of the usual Christmas party when we meet up with family and friends. But seeing the joy in the eyes of the grandkids when opening their presents and inspecting their stockings on Christmas Day made up for other losses.
So now we are used to this Corona Life and enjoy the simple things: having breakfast together in the morning which we never managed whilst working, sitting on our terrace, thanks to the beautiful warm weather, talking and sending photos and messages very frequently to our friends.
I love talking to my plants and looking after them. Once in a while I go golfing to be out in the fresh air or for a long walk. I am grateful that I can stay in touch with my business partners online and continue working in this new way. Of course we miss the social contact, but hopefully with the vaccine, by mid-year we should see things improving. I hope so. especially since the young generation, need social contact and to meet their friends and other members of the family so much. I really feel for them.
All in all we are very happy and contented and thank God every day for the gifts he gave us, for our health and for having our kids and grandkids, which bring us so much joy, so close to us.