Author: Developers Think

Hili Ventures and its subsidiaries across Europe are supporting the humanitarian effort in Ukraine by extending financial support to charities working to help thousands of people in need at the border and on the ground. More than 10 tonnes of supplies and many hours of medical assistance have been delivered to internally displaced Ukrainians and refugees thanks to this international collaboration.

Headquartered in Malta, Hili Ventures is engaged in multi-sited operations in partnership with McDonald’s and Apple, logistics, marine & engineering, property, technology, oil & gas, hospitality and leasing in 10 countries, including Romania, Poland and Hungary, which border Ukraine. The group has mainly leveraged its close relationship with the Ronald McDonald House Charities which is liaising with other organisations to provide aid.

“A few days after the invasion of Ukraine began in February, we began to identify ways in which we could be most effective with support and assistance,” Hili Ventures Chief Executive Officer Melo Hili explains. “Our best channel to contribute practically and immediately to the relief effort with supplies, resources and assistance is undoubtedly the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Our McDonald’s operating companies in Latvia, Romania and Malta are founding mission partners of the RMHC chapters in these countries.”

In the last few days, RMHC Romania deployed a truck with 10 tonnes of sanitary products, essentials and disinfectant from Bucharest to the border. In co-ordination with RMHC Ukraine, the goods were collected by a logistics NGO which delivered them to a Red Cross depot at Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. The aid was distributed to around 10,000 people close to the epicentre of the attack on the country. Back in Romania, where refugees are crossing over consistently, the RMHC House in Timisoara is hosting families whose children are being treated at the Louis Turcanu Hospital.

RMHC Latvia, in co-ordination with the RMHC Chapters in Ukraine and Poland and RMHC Global, deployed its Care Mobile – a fully equipped mobile clinic – to Przemysl in Poland, the city receiving refugees from the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing point. A Polish medical team boarded after supplies were loaded and the vehicle made its way to Ukraine where it was handed over to RMHC Ukraine at the Mostyska train station in the Lviv region. Over four days, the Care Mobile visited nearby villages housing refugees and provided medical care to more than 100 patients, including babies and elderly people.
The Care Mobile then returned to the train station in Mostyska where people required urgent assistance having not received medical care for many days after fleeing the fighting.

Meanwhile, other Hili Ventures subsidiaries have organised smaller consignments of essentials, mobile device charging cables and accessories and have delivered them to organisations working with refugees in Poland and Hungary.

“We are distressed by the tragedy in Ukraine and the displacement of Ukrainians as they seek safety across Eastern Europe, a region that is so close to our hearts,” Hili Ventures Chairman Archie Bethel said. “While we have no commercial interests or staff in Ukraine, our thoughts are with the people of this independent nation. We hope for a peaceful resolution to this horrific crisis soon and pledge to continue to do what we can to help. There is so much more that we can and will do to stand with Ukraine.”

Daniel Brincat

Daniel joined KPMG in 2010 as an audit team member following the successful completion of his Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) degree at the University of Malta. Daniel is an accountant by profession, holding a Practising Certificate in Auditing and is also a Fellow Member of the Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA).

During the past 12 years, Daniel has also worked within the audit function of the Crown Dependencies and Canada offices gaining experience in a variety of industries, particularly Financial Services and Private Enterprise. Today, Daniel is predominantly focused on Private Enterprise clients, with a broad portfolio of local and international clients across various industries such as transport and leisure, software, consumer goods, retail and manufacturing. Daniel is also very active in delivering training internally and externally at KPMG, regularly contributing to staff’s professional education and
performance development.

Noel Fsadni

Noel joined KPMG in 1999 as an IT Administrator within the IT Operations team and is now leading the team that he joined more than 23 years ago. His career started in technically specialised areas, such as server infrastructure, networking, end user equipment, security, and document management. Noel has always aimed at offering high-quality services within the firm. His dedication, adaptability, and technological innovation helped him to evolve his career and pursue managerial roles that empowered him to undertake strategic responsibilities. He actively contributes to the
internal digital and technological transformation activities within the local firm.

During these years, Noel has also participated in several technology-based projects, both locally and within the international KPMG network. He is currently leading an IT Centre of Excellence and is representing Malta in the IT technical committee, within a KPMG subregion, that is made up of small island states.

The HSBC Malta Foundation is supporting environmental non-governmental organisation (eNGO) Żibel with a donation of more than €5,000 to purchase and install a Seabin at the Manoel Island Marina. The Seabin will filter sea water and collect waste in a specific location where litter is known to accumulate.

The Seabin that HSBC Malta is sponsoring will be part of the Seabin Malta Project, which was started by Żibel and their partners Strand Marine in 2018. Seabins are generally placed in marinas, attached to piers or floating docks, where water easily flows through them, through which the bay will clean itself as currents circulate the surface debris. The top ten waste items filtered out by a Seabin are: foam/polystyrene residues, cigarettes, foil wrappers and packets, plastic fragments larger and smaller than 1cm, plastic bags and bottles, rope remnants, bottle caps, and paper.

Each Seabin can filter 25,000 litres of seawater per hour, or almost 220 million litres every year, and collect approximately 1.5 kilogrammes of floating debris a day, which equates to the weight of roughly 151 empty one-litre plastic bottles. Furthermore, a Seabin can collect microplastics as small as 2 mm. This unit joins an expanding network of Seabins around the island.

Simon Vaughan Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank Malta and Chair of the HSBC Malta Foundation, said: “In addition to cleaning the sea surface of debris and pollutants, a Seabin can collect waste that is otherwise difficult to collect due to its size and which presents a threat to marine life. The sponsorship of a Seabin is very much in line with HSBC Bank Malta’s commitment to facilitating the delivery of impactful solutions that both address environmental challenges and raise awareness on sustainability and the environment.”

Speaking about the Company’s collaboration with Żibel, MIDI CEO Mark Portelli said: “Following our recent sponsorship for the provision of berthing facilities for Żibel’s boat, we are proud to once again be collaborating with this eNGO to supply the right environment and services for the installation of a Seabin at the Manoel Island Marina. As the company which is responsible for the revitalisation of Manoel Island and Tigné Point, MIDI is extremely conscious of its environmental responsibilities and has always been at the forefront of supporting green initiatives.”

Andrew Schembri, Cofounder and Chairman of Żibel, said: “We have grown significantly since we founded Żibel in 2017. While our focus on a cleaner environment and sustainable lifestyle education remained intact, we have moved beyond simple cleanups. Today, we work on many projects, one of which is the Seabin Malta Project, which is able to expand thanks to generous corporate donations such as the one we are receiving from the HSBC Malta Foundation. Since the launch of the project we have strived to work with communities in-order to install as many units as possible.”

Hili Ventures has appointed experienced business leader Archie Bethel CBE as its new Chairman.

Mr Bethel succeeds Steve Tarr who retired after a seven-year term on March 31. Mr Bethel will apply his broad experience in transforming and growing international businesses in a range of industry sectors to lead the board and set its agenda. He will guide directors to ensure optimal decision-making outcomes aligned with Hili Ventures’ values and core strengths.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Mr Bethel gained extensive international experience and has been responsible for acquiring, growing and operating major businesses around the world.

In 2021, after nearly 20 years with the company, Mr Bethel retired from his role as Chief Executive of Babcock International Group plc, a London-based FTSE listed public company operating globally in the defence, energy and aviation sectors. He continues to hold several non-executive and independent director roles in both the private and public sectors.

A Chartered Engineer, Mr Bethel began his career in the offshore oil and gas industry after graduating from the University of Strathclyde with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. In 2009, the university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science degree. He was awarded an OBE in 1996 and a CBE in 2008 for Services to Business and Enterprise in the United Kingdom.

“I am honoured to be joining the Hili Ventures group at this exciting stage of its development,” Mr Bethel said. “I look forward to working with Melo and the board to deliver our ambitious growth plans.”

Melo Hili, Chief Executive Officer of Hili Ventures, said: “The shareholders are delighted that Archie has accepted to chair the Hili Ventures group. His appointment comes at a critical moment for the business as it looks to upscale its international presence and expansion in key areas. We are confident Archie’s leadership and experience will inspire us to reach major objectives as we navigate the ever-changing world order.”

Effective April 1, 2022, the board of Hili Ventures is composed of Archie Bethel (Chairman), Melo Hili, Annabel Hili, Victor Tedesco and Jesmond Mizzi.

Zak & Benji, co-founders of ANCHOVY. plc and James & Matthew, co-founders of NIU Ltd. have announced the formation of a comprehensive technology and digital services group, known as Capital 9H Ltd., with the goal of creating the largest digital services offering in Malta and paving the way for an international growth programme in the rapidly growing sector. Subject to regulatory approval, both ANCHOVY Studios plc and NIU Ltd will now form part of the group, paving the way for the shaping of a leading digital technology player in Malta.

Capital 9H Ltd., will lead, own and manage both companies’ local market leadership position and technology talent base as an integrated digital offering providing each client-base with end-to-end digital services that will support them in their digital transformation journey. 9H plc is a result of the converged vision of the four founders, strengthening the local market offering whilst embarking on an exciting roadmap to internationally expand the group’s operations in the Middle East being the first territory to be targeted.

ANCHOVY plc, Malta’s leading digital agency that enjoys international recognition, disrupted the space years ago by establishing operations in the Middle East. By joining forces with NIU, Malta’s largest web technology, development and integration firm, the group is set to become the natural digital transformation partner for local businesses irrespective of size or maturity.

Founders, Benji Borg, James Abela, Zak Borg and Matthew Sammut believe this to be a major milestone in the evolution of Malta’s digital economy, reflecting the transformation aspirations of the country. They also underline the group’s intention to grow further by attracting other ventures with similar aspirations into its structure.

“The companies are a perfect complement to each other in terms of structure, function and culture. We believe that this new holding company, Capital 9H Ltd., will serve as a platform for more firms to join this journey, and attain their goals on an international stage. We are determined to keep extending our capabilities across the regions we operate in, partnering up with iconic brands in this increasingly always-on digital era”

Discover more at www.9hcapital.com

Hili Properties plc, the strategic real estate investment subsidiary of Hili Ventures, has completed the share purchase of the holding company of a prominent shopping centre in Riga. The total investment in this newest addition to Hili Properties’ portfolio – its seventh shopping complex in the Latvian capital – is €20 million.

The 7,863-square metre complex on Stirnu Street sits on a 21,580 square metre plot in one of the city’s most densely populated residential areas and enjoys a consistently high footfall from a strong catchment population. The property has been in commercial operation for 15 years and features Swedish-owned supermarket giant Rimi as its anchor tenant. Other major tenants include Dino Zoo, a market-leading pet supplies retailer; Pepco, a continental discount chain popular for childrenswear and household goods; and cosmetics chain Drogas which enjoys a presence on high streets across the Baltic states. The shopping centre also boasts more than 250 parking spaces for customers.

George Kakouras, Managing Director of Hili Properties said: “We are thrilled with this latest acquisition in Riga, particularly as it meets our investment strategy criteria: long-term leases, a renowned anchor tenant and stable cash flow generation from the first day of entry into our portfolio. It also fits well within our strategy to seek low risk, long-term investments. The property is a landmark in the city, and it is with great pride that we take over its management. We are looking forward to working with the tenants and building a relationship with every one of them, the visitors to the shopping centre, and the local community. There is so much potential to fulfil.”

With this latest acquisition, Hili Properties’ portfolio value grows to €155 million, and its leasable area extends to just under 100,000 square metres. The portfolio now comprises seven grocery-anchored shopping centres across Riga; a private hospital in Bucharest, Romania; 12 properties housing restaurants in key commercial districts in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Romania; three dedicated business blocks and office space in Sliema, Marsa and Floriana in Malta, and a major industrial plant in Lithuania. Its tenants include Premier Restaurants, Rimi, Norwegian newsagent/convenience chain Narvesen, and industrial materials manufacturer Rehau Group.