Author: Mel Chamber

The Retail Business Section will support The Malta Chamber to be the true voice of the sector

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has launched a new business section dedicated to retail.

The Retail Business Section will support The Malta Chamber to be the true voice of the sector in Malta to:

– facilitate business operations in Malta
– pro-actively address policy issues with tangible recommendations
– uptake opportunities deriving from digitalisation and sustainability transition
– ensure that mutually trusted relationship with customers remains central and
– aligns practices to a fast-evolving changing consumer behaviour and expectations.

The Retail Business Section will be made up of the following members:

Malcolm Camilleri – Chair

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.

Nick Spiteri Paris – Deputy Chair

 Nick Spiteri Paris is the Chief Executive Officer at Bigbon Group. With over 15 years of experience working with a number of world leading brands in the fashion retail sector, Nick has vast experience in both franchising and the local retail market.

A passionate advocate for omni-channel retailing, Nick has piloted several initiatives driving Bigbon Group towards a fully integrated approach to offer customers a unified shopping experience across online and offline channels. 

Andrew Abela

Andrew Abela joined his family business “Franks Stores” upon graduating from the University of Malta in Philosophy and Anthropology.

His main passion is helping his company grow in a thriving market across its multi- brand local retail branches.

Andrew was eager to join the Chamber to help find new avenues for growth for the retail business and bring about positive change.

Jonathan Shaw

Transforming ideas into reality, driving projects, finding solutions, connecting people and adding value is key for Jon. Having his first start-up whilst still at university, Jonathan has substantial experience in management with a hands-on multi-disciplinary approach in setting up and running businesses. His skills in communication, leading teams and creative spark adds value to clients, top management, board of directors and shareholders. Jonathan has worked in various sectors starting with event management, Tv production, marketing, online travel and retail. In June 2020, Jonathan was asked to be Chair of Retail Marketing Ltd and drive the group’s merger and rebrand of a number of supermarkets to Welbee’s Supermarkets.

The recent appointment of CEO resulted through a natural progression of working closely with the board of directors and the company’s c-levels and top management. Jonathan has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters in Business Administration.

Owen Lee

 Having been brought up working within the shops from a very young age, at every level in a typical family business setup, Owen officially joined Centro Management as a managing director after finishing his Studies and obtaining his Warrant as a Certified Public Accountant.

Today his focus within the business is on finance and business development having been instrumental in setting up the company’s corporate structure. Having worked within the small-business retail industry for practically all his life, Owen has gained vast experience to understand the needs and wants of the Maltese retailer.

Ritianne Grech

Ritianne initiated her retail career at the age of 16 when she worked with Hudson’s home-grown concept, Urban Jungle. She later occupied roles in retail management for various high street fashion brands including Arkadia Marketing Limited. In 2011, she re-joined Hudson Group as Brand Manager and was shortly promoted to Retail Operations Manager where she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the stores managed by Hudson in Malta. She was later appointed as a Director of Hudson Malta Sales. As Country Manager she is now responsible for the following areas: Wholesale, Retail, Team sport, Marketing, and Maintenance. Ms Grech has been instrumental in elevating the local retail landscape and introducing Malta to world-renowned brands.

Hudson is the leading fashion and sports retailer in Malta with brands such as NIKE, Ted Baker, River Island, New Look, Intersport, Urban Jungle, Urban Bratz, Kiabi, Mango, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani Exchange, Mango and Calvin Klein. It also has its own Malta online store, hudsonstore.com, launched in 2020. It is also present in Italy through Urban Jungle and BlackBox as well as in Cyprus with Kiabi.

Hudson is also a significant operator in the international field. In total, Hudson currently manages over 30 stores in Malta, and another 30 stores spread across Africa and Southern Europe including Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Cyprus and Italy.  By the end of 2022, the group will open an additional 17 new stores in all its territories.

The group’s head office in Malta, with supporting offices in Italy, Cyprus, Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria.

Sarah Zammit Cutajar

Ms Sarah Zammit Cutajar joined the family business at 19, when she applied for the position of secretary to the Sales and Marketing Director.

With meritocracy inscribed in the company’s code of practice, Sarah worked her way up over the years to the position of CEO, which she holds today. A firm believer in working towards lasting change, Sarah’s objectives are to make the company one that is more sustainable – from constantly perfecting her team’s work-life balance, to contributing to a better world in terms of P.Cutajar’s footprint.

“My role is to guide people and to listen. I do consider myself a leader and I don’t like to take a decision without listening or hearing what people have to say. I like to speak to everybody on the team – whoever they may be. Interaction with my staff is essential.”

“The Malta Chamber also feels that the ease with which business is done should be improved to mitigate inflation with greater operational efficiency, as well as the competitiveness of businesses in our country.”

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry met with Leader of the opposition Dr Bernard Grech to present the 2023 pre-budget recommendations. During the meeting, President of The Malta Chamber, Marisa Xuereb, explained that the Chamber based its proposals on five points that she feels should be better identified and addressed. She mentioned, in particular, inflation and energy, which are challenges on everyone’s mind, but also the labour market which is not functioning as it should.

“The Malta Chamber also feels that the ease with which business is done should be improved to mitigate inflation with greater operational efficiency, as well as the competitiveness of businesses in our country, particularly when it comes to transport and connectivity, which are huge challenges for our country due to it being an island,” said President Xuereb.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL DOCUMENT

For his part, the Leader of the Nationalist Party expressed his satisfaction that some of the proposals of The Malta Chamber are very close to proposals that the Nationalist Party presented in the Electoral Program for the last general election. He said that he is in full agreement with The Malta Chamber with regards to justice and good governance.

Dr Grech said that both sides agreed on the importance of addressing environmental issues as well as that giving the necessary importance with regards to the educational sector which needs to prepare and form people for the needs of society.

He reiterated that now, one should look forward to ensure that the 2023 Budget addresses the problems that are directly affecting the general public.

Accompanying President Xuereb were Deputy President Chris Vassallo Cesareo, Vice President Nick Xuereb, and member of the BOM Mark Bajada, together with The Malta Chamber CEO Dr Marthese Portelli, Head of Policy, Kevin Mizzi and Head of Media and Communications Strategy, Rachel Attard.

The Leader of the Nationalist Party was accompanied by Secretary General Michael Piccinino, Spokesperson for the Economy Ivan J. Bartolo, Spokesperson for Work Ivan Castillo, Spokesperson for Consumer Rights Rebekah Borg, Spokesperson for the Social Dialogue Claudette Buttigieg, Spokesperson for Public Administration Darren Carabott and Spokesperson for European Funds Bernice Bonello.

Work environments are greatly affected by the mental health of the people working in them and thus employers cannot ignore the mental health of their employees

“The smoothness of the workflow of a business is dependent on the resilience of the weakest link,” President of The Malta Chamber Ms. Marisa Xuereb said during a conference titled Mental Wellbeing – a Priority for Your Business during World Mental Health Day. She stressed that work is such an important part of life, that it makes more sense to talk about work-life harmony rather than a balancing act between the two. President Xuereb said that, “work environments are greatly affected by the mental health of the people working in them and thus employers cannot ignore the mental health of their employees. It is their concern because it impacts not just the employee who needs help but everyone else in the organisation, including other employees, customers and even suppliers.”

This position was also echoed by Ms. Catherine Calleja, Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee and Director of Atlas Insurance, who supported this event. She acknowledged that employers are increasingly doing more to create positive flexible workplaces and hybrid options but that individuals still fall prey to serious levels of stress, anxiety, depression and worse and greatly affect the whole team’s wellbeing and sense of purpose. She also touched upon the difficulties faced by foreign workers, and by men who find it much harder to ask for help.

During this event Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems with WHO and Dr Denis Vella Baldacchino, Commissioner for Mental Health, portrayed a sobering reality; around the world, 15% of working age adults suffer from a mental health disorder at any given time, at a cost of $2.5 trillion in lost economic activity and in costs directly associated to care. Locally, 65% of involuntary admissions to Mount Carmel Hospital are people who are less than 45 years old, with 30% of them being under thirty. Furthermore, a 3% rise was seen in people who professed to have depressive symptoms between 2015 and 2020.

These worrying statistics were also mentioned by Frank Zammit, station manager of Vibe Fm and mental health advocate who, in a pre-recorded interview, urged people in authority to really take note of the mental health crisis that seems to be underway, and to remove the stigma attached to mental health by acknowledging that going through a mental health struggle is normal and that wellbeing at the workplace should be prioritized consistently, and not through knee-jerk reactions.

During a panel discussion in this conference, Dr Stephanie Xuereb, CEO of Mental Health Services, reminded the audience that the statistics in hand are only the tip of the iceberg, and represent only those people who sought assistance through public health structures. She also confirmed that many workers who seeks help are foreigners, partly due to the fact that they find themselves in Malta without the safety net made up of family and friends, but also acknowledged that environment problems and the war in Ukraine are currently strong triggers for millennials and younger, and that the rise in drug use is also a major contributing factor. Other triggers which were mentioned by Mireille Pellegrini Petit, Clinical and Coaching Psychologist specialized in wellbeing at work, were bullying at work, autocratic leadership, as well as discrimination.

When asked whether there is a legal requirement for an employee to disclose any mental health disorders to their employer, Dr Marthese Portelli, CEO of The Malta Chamber, clarified that one should look at the legal framework holistically. While Data Protection Laws and the Mental Health Act provide for the right of confidentiality of the employee, the Health and Safety Act then places the responsibility of the health and safety of all the employees at workplace on the employer. Hence, the question of whether the employer should know or not is a pertinent one, as knowledge of an employee’s mental condition means that the employer is then duty bound to ensure the safety of the employee in question, their colleagues, as well as the persons that they are obliged to serve.

This argument was sustained by Inspector Omar Zammit, who mentioned a case where an employee was fired for not performing at her place of work by an employer who was not aware that she was suffering from depression. The termination resulted in a failed attempt at suicide in which he had to intervene, with the person now receiving the care that they needed. He also added that the Police Force is also recognising the importance of mental health within its structure, and it is holding training sessions to help officers in recognising mental health issues amongst their colleagues.

Dr Portelli stressed that knowledge of an employee’s mental health condition was not a matter of knowing just for the sake of wanting to know, or to use said knowledge as a gatekeeping exercise during the recruitment process. It is a matter of care and protection and a strive to eradicate the element of shame and to instil a culture of openness in an environment where no form of harassment will be tolerated.

MEPs need to take on a more active role while realising that various sectors have different needs and we should move away from a one-size-fits-all approach

Earlier this week, The Malta Chamber of Commerce Enterprise and Industry Council met with PN MEP candidate Dr Peter Agius. During this meeting, it was highlighted that there needs to be less bureaucracy on EU related matters while promoting competitiveness in order for local businesses to thrive and grow internationally.

Marisa Xuereb, The Malta Chamber President, noted that the EU needs to take into consideration that some member states have connectivity challenges because of their insularity and peripherality.

The Council emphasised that Maltese MEPs need to take on a more active role while realising that various sectors have different needs and we should move away from a one-size-fits-all approach.

The forward-looking proposals aim at supporting businesses by reinforcing the private sector.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry met with Prime Minister Robert Abela to present the 2023 pre-budget recommendations which focus on proposals that aim at supporting businesses by reinforcing the private sector.

While presenting the proposals, President of The Malta Chamber, Marisa Xuereb emphasised how this document is forward-looking and was compiled after numerous consultation sessions with economic groups and business sections within The Malta Chamber.

President Xuereb noted how such meetings are “vital as they provide an opportunity to discuss current challenges while proposing concrete ways on how these can be surpassed.” She continued by saying that “such challenges can only be mitigated through policy that encourages smart investment in various areas such as innovation, infrastructure, good governance and energy and environmental sustainability.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL DOCUMENT

During the meeting, Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed the importance of facilitating local business and that government should be proactive in taking decisions that lead towards economic growth with new priorities, such as digitalisation and sustainability.

Abela also highlighted the need for a centralised data system which in turn aids in reducing bureaucracy as much as possible. Mentioning that Malta has just gone through the process of MoneyVal and FATF successfully, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of having an environment which stimulates business investment and growth.

Accompanying President Xuereb were The Malta Chamber BOM; Deputy President Chris Vassallo Cesareo, Vice Presidents Liz Barbaro Sant and Nick Xuereb, Mark Bajada, Ian Casolani and Norman Aquilina together with The Malta Chamber CEO Dr Marthese Portelli and Head of Policy, Kevin Mizzi.

Ministers Clyde Caruana, Ian Borg, Silvio Schembri and Miriam Dalli, Parliamentary Secretary Andy Ellul, Government Deputy Omar Farrugia and the Head of the Secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister Glenn Micallef, were all present during the meeting.