• 

  Rudolph Psaila

  Chairman, FinanceMalta

  Rudolph Psaila is the CEO of AlleyBe Group, an independently owned Group which is engaged in the Corporate, Trust and Fintech Industry.

  He started his career working for PwC Malta and PwC in the Channel Islands and during his ten-year career working in Malta and abroad, he had the opportunity to work on international, high profile assignments. In 2010, Rudolph moved to Amicorp Group where he was appointed as the Global Head of Commercial Operations and was primarily responsible for setting up and developing the Corporate, Fiduciary and the Fund Administration businesses.

  Rudolph is also the Chairman of FinanceMalta, Malta’s national promotion body for financial services and fintech related business. He is a fellow member of the Malta Institute of Accountants and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Rudolph is a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta and acts as an examiner and tutor for dissertations related to financial services.

• 

  Hon. Robert Abela

  Prime Minister of Malta

  Dr. Robert Abela took office as the 14th Prime Minister of Malta on 13 January 2020.

  Dr. Robert Abela was born in Sliema on 7 December 1977. He received his primary education at the Sisters’ School and St. Francis School and St. Aloysius’ College. He graduated as a lawyer from the University of Malta in 2002.

  Dr. Abela worked in the family law firm, specialising in industrial and labour law, and has acted as legal representative of various entities such as the Planning Authority and Airmalta. He was elected as a Member of Parliament in June 2017 and was appointed as legal adviser to the Prime Minister by Dr. Joseph Muscat.

  Dr. Abela is married to Lydia, nee’ Zerafa, also a lawyer and they have a daughter Giorgia Mae.

• 

  Hon. Clayton Bartolo

  Parliamentary Secretary , Ministry for Finance and Financial Services

  Clayton Bartolo is a certified public accountant and registered auditor by profession and currently forms part of the Cabinet of Ministers fulfilling the role of Junior Minister for Financial Services and Digital Economy. He assumed office back in January 2020 and with immediate effect got the ball rolling on how Malta can further diversify its economic portfolio by attracting new niches coming from the technological sector. Together with his team, he is piloting the Government’s vision to build a Digital Malta where the use of technology becomes the norm within our society.

• 

  Hon. Kristy Debono

  Member of the Opposition

  Kristy Debono is a member of Parliament; she was elected in 2013 and re elected in 2017.   In 2017 she exceeded her quota on first count votes making her the only female member of parliament to get elected as such in 2017.   Since 2013, Kristy Debono has been a member of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee and the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee on behalf of the Opposition.  An economist by profession, Debono is the Shadow Minister of Economic Investment and SMEs, Financial Services and EU Budget.  Debono served as President of the Nationalist Party’s General Council.

• 

  Deborah Webster

  Co-Founder & CEO AMANIcircle (Moderator)

  The creator of AMANI™ Deborah understands the broader impact business has on people, society and the world at large. She aligns people – founders, teams and investors, to build meaningful companies with positive impact.

  With over 25 years studying and interviewing people across the world, Deborah has a unique understanding of what makes people tick. Along the way, she discovered perspectives on life and the keys to success – as business people and as human beings.

  Her time as a Partner with the world’s leading Executive Search firm, gave Deborah insight into what makes people gel and excel. She developed a unique system that enabled her to build and retain high performance teams. Encompassing individual values and aspirations with corporate and cultural dynamics, the model has been successfully applied across several sectors and circumstances including succession in family businesses, scaling start-ups and building purposeful portfolios.

  Deborah is based between Dubai, London and Cape Town.

• 

  Joseph Cuschieri

  CEO, MFSA

  A Certified Public Accountant by profession and a graduate with a Masters Degree in Business Management from Henley Management College, Mr Cuschieri is specialised in management accounting, corporate finance, economic regulation and business management. Throughout his professional career, he held various senior executive positions including that of Chief Commercial Officer at Vodafone Malta, Chief Operations Officer at the Malta Communications Authority, and senior consultant with EY. Prior to joining the MFSA as its CEO, he held the position of Chairman and CEO at the Malta Gaming Authority. In 2018, he was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award by IMGL for his contribution to gaming sector reforms and regulation

• 

  Wayne Pisani

  President, IFSP

  Dr Wayne Pisani heads the regulatory and compliance function within Grant Thornton and leads the financial services tax and regulatory team where he deals with a wide range of asset protection and cross-border regulatory and tax planning engagements for clients ranging from private clients, including family offices and high-net-worth individuals, to NASDAQ listed companies.

  He is the president of the Malta Institute of Financial Services Practitioners and a governor of FinanceMalta. He is also a member of the International Fiscal Association, the International Bar Association and the Maltese Chamber of Advocates.

  Wayne is a published author and an active thought leader in the financial technology space, making regular contributions at fintech conferences, and has a passion for the security and technological aspects of distributed ledger technology. He is also a joint contributing author to “European Competition Laws: A Guide to the EC and its Member States, the leading legal compendium with respect to Competition law in Europe”, published by Lexis Nexis and revised annually

• 

  Federica Taccogna

  Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting (Moderator)

  Federica is a Partner in the Financial Services practice at FTI Consulting, where she leads a team that investigates financial crime concerns on behalf of regulators and enforcement agencies and assist firms in implementing financial crime controls.

  She has led numerous of the recent large-scale investigations (including Russian Laundromats, Latvian/ABLV flows, Vatican corruption, Italian Mafia and terrorist financing) encompassing illicit use of shell companies/complex ownership structures, cryptocurrencies, hacking incidents, and bribery and corruption

  Federica’s experience encompasses a wide range of jurisdictions including the Baltic, Malta, Cyprus, UK, US, Sweden, Italy, Libya, Hong Kong, the BVI, Panama, Bermuda and Curacao.

  In Malta, Federica is a strategic advisor to the MFSA and FIAU and is a Board Director of the local ACAMS Chapter.

• 

  Igor Nebyaev

  Executive Secretary, MONEYVAL

  Igor Nebyvaev is the Executive Secretary of MONEYVAL – a Council of Europe monitoring body, which evaluates the compliance of its member states and territories with the FATF 40 Recommendations. Prior to joining MONEYVAL in March this year, he headed the Council of Europe Division providing technical assistance support in the AML/CFT area

• 

  Liliya Gelemerova

  Head of Transactions Monitoring and Investigations/UK FIU, Director and Deputy MLRO at Commerzbank, London

  With over 20 years of experience, Liliya joined Commerzbank in 2016, having previously worked across the financial crime space in different roles and capacity and across different platforms. She has managed teams, due diligence projects in challenging environments, and led major investigations and litigation support cases. Her experience includes the Royal Bank of Canada, several London-based investigative consultancy firms and Transparency International in Berlin. In the late 1990s she joined Bulgaria’s Financial Intelligence Unit where she headed the International Contacts and Legal Coordination department. She holds a doctorate in AML policies from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and gives lectures at the University of Manchester. A speaker at industry events, Liliya has delivered presentations on behalf of Stop the Traffik, a London-based non-profit organisation that fights human trafficking and modern slavery. At Commerzbank Liliya managed the AML Advisory and EDD Team until her appointment as head of Transactions Monitoring and Investigations/UK FIU and deputy MLRO.

• 

  Ilze Znotina

  Head of Financial Intelligence Unit, Latvia

  Head of FIU Latvia since 1 June 2018.

  Prior to FIU, had a career as a sworn attorney in dispute resolution, regulatory issues, insolvency, anti-bribery and AML, fraud and white-collar crime.

  Former Partner at law firm Deloitte Legal. Mrs Znotiņa represented clients in courts and performed various anti-fraud reviews. Before the appointment to the FIU, she led the Latvian National AML/CFT Risk assessment process and performed several sectoral assessments.

  PhD candidate at the Faculty of Law, University of Latvia. Author and lecturer on topics related to law, fraud and corruption.

• 

  Alfred Camilleri

  Chairman, National Coordinating Committee on Combating Money Laundering and Funding of Terrorism, Malta

  Mr. Alfred Camilleri graduated with Honours in Public Administration from the University of Malta in 1983. In 1992, he attained a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Wales.

  Mr. Camilleri joined the Public Service in 1977. He was appointed Director at the Central Office of Statistics in 1996 and Director General at the National Statistics Office in 2001. He was appointed as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Finance in 2006.

  He is Chairperson of the Compensation Committee of the European Stability Mechanism as well as Member of the European Union’s Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN) and Member of the Euro area Coordinating Group (EUROGROUP) on Economic and Financial Affairs, amongst others.

• 

  Aidan Larkin

  Partner, Asset Reality (Moderator)

  Aidan Larkin is a UNODC Asset Management Consultant, lecturer, keynote speaker and Founder of Asset Reality Ltd (est. May 2020).

  Asset Reality manages the asset realisation process of seized and confiscated assets for governments and Receivers around the world including virtual currencies, whilst lobbying for change to increase asset recovery returns to society. It also delivers Asset Management assessments as well as bespoke training and advisory services.

• 

  Christopher P. Buttigieg

  Chief Officer, MFSA

  Dr. Christopher P. Buttigieg is the Chief Officer Supervision of the Malta Financial Services Authority. In this role, he is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of the supervisory and regulatory strategy across all the sectors under the MFSA’s remit. Dr Buttigieg joined the MFSA in 2000. Prior to his appointment as Chief Officer Supervision he held the position of Chief Officer Strategy, Policy and Innovation, and prior to that he was the Head of the Securities and Markets Supervision Function. Dr Buttigieg sits on the Authority’s Executive Committee and is a member of the Board of Supervisors of the European Securities and Markets Authority and the European Banking Authority. He holds a PhD in Law Studies awarded by the University of Sussex, is a senior lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department of the University of Malta and has published various papers in reputable academic journals. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law in Trier and a visiting lecturer at the same institution. For a period of two years, up to April 2015, Dr Buttigieg was a director on the board of the Malta Resources Authority, Malta’s energy regulator. Between 2015 and 2019, Dr Buttigieg was a member of the board of the President of Malta’s Fund for Voluntary Organisations.

• 

  Kenneth Farrugia

  Director, FIAU

  Kenneth Farrugia, Director of the FIAU, holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) and an MA in Business Ethics. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a fellow member of the Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA) and a member of the Malta Forum of Internal Auditors (MFIA). Throughout his career, Mr Farrugia held audit positions both within private audit firms and the public sector.

  Since joining the FIAU in 2017, Mr Farrugia has provided strategic direction to the various sections of the Unit, including the section responsible for intelligence analysis, the AML/CFT supervisory and enforcement teams, and legal and international relations section. Additionally, Mr Farrugia, together with the FIAU Management team, initiated a process of reform/restructuring of the FIAU’s overall operations to better meet the challenges emanating from ML/TF risks in Malta. He frequently represents the FIAU in international fora, including the EBA AMLC, FIU Platform and EGMONT.

• 

  Alexandra Mamo

  Assistant Commissioner of Police, Financial Crimes Investigations Department

  Dr Alexandra Mamo joined the MPF in January 1990 as an Officer Cadet and promoted to Police Inspector.  She was the first woman to be promoted to Superintendent and Assistant Commissioner. She currently heads the FCID. Her contributions to the Malta Police Force range from her experience at the Economic Crime Squad, the anti-Money laundering Squad, Vice Squad, the Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s and Paceville Districts.
  Dr Mamo graduated from the UOM as a Legal Procurator in 2017 and in 2019 as an Advocate, obtaining the warrant in 2020. She also obtained a Diploma in Management in 2007 within the UOM. She is currently reading for a Masters in Human Rights Law and Practice and lectures in Criminal Law at the Academy for Disciplined Forces.

• 

  Helga Buttigieg Debono

  Executive Head, National Coordinating Committee on Combating Money Laundering & Funding of Terrorism, Malta

  Dr. Helga Buttigieg Debono was appointed as the Executive Head of the National Coordinating Committee for Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Secretariat in June 2018. She currently leads a team of professionals including strategic and implementation analysts involved in assessing the risks attributed to Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism. Dr. Buttigieg Debono holds a B.A. (Hon) degree in Contemporary Mediterranean Studies where she read subjects including Anthropology, Geography, History and International Relations. She also holds a Doctorate of Laws degree and was granted a warrant to practice in the Maltese Courts as a lawyer in 2012. Prior to being appointed in her current role, Dr. Buttigieg Debono served as a Police Inspector within the Maltese Police Force where, as high-ranking official she acquired experience in the field after serving within the Economic Crimes Unit and Money Laundering Sections.

• 

  Michael R. Bloomberg

  Founder, Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th Mayor of New York City

  Michael R. Bloomberg is an entrepreneur and three-term mayor of New York City whose innovations in government and philanthropy have made him a global leader on climate change, public health, and other critical issues facing America and the world. The technology startup he launched in 1981, Bloomberg LP, revolutionized the investment industry. Elected mayor just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Bloomberg led New York City’s resounding recovery, raising high school graduation rates, cutting carbon emissions, and creating a record number of jobs. He has long been committed to saving and improving lives through Bloomberg Philanthropies, and has given away over $9.5 billion.

• 

  Simone Giudici

  Application Specialist, Bloomberg (Moderator)

  Simone is the Bloomberg EMEA equity and sustainability application specialist. Prior to joining Bloomberg in 2014, he was head of trading in EMEA for BNY Mellon’s Beta & Transition Management division in London. Between 2002 and 2010, he worked as a senior equity trader at Instinet. Before then, he held equity research sales and sales trading positions at Robertson Stephens and Goldman Sachs in London. Simone is a CFA, CAIA and CMT charter holder. He graduated from Bocconi University (Italy) specialising on financial markets and economics in 1999 with top marks.

• 

  Carlos Joly

  Fellow CISL, Cambridge University, Former Chair UNEP FI, Co-Chair Expert Group that drafted UN PRI, and CEO of a fund manager

  Carlos is a pioneer in sustainable finance, created the first pollution control technology fund in Scandinavia in 1989 and the first ESG fund in 1996. Fellow at CISL, Cambridge University, where he founded the Investment Leaders Group. Former Chair UNEP Finance Initiative, also Co-Chair of the Expert Group that drafted the UN Principles of Responsible Investment. Was Advisor to the CEOs of Groupama AM,  Natixis AM/ Mirova, and the Fonds de reserve de retraites de France. Founder/CEO of MiljoInvest/Skandia Fonds Norway. Designed/launched Storebrand’s Environmental Value Fund. Worked for Citibank in Europe and Latino America. Lectured at Toulouse B School, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale. Active as an investor and business owner. MA Philosophy, Harvard.

• 

  David Uzsoki

  Senior Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development

  David Uzsoki is a sustainable finance professional with several years of experience in both financial services and sustainability. As a Senior Advisor in Sustainable Finance at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), he advises investors and governments in various areas of sustainable finance. This includes helping decision makers to stay ahead of the curve in this sustainability transition as well as using IISD’s in-house methodology to demonstrate the value of sustainability in investing. He is also responsible for developing their sustainable finance offering, in line with the latest trends and developments in the space. Previously, he was a client advisor at Morgan Stanley International Wealth Management, where he provided advisory and execution services.

• 

  Simon Zammit

  CEO, Malta Stock Exchange

  Simon Zammit is the Chief Officer at the Malta Stock Exchange where he joined back 1991 during the setting up stage of the Exchange. Over the years he has managed various departments including the Central Securities Depository, the Data Operations and IT as well as spearheaded a number of the Exchange’s major projects. These included the implementation of the various transitions in the electronic and remote trading projects undergone by the Exchange. Simon is a Member of the Institute for the Management of Information Systems and holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

• 

  Malcolm Falzon

  Partner, Camilleri Preziosi Advocates

  Dr Malcolm Falzon (Partner, Camilleri Preziosi Advocates), specialises in capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, asset finance, securitisation and insurance, and leads the firm’s fintech practice area. He assists local and foreign clients on legal, regulatory and licensing aspects of each of these areas as well as related corporate and commercial matters. Malcolm also leads Camilleri Preziosi’s Sustainable Finance team, tasked with evaluating the prospects of sustainable finance models and their potential application across the firm’s practice areas. Recent assignments include advising on green loans, social impact financing and a potential greed bond. Recently, Camilleri Preziosi published its own ‘Sustainable Finance’ series, in which the firm explored the emerging trends and opportunities linked to sustainable finance.

  Malcolm holds a LL.D from University of Malta and a LL.M in Corporate and Commercial Law from University College, London. He was admitted to partnership in 2013.

• 

  Juanita Brockdorff

  Tax Partner, KPMG Malta (Moderator)

  Since joining KPMG in 2002, Juanita has worked in international corporate taxation, providing advice to multinationals seeking assistance in tax matters and related planning. Her work covers both international and domestic tax issues. She has advised a wide variety of multinationals both unregulated and in the financial services industry, and delivered structuring advice to gaming and DLT clients. For years she chaired the Tax Committee at the IFSP, providing feedback on proposed legislation. In addition, she has assisted clients with effective global tax solutioning, including mergers and acquisitions and advised on access to tax treaties, foreign tax credits, financing and efficient repatriation.

• 

  Aldo Farrugia

  Director General (Legal & International), Office of the Commissioner for Revenue, Malta

  Aldo Farrugia holds a B.A. (Hons) degree in Accountancy and an M.A. in Diplomatic Studies. He also has over 32 years of experience working in tax administration. Having joined the Malta Inland Revenue Department in 1988, he worked in various sections until he assumed duties within the international arm of that Department in 1993. He became Director (International Taxation) in 2009 and then Director General (Legal and International) within the Office of the Commissioner for Revenue in 2013. He leads the Malta Tax Treaty Negotiation Team and is also Competent Authority in relation to various international tax instruments that Malta is party to

• 

  Ramona Piscopo

  Tax Partner, Piscopartners

  Dr Ramona Piscopo is the founding partner at PISCOPARTNERS, a firm with offices in Switzerland and Malta. For the past 19 years she has focussed on cross-border taxation with a particular emphasis on corporate structures.

  Ramona is an examiner on Tax Law at the University of Malta and until recently she was a lecturer at the LL.M. programme of the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. She is also the executive-director at a family-office, has published several papers on cross-border taxation and regularly speaks at conferences.

• 

  Geraldine Schembri

  EMCS

  Geraldine Schembri is an accountant by profession and has spent most of her working life in taxation, covering both direct and indirect tax, and international business structuring and she is the partner responsible for the international business team within EMCS. She started her career with Grant Thornton Malta where she covered various aspects of taxation both on the direct and indirect front, eventually setting up the international business arm of EMCS in 1999. Geraldine has, throughout the years, been involved in various tax committees and contributed articles and is currently the Vice President of the Malta Institute of Taxation

• 

  John Vella

  Associate Professor of Tax Law, University of Oxford

  John Vella is Associate Professor of Tax Law at the University of Oxford; Assistant Director of the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation; and a Fellow of Harris Manchester College. John studied law at the University of Malta (BA and LLD) and the University of Cambridge (LLM and PhD). He has been a Visiting Scholar at the IMF, a Visiting Professor at Bocconi University, and a Visiting Researcher at New York, Georgetown and Sydney Universities. He has given evidence on tax issues on a number of occasions both before UK Parliamentary Committees and Committees of the European Parliament. John is a co-author – with Michael Devereux, Alan Auerbach, Michael Keen, Paul Oosterhuis and Wolfgang Schön – of Taxing Profit in a Global Economy, OUP (2020).

• 

  Vanessa Macdonald

  Communications Coordinator, Central Bank of Malta (Moderator)

  Vanessa Macdonald spent 25 years as a journalist with the Times of Malta, specialising in finance, economics and business. She was also a freelance writer for numerous publications. In 2019, she moved to the Central Bank of Malta to take up a role as communications coordinator.

• 

  Michael Xuereb

  Chief Officer, Strategy, Policy and Innovation, MFSA

  Michael Xuereb was appointed as Chief Officer Strategy, Policy and Innovation in March 2020.

  He joined the MFSA in 2000, heading a number of functions throughout his years at the Authority, more recently occupying the position of Director – Regulatory Development and Financial Stability. In 2019 he was appointed as Senior Advisor to assist in the implementation of policy initiatives and regulatory reforms, as well as in the CEO’s engagement with national and international institutions and other stakeholders.

  Michael started his career as Counsel for the Republic at the Attorney General’s office, later joining the Malta Development Corporation, Malta’s inward investment agency, where he served as General Manager for a number of years. In the course of his career he sat on various boards, among them, the Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Finance Malta and Malta Industrial Parks Ltd, the Joint Financial Stability Board and was also an alternate member for the MFSA on the ESRB General Board. He has lectured in various institutions, including the University of Malta.

  Michael graduated as Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 1986 and holds a Master’s degree in Financial Services.

• 

  Stephen McCarthy

  CEO, MDIA

  Mr Stephen McCarthy was appointed as the first CEO of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority in June 2018. McCarthy has been entrusted with steering Malta’s vision for fostering innovation and raising levels of assurance and confidence in emerging technology. A graduate in Accountancy, he has worked in multiple key industries in Malta including the iGaming sector, property, manufacturing, education and social housing. Serving as CEO of the Housing Authority he understands the importance of regulatory and oversight functions of public authorities. This vast experience in both the private and public sector ensures that as MDIA’s CEO, McCarthy will strike the right balance between supporting economic growth whilst ensuring robust regulatory standards.

• 

  Dana Farrugia

  CEO, Tech.MT

  Dana Farrugia is the CEO of Tech.mt, a Foundation established in partnership between the Government of Malta and The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry to promote the National strategy for Technology & Innovation. She is engaged in ensuring sector growth for technology and innovation, primarily focusing on AI, blockchain, IOT, cloud services, data analytics, software development, robotics, cyber security and research on innovative solutions. Dana Farrugia has worked in the telecoms industry for fourteen years, mainly shaping the mobile, fixed, internet, tv, fiber and IP networks in Malta. She has also worked at the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses for six years where she has developed an in-depth understanding of the needs of different local industries and also gained a sound exposure on the potential of various international markets. Dana Farrugia is also a Director at Malta Enterprise and at the Malta Start-up Foundation.

• 

  Kenneth Farrugia

  Governor, FinanceMalta (Moderator)

  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.

• 

  Christian Mackintosh

  Senior Manager | Wealth &Asset Management | EY, UK

  Christian Mackintosh is EY’s UK Technology Innovation Leader for Wealth & Asset Management. He is responsible for advising investment managers on how to build a culture of innovation within their organisations, how to partner successfully with FinTechs and vendors, and how to respond effectively to the changing needs of investors and regulators through better use of technology.

• 

  Antonia Zammit

  CEO, Praude Asset Management

  Antonia read law at the University of Malta and went on to obtain her LL.M.  in corporate and commercial Law from the London School of Economics in the UK. On her return, she worked in the investment services department at one of Malta’s leading law firms, just when Malta’s financial services and fund industry was becoming increasingly efficient and successful. She joined Praude Asset Management Limited in 2015 in the role of Chief Executive Officer and has been at the helm of the company ever since. During this time Praude was awarded the Thomson Reuter Lipper Fund Award, in respect of one of its clients, for the best fund (over three years) in the ‘Equity Europe 17’ Category.

• 

  Andre Zerafa

  Partner, Ganado Advocates

  André Zerafa heads Ganado Advocates’ investment services and funds team. He is responsible for the firm’s capital markets initiatives. André regularly advises promoters on various corporate, regulatory and legal issues involved in the setting up of asset management firms, administrators, custodians, prime brokers and securitisation vehicles.
  He specialises in the structuring and establishment of alternative investment funds, UCITS and other retail funds. André was involved in the setting up of the first segregated patrimony umbrella fund in Malta. André is particularly knowledgeable on the structuring of Maltese limited partnerships and contractual funds.

• 

  Hakon Haugnes

  CFO/COO, Andurand Capital

  Hakon Haugnes is CFO/COO of Andurand Capital and responsible for all operational and financial (non-investment) aspects of the company. Hakon was previously Risk Manager for BlueGold Capital (2010-2012), reporting to the CFO and CIO on all risk management aspects of the hedge fund which at its peak managed over $2 billion USD. Mr Haugnes also developed BlueGold’s information systems and headed up the in-house development team. Hakon was Business Analyst for BlueGold from 2009 to 2010. Prior to BlueGold, Haugnes was co-founder and president of Global Name Registry, a private company which was sold in Q4 2008 to VeriSign Inc (NASDAQ:VRSN). He served with the Norwegian Armed Forces as Strategist and holds a masters degree (honours) in mathematical modelling from the Institute of Cybernetics at the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology (NTNU) and studied engineering at Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA) in Toulouse, France.

• 

  Matthew Bianchi

  Vice-Chairman, FinanceMalta (Moderator)

  Dr Matthew Bianchi is a partner at GANADO Advocates and heads the law firm’s Insurance & Pensions team. He regularly advises re/insurance companies, insurance managers, captives, protected cell companies (PCCs) and insurance intermediaries. Matthew is also the Secretary General of the Malta Association of Insurance Brokers and the Malta Insurance Managers Association.

• 

  Mario Xuereb

  Deputy CEO, Lockton European Brokers Limited

  Mario has recently joined Lockton European Brokers as deputy CEO. Prior to joining Lockton, Mario was engaged as an insurance manager for the insurance management operations of a Aon where he was responsible for the insurance operations and management of (re)insurance related matters of direct writing companies, protected cell vehicles, and captive insurance entities.

  Mario, also served over sixteen years in the Maltese insurance industry, where he worked mainly as an underwriter with the largest market players. With this experience, Mario brings with him a great deal of knowledge on various categories of insurance business, which include commercial and industrial programs together with engineering and liability business.
  Mario is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds an Honours Degree in Financial Services.

• 

  Elizabeth Carbonaro

  Chairperson, Malta Insurance Managers Association

  With over 30 years of accounting and insurance experience,  Elizabeth joined Willis Towers Watson in June 2012 managing a number of captives and insurance companies domiciled in Malta.  She was appointed Managing Director of the Malta office in 2016 and is currently the Regional Managing Director for the WTW Global Captive Practice, Western Europe

  Elizabeth is experienced in managing the financial and regulatory areas of captives from the delivery of consulting services to the incorporation of the captive through to the ongoing management of the company.  Elizabeth also sits on a number of Captive Boards.

• 

  Javier Baixas Valls

  Partner, Strategy&, PwC Madrid

  Javier has 16+ years of experience in Consulting (Spain , LATAM and USA), focusing in the Insurance Industry for both P&C and Life, helping clients to define growth strategies, digital strategies and new value propositions, assess operational models, and address business challenges regarding digital experience & operations in Customer Centric models. He has extensive background in business digital transformation designing and implementing new business models, from operational design (across all the value chain) to corporate culture transformation. He has also been involved in innovative projects such as UBI/ telematics. Javier has experience in all distribution channels, including online, exclusive distribution networks, broker management, and Bancassurance.

• 

  Robert Geraghty

  Senior Vice President, International Sales Leader at Marsh Captive Solutions, Marsh UK

  Rob is International Sales Leader for the largest captive manager in the world. Based in London, Rob drives growth in new business and expanding of current operations across the International region. He returned to London to take up this role from Bermuda where he held the position of Business Development Leader for Marsh Bermuda. Prior to Bermuda, Rob was Senior Consultant in the Captive Advisory team in London. He also has experience in Captive Management in both Ireland and Gibraltar. With experience in the full spectrum of services to captives, Rob advises client’s right from insurance company formation stage through to structure, strategy and management.

For the conference we will be using the Whova platform. Information will be sent to all delegates. Networking will be available throughout the conference via the online platform. We encourage you to make use of the platform’s networking features.