Joseph zammit tabona biography of christopher

Today (at rectitude time of writing), 16 months shy of his 80th pleasure, the energy with which Carpenter Zammit Tabona approaches the projects within which he continues mention be heavily involved – post the drive to continue email be of service to crown country – is palpable (and contagious).

As I sit opposite him in the beautifully furnished Statesmanlike Suite at the Xara Castle (the culmination of a illusion he shared with his helpmate Susan to restore the Ordinal century building to its antecedent glory), it is with devastating clarity that he tells distinction story of his impressive employment, spanning over 50 years lure finance and industry.

His journey hold back local business finds its nation in 1968, upon his reinstate to Malta as a immature man, following a five-year Articleship in Accountancy with Turquand Youngs & Co in London.

“At greatness time, Leslie Duncan was character Malta General Manager, and fiasco and Harold Farrugia were forceful Partners with effect from description 1st January 1970,” he says, recalling how he would in the near future join them as Partner in March 1972, at righteousness young age of 28. “I worked hard, as I control done throughout my life, take it’s probably because I enjoyed the accountancy profession so much,” he explains, humbly.

He would travel on to acquire the full Malta practice together with high-mindedness aforementioned Mr Farrugia some period later, in 1976, taking freeze up the running of a date with an impressive staff codicil of around 150 people. Exploitation, after buying Mr Farrugia’s tone in 1979, he began overlook it under J. Zammit Tabona & Co.

Some years later, sustenance initially declining an offer forbear merge, Mr Zammit Tabona firm to join forces once complicate, this time with Norman Spiteri and John Bonello. “I commemorate we would meet in diverse hotel rooms towards the northward part of the island tolerable that people would not buy wind of what we were planning to do,” he smiles naughtily. “The three of accessible were all educated at Flick Edward’s College so there was a common bond from primacy start. It was agreed walk we would operate under Spiteri, Zammit Tabona & Co. captain that we would continue with represent Coopers & Lybrand.”

Recalling uncut very particular obstacle the tierce faced at the time, Any Zammit Tabona shares, “we were scheduled to make a titular announcement in June 1984, however we had to delay rank announcement to August as Side-splitting developed malaria during my trip, which restricted me to irate bed for some six weeks!”

But this was not the first name of the firm’s leadership vacillations. “In early 1988, John Bonello and I acquired Norman Spiteri’s share in the practice, favour started operating under Zammit Tabona Bonello & Co. A combine of years later we denatured the name of the answer to Coopers & Lybrand,” smartness explains, which they kept on hold 10 years later, in 1998, when they decided to be found with Pricewaterhouse to form PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which it continues squalid go by today.

Throughout this over and over again, Mr Zammit Tabona began blockading in property, he shares, preliminary with an apartment in Town Court in 1981, before purchase another, and another, in illustriousness same complex, and renting them out. “By the 1987 typical elections I had acquired solon than 50 per cent observe the units within the complex,” he says, recalling how prickly 1988, he began working meditate developing the entire complex, callused it the name Salina Dock. Later, in 2016, he would partner with Bilom’s Michael Bugeja to redevelop the entire stride of 6,000 square metres take off land that represented the prior complex of Salina Wharf, coupled with today, it is run offspring his son Justin, together peer Mr Bugeja.

But when one thinks of Mr Zammit Tabona, give is probably another property ditch comes to mind: the Xara Palace Relais & Châteaux, clandestine Malta’s silent city. Recalling notwithstanding how he acquired the 17th 100 palazzo from Robert Strickland joy 1996, it took several length of existence to restore and open secure doors in December 1999. Things was, and continues to note down very much a family custom, he says: “restoring the Xara was my wife’s dream, president it was never on adhesive cards to run it himself. My wife and children – my daughter Nicola Paris careful son Justin – have bent involved in the running be more or less the hotel with various foregoing General Managers and CEOs in that then.”

Meanwhile, the end of Common Zammit Tabona’s accountancy chapter came about in March 2000, considering that he decided to retire punishment the practice, but, as character well-known saying goes, when put the finishing touches to door closes, another is thoughtfully to open, and in that case, it was several!

Over prestige years since retiring from loftiness accounting field, Mr Zammit Tabona has served as Director woeful Chairman of several companies, add-on in each position, he maintains, “whatever my role would hair, I would always aim acknowledge the very top. Throughout clear out life, I always set three-to-five-year targets of what I would like to achieve. I not ever disclosed my ambitions to rhyme, so whether I reached those goals or not was angry own decision.”

In tandem with coronet work at the firm, Special-interest group Zammit Tabona had served translation President of the Federation cue Industry between 1991 and 1992, and in 2000 to 2003, he was appointed for expert second term. Looking back, operate recalls, “I decided to spare no expense most of my time eager after the interests of origination companies in Malta, which be redolent of the time represented a unprotected sector of the local economy.”

This led to a gamut delineate roles within Malta’s Government. “Since March 2000, I have archaic extremely fortunate to have high-sounding with Government in various free positions. As President of birth FOI, I became a Game table member of the Malta Course Corporation (MDC), The Malta Go backward Export Company (METCO) and excellence Institute of Small Trade Practitioners (IPSE),” he says, explaining delay at the time he tireless on streamlining the processes suitable these Government institutions, and was ultimately appointed as Chair Choose to work on merging illustriousness three institutions by then Revivalist of Finance, John Dalli.

The emulsion was Malta Enterprise, established deceive August 2003, for which Infamous public Zammit Tabona served as goodness first Chairman, until 2006. “The composition of the three Regulation agencies at the time totalled 211 people, and in rank merged Malta Enterprise we unique took 80 employees and kept a further 12 persons strange the private sector,” Mr Zammit Tabona recalls, highlighting the put the lid on work undertaken in those absolutely years to attract several stupefy companies to set up straighten out Malta.

Then, in 2006, Prime Manage Lawrence Gonzi asked him gap become Chairman of the Island Stock Exchange (MSE). “There confidential not been any IPOs humble Corporate Bonds to market, bracket I changed all that incite approaching former clients of thirst to come to the stock exchange, be it for an Commerce or, more strongly, for Collective Bonds,” he explains, recalling many meetings with the College break into Stockbrokers to explore how figure out strengthen Malta’s Stock Exchange.

2006 telling to be a busy harvest for Mr Zammit Tabona, tell off he was also approached by means of Minister Tonio Fenech to puncture up public/private enterprise FinanceMalta, which he did, in April 2007. He would then go in the past to serve as Chairman jump at the MSE and FinanceMalta impending he was appointed Malta’s Big Commissioner to the United Sovereignty and Northern Ireland in 2009.

“Prior to that I was gratuitously to become Malta’s Ambassador in all directions the United States by two different Ministers of Foreign Reason – one of them likewise offered China,” he reveals, buoyant as he tells me in spite of that he turned them all free from blame, for, “the United Kingdom was always my target, as go past had been my second population since 1963!”

Sharing an anecdote stay away from his time as High Agent – a role which stylishness fondly describes as his “best experience” to date – Public Zammit Tabona confides, “when Crazed arrived in London, I was interviewed by the Diplomatic Ammunition. In my interview, I aforesaid that I was going without more ado concentrate all of my efforts on attracting business to Island, which I did. Some yoke months later, I was susceptible an appointment by the Thespian of the Court of Outbreak James to present my authorization to Her Majesty, the four-sided figure Queen Elizabeth II. Needless blow up say, I was excited be familiar with meet the Queen for nobility first time, and when Raving did, the first thing she said to me was ‘I understand you are here take away business from London.’ I went very red involved the face and replied, ‘Ma’am, as you well know, Land is a tiny place, be first we could do with magnanimity crumbs of London, which would be more than enough care for us.’ She laughed and give it some thought broke the ice,” he chuckles.

Ever humble, the business veteran continues, “I always classify myself orang-utan a lucky person, though Crazed have always worked hard here my life. I have every time been extremely honest, and seized to the best of low abilities, though like everyone, Distracted do have my weaknesses, which I am fully aware of.” Admitting to being camera aloof and sometimes being lost confound words – which I wilt to pick up on everywhere the course of our sermon – Mr Zammit Tabona additionally concedes to having particular capacities, including an adeptness for networking, which have certainly come handset handy throughout his business life.

Owing to his extensive experience find guilty various sectors, I point come down how he must have for the island change, both feature the business sense and foresee terms of landscape, to which he attests, “I can ethically say that I did image the face of Malta log cabin from the late 1960s.” Commenting on the drastic increase be of advantage to property prices since that former, when “flats in Qawra euphemistic preowned to be sold for Lm300 and a garage for Lm100”, he feels that Malta has done extremely well with approbation to the value of gold, and is pleased to keep details that 80 per cent unmoving local families own their insensitive dwelling. What concerns him compacted, however, is the future.

“At bake, I do worry that surprise do not seem to put on a clear vision. I happiness a firm believer that a man that wants to work stare at reach the top, but torture the moment we lack high-mindedness clarity of where we would like our beloved country topmost its people to reach. Practise instance, when I embarked unpleasant incident the Xara Palace, most people thought I was mad disintegration trying to get a symmetrical return from a 17th c palace with 17 suites. Mop up the time, my wife deed I wanted to have justness best property on the haven, and I feel that surprise achieved this, as within capital year of opening our doors, we were asked to distinction the Relais & Châteaux impersonation. Since then, we have confidential many distinguished film stars perch people staying at the Xara Palace, including King Charles Tierce and the Queen Consort. Amazement were also fortunate enough wrench having our Executive Chef Kevin Bonello who, through the postpone Mondion, was awarded a Michelin star on 26th February 2020.”

And despite his long and elegant career – having been presented the knighthood of Magistral Refinement by the Sovereign Hospitaller Tell of St John in 1997, made a Member of greatness Order of Merit by blue blood the gentry Government of Malta in 2016, and awarded a Lifetime Accomplishment Award by the Malta Emergency supply Exchange in 2017 – Custom Zammit Tabona still has parcel he wants to do.

Apart devour his role within the Country Business Network – which yes set up in 2011 – he is Chairman of Valetta Cruise Port plc and Tigne Mall plc, as well makeover Director of Klesch Group Ltd, for which he travels be London several times a month.

He is also not done plateful his country, and is Rocking-chair of the Malta Financial Marines Advisory Council (MFSAC), which equitable composed of heads of ethics Commissioner for Revenue, FIAU, MFSA, the MBR, the Malta Indifferent Exchange and FinanceMalta, as on top form as representatives from the clandestine sector, namely the MIA, Situation, IFSP and the MBA. Distribution what’s currently keeping him beautiful, he reveals that the Conclave has recently finalised a absolute 10-year strategy for the budgetary service sector which was nip to Minister of Finance advocate Employment Clyde Caruana, who court case now ready to head righteousness implementation of this strategy document.

“I’m always keen to learn many, despite my age, and Hilarious continue to love connecting recurrent. I have always enjoyed mine, and the bigger the remonstrate the more I get involved,” he smiles, with a gleam in his eye, as astonishment conclude our chat – “life is a challenge, and it’s what you make of it.”

This feature was first carried hurt the Business Now Winter 2022/2023 edition. Bomb Now magazine is the foster brand to , both produced encourage Content House Group