Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1065920
20 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 DECEMBER 2018 COMMERCIAL Success for HSBC Malta's employee pension plan LAST April, HSBC Bank Mal- ta p.l.c. and the Malta Union Bank of Employees (MUBE) announced the launch of the employee pension plan, the first ever offer of its kind with- in the country's private sector. After seven months, around 800 HSBC employees are now registered on this plan. This is a significant milestone for HSBC and MUBE in line with the commitment made with the employees, who are at the heart of the organisation. Commenting on the achieve- ment, HSBC's Head of Human Resources, Caroline Buhagiar Klass, said, "HSBC is commit- ted to supporting its people with their financial future and believes this pension plan is an important new benefit that will help employees plan for tomor- row." William Portelli, President of the MUBE, stated, "It has al- ways been MUBE's ambition and vision to further support the welfare of the employees by providing them with the op- portunity of having a pension plan. MUBE believes that this can only happen through effec- tive and meaningful collabora- tion. Thus, where and when possible, MUBE will continue to insist with the employers on seriously considering to offer such a benefit as it enhances retention and clearly supports the long term well-being of the employee and the workforce in general. MUBE would like to thank all those who were in- volved with the work behind the setting up of the first HSBC Pension plan for the Maltese workforce." The plan involves contribu- tions from employees that are matched by the bank while ensuring that overall levels of contributions agreed between HSBC and MUBE are achieved, and then invested through HSBC Life Assurance (Malta) Limited, which could result in growth over the years. At retirement, employees can utilise the money available in their respective plan to help them maintain a prosperous lifestyle. HSBC is the first ma- jor bank in Malta to launch the pension plan for its employees and it marks a moment of pride in the history of the bank lo- cally. Red is the colour of choice for Christmas A crowdfunding campaign on the local plat- form Zaar has been launched to support the professional conservation of the Baroque wall paintings of the Chapel of the splendid Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta. Palazzo de La Salle was built in the late 16th century and was home to the Knights of the Order of St John for hundreds of years. The Palazzo has been the seat of the Malta Society of Arts (MSA) since 1923, and is currently used by the MSA for arts education, exhibitions and performances. The little-known Chapel inside the Palazzo is decorated with stunning 1730s wall paintings, depicting the Coats of Arms of Fra Guillaume de La Salle, Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena, and scenes from the Life of St John. The paintings are highly significant historical and artistic evidence of the era of the Knights, and some of the few Baroque wall paintings in Malta to survive within a domestic context. Extraordinarily, they survive in their origi- nal form, never having been restored or over- painted over the past decades. Such important paintings, however, have been long forgotten and they are currently virtually unknown to the public. The conservation project of the wall paintings of the Chapel was started in 2016 by the Univer- sity of Malta's Department of Conservation and Built Heritage team, composed of professional conservators and students. The Department is now crowdfunding in order to complete the conservation project. The final phase of the project will include the cleaning and retouching of the paintings and is a crucial stage of the work, since it will return full legibility and aesthetic value to the paint- ings. This will require six months of full-time work of two recent professional graduates, under the continuing guidance of the professional depart- mental staff, after which the paintings will be presented to the public. The Chapel will then house exhibitions, showcasing the work of the Department and its sponsors. For this final phase, the Department and the Malta Society of Arts need your help. Through this crowdfunding campaign on the ZAAR platform, everyone can contribute to bring this project to life. Everyone can, and should, feel part of it. The Department estimates that, in order to complete the project, a total of €25,000 is re- quired over a six-month period, to fund both the human and material resources necessary. Beyond helping to safeguard such a signifi- cant piece of Malta's art heritage, any sponsors of the project's crowdfunding campaign will receive an exciting reward, dependent on the amount donated. Palazzo de La Salle conservation project crowdfunds on Zaar BECAUSE Christmas is a time of year like no other and be- cause N°5 is a fragrance like no other, red is the colour of choice. For the first time in the his- tory of the House, the legend- ary clear-glass bottle designed by Mademoiselle Chanel is donning a fiery cloak of red. A unique limited edition, N°5 L'EAU Eau de Toilette and N°5 Eau de Parfum (100ml) in mass-dyed red glass. What other colour could combine with the power of N°5, the symbol of a visionary spirit? Red, "the colour of life, the colour of blood" according to Mademoiselle. Designed in 1921 and adapt- ed in 1924, the clear rectangu- lar bottle with simple, geomet- ric lines and a facetted stopper features a radical architecture that has become the manifes- to of a modern aesthetic. The iconic design subtly evolved over the 20th and 21st centu- ries, maintaining a masterful balance of shape and propor- tion. Remaining true to its pioneering nature, it is pursu- ing its course upheld by a new aura. Red. What other colour could be such a fitting match for this "woman's perfume with the scent of a woman", composed as Mademoiselle Chanel's olfactory double? The designer chose this floral- aldehydic fragrance for life and considered its olfactory signa- ture like her talisman. A reflec- tion of her passionate soul, red conveys her unwavering love for her trade, the arts, and the men who marked her life. A colour that holds nothing back, the promise of commitment and self-assertion, it incar- nates all the boldness, freedom and strength of a woman who forged her own destiny. N°5 RED is available in limited edition in selected CHANEL outlets only. Chanel is distributed by Al- fred Gera & Sons Ltd.