BusinessToday Previous Editions

3 NEWS 26.11.2020 UNDERSTANDING and developing emotional intelligence skills is the top- ic that will be covered by performance coach and leadership trainer Karl Grech during the next Malta BNI Business Briefing (BBB). Entitled "Understanding Emotional Intelligence and why we need it in the workplace", this interactive webinar will be delivered on Wednesday 2 December 2020 at 12noon via zoom. e synergetic presentation will be of particular interest for human resources heads. directors, and persons in leadership or managerial roles. Visitors are welcome. e Malta BNI Business Briefings in- itiative is a series of free-of-charge on- line meetings organised by Malta BNI, a body which forms part of the glob- al Business Networking International (www.bni.com). Operating on the principle of Givers' Gain and promoting innovative concepts of business referrals, today BNI has 9,829 chapters with more than 270,000 mem- bers. In 2020, notwithstanding the pan- demic, through its innovative systems and core values, BNI members gener- ated more than €13 billion in business transactions. is fourth BBB will take the form of an interactive webinar, during which Grech will demonstrate how partic- ipants can discover what they need to know about emotional intelligence at work. "With the advent of what is being called the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution', that is the emergence of commercial Arti- ficial Intelligence," he said, "all of the most credible research organisations are speaking loudly about the value of emotional intelligence skills as the core differentiator for individuals and organi- sations in an AI-enabled world." Harvard Business Review recently stat- ed that the rise of AI makes emotional intelligence more important as skills like persuasion, social understanding, and empathy are going to become differentia- tors as artificial intelligence and machine learning take over other tasks. Further- more, the World Economic Forum has identified emotional intelligence as one of the key skills for survival from 2020 onwards. One can participate free of charge by registering via this zoom link: https:// bnionline.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tJEqdOmrrzooE9wPbUeRpvg_LL6sv- Wi_mSDs In Malta, the organisation fosters stronger collaboration between busi- nesses, especially micro and small enter- prises and partnerships, as it creates new commercial opportunities in Malta and beyond, especially in these uncertain times. Moreover, since last July, Malta BNI has embarked on a series of international joint business meetings with BNI mem- bers in Italy, the USA, South Africa and Cyprus. Finland will be next on 4 De- cember 2020. BNI briefing tackles the growing importance of emotional intelligence BNI member Karl Grech (Photo: Luke Mallia) FROM PAGE 1 Malta Financial Services Authority chief executive officer Joseph Cuschie- ri has resigned, finance minister Clyde Caruana announced yesterday. Caruana said he had accepted Cus- chieri's resignation and thanked him for his work at the regulator's helm, "strengthening the regulatory aspect, modernising the structures of the au- thority, and carrying out reforms in the MFSA in recent years." Cuschieri had self-suspended himself, together with MFSA general counsel Edwina Licari, after an internal investi- gation was launched on a Las Vegas trip with the magnate Yorgen Fenech. Cuschieri and Licari had travelled to Las Vegas together with the Tumas magnate and casino owner Yorgen Fenech back in May 2018. e financial regulator's legal counsel Edwina Licari was still legal counsel at the Malta Gam- ing Authority at the time of the trip in May 2018. In his letter to the MFSA chairman, Cuschieri said he had taken his decision to step down "following a period of deep reflection – that in the circumstances it is both in the interest of the Authority and myself to part ways and avoid any unnecessary media attention and exter- nal pressures at such a critical juncture." Cuschieri said the resignation was not an easy decision for him, and that it had been his privilege to lead the MFSA through a radical transformation since 2018. But he insisted that his resignation should "in no way be interpreted as an admission of any wrongdoing or mis- conduct on my part." Cuschieri said that as CEO he had car- ried out his duties to the best of his abil- ities and with integrity. "Major reforms were implemented in order to trans- form the MFSA into a more robust, dy- namic and trustworthy financial super- visor," Cuschieri said, thanking both the chairman and his management team and MFSA staff for their support. Cuschieri had only just been appoint- ed to the regular in May 2018 when he travelled with Fenech, Licari and Char- lene Bianco Farrugia, a secretary from the Office of the Prime Minister, to Las Vegas. He was formerly chief executive of the MGA itself. Times of Malta first reported that the MFSA CEO had travelled to Las Vegas with Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech in May 2018. e trip was paid for by Fenech. Cuschieri told the newspaper he had been invited by Fenech to advise on regulatory matters related to gaming, a sector he had just exited. Fenech is a casino owner. But while Cuschieri had only just stepped down from CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority, also accompanying them on the flight was the MGA's legal counsel. Cuschieri has insisted there was no conflict of interest or ethical breach given that he had already moved away from the MGA. Fenech's ties to 17 Black and his link to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia were not yet known at the time. 'No admission of any wrongdoing or misconduct on my part' - Cuschieri Joseph Cuschieri and Edwina Licari had self-suspended themselves after an internal investigation was launched on a Las Vegas trip with the magnate Yorgen Fenech

• Cover