Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1419860
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2021 16 COMMERCIAL Four authors win Nazzareno Vassallo Award MALTESE authors Charles Ca- sha, Joseph Debono, Rita Saliba and Trevor Zahra recently re- ceived the Nazzareno Vassallo Award 2021 organised by Care- Malta as part of the Vassallo Group's 75th anniversary. The ceremony took place at San Anton Palace under the distin- guished patronage of President George Vella. The NV Annual Award for Initiatives in Elder Care – the first edition of which was held in 1998, five years after Care- Malta was founded – honours the achievements of individ- uals or organisations whose initiatives improve the lives of older persons physically, emo- tionally and psychologically. For this year's edition, the call for nominations focused on initiatives that made a differ- ence to the lives of older per- sons during the pandemic. The four authors left a huge posi- tive impact on the lives of older persons during the pandemic through the wonderful worlds of books and literature. Some of the stories, which the authors narrated online, were read with a humouristic touch, or written specifically for COVID-19 times. Others brought back nostalgic memo- ries of the past. To many older persons, especially those with a passion for reading, these read- ing sessions were like manna from heaven. It was also won- derful for them to interact with the authors, create new friend- ships and learn more about books. The selection board, chaired by former prime min- ister Lawrence Gonzi, included former journalist Keith Dem- icoli, who also compered the event, MCAST lecturer Sharon Balzan, Rudolph Cini, chief nursing manager at Mater Dei Hospital, and Claudette Gauci, president of the Maltese As- sociation of Gerontology and Geriatrics. In his report Dr Gonzi noted that there was a particular em- phasis on reading in this year's edition as opposed to previous awards. "This is a reflection of the fact that books and litera- ture provided vulnerable older persons with solace and com- pany during the difficult mo- ments of solitude, having been physically separated from their loved ones," he said. During this occasion, messag- es by President George Vella, Nazzareno Vassallo, chairman of the Vassallo Group, and Na- talie Briffa Farrugia, CEO of the CareMalta Group, were also delivered. Pio Vassallo, CEO of the Vassallo Group, and James Sciriha, director of CareMalta, were also present. The other award nominees and organisations were Ken- neth Abela from Naxxar's parish centre, Tarxien mayor Joseph Abela Galea, Dianne Giordmaina from Malta Li- braries, the Department of Active Ageing & Communi- ty Care, Connie Bonett from Siġġiewi's Active Ageing Cen- tre, Missio, Dar Saura's man- ager, Josiah Grech, Malta Li- braries, Mission Fund, Simblija Care Home, the University of the Third Age and WasteServ Malta Ltd. Last chance to register for EY Malta's free virtual Future Realised Week FOR over a decade, EY's Future Realised (formerly known as the Malta Attractiveness Event) has brought top international speakers to Malta to discuss key global and local business issues around investment, the econo- my, sustainability, and technol- ogy. With the event completely transformed into a virtual ex- perience taking place over four days, EY is taking the opportu- nity to bring more international content and make this a truly global forum once again. Future Realised Week will take place between October 19 – 22 and is open to public and private sector leaders, academ- ics, students, NGOs, business- es, entrepreneurs, start-ups, environmentalists, advisors, investors, techies, creatives and everybody with Malta and their own future, at heart. The speaker line-up this year includes three former Europe- an Prime Ministers; Yves Le- terme (former Prime Minister of Belgium); Jan Peter Balk- enende (former Prime Minis- ter of the Netherlands); and Jan Krzysztof Bielecki (former Prime Minister of Poland), the latter two having also featured in previous editions. Dr Robert Abela and Dr Bernard Grech have also confirmed their par- ticipation. Other international speakers include: Ishi Kotaro, IMF, Dep- uty Chief; Emily Bayley, World Economic Forum, Project Lead, ESG, Future of Invest- ing; Valentina Ion, Microsoft, Director Business Strategy; Tom Raftery, SAP, Global VP, Futurist, and Innovation Evan- gelist; and Catherine De Vries, Bocconi University, and many more still to be announced. They will be joined by leading local business leaders, academ- ics, and politicians to discuss their views on the challenges and opportunities being faced at both country and corporate level. This year's theme is one of optimism and possibility, "The future is in your hands", with each day focusing on dif- ferent topics. The opening day commences with an overview of the global economic land- scape, followed by a focus on Malta's current FDI attractive- ness, COVID-19 recovery, and an exploration of Malta reima- gined. The second day focuses on in- novation, technology, and the future, with deep-dives into Malta's strong and well-estab- lished manufacturing sector, the future of e-health. The third day outlines the future of work, education and skills and closes with a discus- sion by former world leaders on megatrends shaping indus- tries today. The final day looks at sustainability, bettering our built environment, and the role of the private sector in achiev- ing long-term value for the Is- land. During the event, the results of the Malta Attractiveness Survey, an annual study con- ducted among existing FDI companies in Malta, will out- line current investors' senti- ments on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Malta's strengths, weaknesses and where we should be focusing our efforts. The Attractiveness Survey is led by Simon Barberi, EU Consulting Director. The EY Generate Youth Sur- vey will also be presented, out- lining the views of Millennials and Generation-Z on COV- ID-19, the economy, and their future in Malta. The initiative is being organ- ised in partnership with The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and is supported by Bank of Val- letta plc, GO plc, BNF Bank, MSV Mapfre plc, Studioseven, INDIS Malta, the Malta Com- munications Authority, the Environment and Resources Authority, and the Malta Gam- ing Authority. For more information and to register for this free virtu- al event visit ey.com/en_mt/ events/future-realised-2021 and for any queries contact eyevents@mt.ey.com