Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1453707
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 FEBRUARY 2022 12 COMMERCIAL eCabs appoints Matthew Bezzina CEO to lead company internationalisation LEADING ride-hailing and technology company eCabs has appointed the leadership team that will be executing its growth programme both lo- cally and internationally as the Company is preparing itself to establish operations in interna- tional markets in the next 12-24 months. The restructuring sees Mat- thew Bezzina spearheading the internationalization efforts for eCabs' technology platform having been appointed as CEO for Cuorium Technologies, eCabs Technology arm, and the leader for global operations. Co-founder Andrew Bezzina replaces him as CEO for the local ride-hailing operations, in a period which is register- ing record performance and an ever-growing team of part- ner-drivers. In his forecast for 2022 and beyond for the local brand, An- drew Bezzina explained how despite all the challenges, 2022 is seeing eCabs registering dou- ble-digit growth on its best per- formance, a clear result of the company's investments across all its business units. "Our technology platform is continuously growing and im- proving with over 1,400 part- ners driving on our platform locally, a number that has expo- nentially grown over the last 12 months. Local triple-digit year- on-year growth remains an am- bition we are relentlessly work- ing towards in the forthcoming years," Andrew Bezzina said. The last two years has al- so seen eCabs accelerating its investment in its technology platform, as it positions itself to launch its technology in the exciting international, growing ride-hailing industry. The pipe- line of investors and potential partners in the company's tar- get territories for its first wave of global growth is extremely encouraging. Matthew Bezzina said: "The European ride-hailing market is forecast to enjoy an annual growth rate of 12.5%, worth an estimated €45Billion in 2022. By 2025, Europe forecasts a mobility market of 160million people, which is just 20% of its total population and still pre- dominantly using offline chan- nels – figures that show a global industry that is still in its infan- cy, with substantial growth op- portunities." Whilst eCabs' principal inter- est remains that of launching the brand in different territo- ries, the company also offers brands in any territory through white-labelled software solu- tions. "The leadership team we have put in place is already reap- ing its benefits as we are better positioned to keep growing our business and make a national success out of our home-grown efforts in the digital space." Crowdfunding campaign launched for Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco THE Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco have launched a crowd- funding campaign on local plat- form Zaar to help them buy a van as part of an innovative new youth-focused programme. The Helping the Salesian sisters of Don Bosco get around! Zaar campaign aims to raise €8000 to cover the cost of a second-hand eight-seater vehicle, which they will use to transport the children and adolescents who benefit from the programme. The socio-educational project, named Main, will provide chil- dren and adolescents aged be- tween six and 18 in Xghajra – es- pecially the most vulnerable and those in social, cultural and eco- nomic difficulties – with holis- tic education and development according to the Salesian ethos. Shaped around the needs of the young people themselves, the after-school programme aims to improve school performance and help them become active participants in their community through games, homework sup- port and study, group interac- tion and emotional and spiritual development. The Salesians are a Roman Catholic religious organisation founded in the late 19th century by Don Bosco, an Italian priest who dedicated his life to working for children and youth. Today, the Salesians remain a vibrant global organisation, including in the Maltese Islands since 1903. The Oratory in Sliema, better known as Salesjani, carries out activities aimed at educating and empowering young members to become leaders, both in their own lives and across Maltese society. The Salesian sisters of Don Bosco are likewise known worldwide for their dedication and commitment to educating youth of all ages, according to the preventative system of Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello. "The salvation of the young is the main purpose of our life," explains Sister Maria Diaz, who leads the development of the programme. "All our work has one central objective: to educate our young holistically – spirit- ually, mentally and physically – so that they can feel protagonists of their own history and learn the necessary social skills to de- velop their abilities. Through crowdfunding on Zaar, we can reach out and share our mission with more people in Malta. With continued prayer and their kind donations, the local community can support us as we guide Mal- ta's youth towards reaching their full potential." Visitors are invited to donate to the Helping the Salesian sisters of Don Bosco get around! crowdfunding campaign at www.zaar.com. mt. Further information is also available at www.salesiansmalta. org. Left to right: ecabs CEO Matthew Bezzina and Co-founder Andrew Bezzina