Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1473180
5 INTERVIEW 14.7.2022 Israeli spine-surgery tech firm expands to Malta Dizz Group acquires KIKO Milano franchise and stores BOV supports climate change and sustainability workshop PATHKEEPER - an emerging med-tech company from Israel has announced the opening of its new subsidiary in Malta. e company has developed a 3D nav- igation system that offers continuous anatomical tracking for spine surgeries. In addition to its ground breaking technology, the system is radiation-free, cost-efficient and mobile. eir Malta subsidiary will be devel- oping a robotic arm that will further enhance the accuracy and efficiency of spinal surgeries. is will improve spi- nal surgeries success rate to the bene- fit of patients. is system can also be used in other orthopaedic surgeries to maximize the efficacy and accuracy of interventions. CEO of Malta Enterprise, Kurt Far- rugia explained that "Such innovative start-ups have the potential to attract the best talent, expertise and skills in their field, in this case in relation to ro- botic engineering and technology. We look forward to seeing the development of the technology which PathKeeper will be working on as well as seeing its' eventual application in the medical sec- tor, leading to better care for patients and more cost-efficient medical solu- tions." "Classified as having an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund, and an innovation-driven econ- omy by the World Economic Forum, PathKeeper strongly believes in Malta's economy and wants to grow with Malta. We are grateful to Malta Enterprise for the collaboration and support. We are eager to grow and expand together with our Maltese colleagues and look for- ward to profiting together with them as we develop the next generation of spine navigation." said CEO, Erez Lampert. Medtech is an emerging niche for Malta with companies such as Baxter who have an R&D base in Malta and a growing biotech cluster specifically in Medical Cannabis field. Malta's ecosystem is ideal for start-ups because of the close link that companies can establish with different stakehold- ers including academia and proactive regulators. AS part of the ongoing restructuring of the DIZZ Group, one of its subsid- iaries, Dizz Retail Limited, has just acquired Dizz Franchises Limited, a company that is separate from the Group. e announcement was made on Wednesday to the Malta Stock Ex- change. Dizz Franchises is the franchisee and operator of the popular KIKO Milano brand, which currently operates five outlets and stalls in Malta. Conceived and founded in 1997 by the Percassi Group, KIKO Milano is an Italian brand that offers a line of professional makeup and cutting-edge face and body treatments. KIKO Mi- lano, with a network of over a thou- sand single-brand stores, is also pres- ent in Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, England, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Poland, USA, Hong Kong, Turkey, Sweden, Russia, Brazil, India, UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and online at the e-commerce site www.kikocosmetics.com. Each store offers customers a wide selection of innovative products, and staff are specifically trained on indus- try trends to offer a service tailored to each customer, thereby making the brand highly popular among custom- ers of all ages. A DIZZ Group spokesman said: "e acquisition of Dizz Franchises Limit- ed streamlines the DIZZ Group's set- up, enabling other operations to form part of a more unified operation." SUSTAINABILITY and Climate change education were discussed dur- ing a three-day collaborative workshop between 12 sixth-form students. e group developed greater under- standing about climate change and pro- posed concrete environmental actions to promote sustainability through a number of expert-led workshops facili- tated by Dr Marie Briguglio. "As Malta's local Bank, we are pleased to have supported this three-day work- shop. In line with the Bank's ESG (En- vironment, Social, Governance) strat- egy, we, as Bank of Valletta, recognise that climate change education is a fun- damental component for a sustainable future and emphasise the need to guar- antee quality climate change education for all," Miguel Borg, Chief Risk Officer Bank of Valletta, said. "rough this workshop, the Bank has capitalised on the ingenuity of the participants as they have presented their idea on how to ef- fect local change for a global impact in terms of climate change." John Paul Abela, Senior Manager within the Bank's ESG Department de- livered a presentation in which he pre- sented BOV's ESG principles, mainly focusing on the Bank's strategic pillars, beliefs, and vision. The KIKO Milano store at Bay Street, one of five in Malta 12 students participated in the Julian's Change the World Challenge 2022