Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1485769
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 NOVEMBER 2022 13 COMMERCIAL Special public transport for 2022 Malta Book Festival WITH over 40,000 visitors expected to attend The Mal- ta Book Festival 2022 edition, Malta Public Transport is an- nouncing a special transport service operating to and from the Malta Fairs & Conven- tions Centre (MFCC) in Ta' Qali between 23rd and 27th November. The festival, which is organised by the National Book Council, is the foremost book celebration in the coun- try's cultural calendar featur- ing book launches, local and international guest authors, seminars and film screenings amongst other interesting ac- tivities. To facilitate travel to the book festival, public buses will oper- ate from Valletta Terminus Bay A1 on the following schedule: On 23rd and 24th Novem- ber departures will leave from Valletta at 16:50hrs, 17:50hrs, 18:50hrs and 19:50hrs. De- partures from MFCC leave at 17:50hrs, 18:50hrs, 19:50hrs and 21:10hrs. The following day, 25th No- vember departures will leave from Valletta at 16:50hrs, 17:50hrs, 18:50hrs, 19:50hrs and 20:50hrs. Departures from MFCC leave at 17:50hrs, 18:50hrs, 19:50hrs, 20:50hrs and 22:10hrs. On 26th November departures from Valletta will be every 60 minutes with the first bus de- parting at 09:15hrs and the last bus departing at 21:15hrs. Sim- ilarly, departures from MFCC will leave every 60 minutes with the first bus leaving at 10:15hrs and last bus trip at 22:15hrs. On the final day of the festi- val, 27th November, departures from Valletta leave every 60 minutes starting from 09:15hrs and last bus trip towards MFCC leaving at 19:15hrs. Departures from MFCC to Valletta will leave every 60 minutes being the first departure at 10:15hrs and last one at 20:15hrs. Malta Public Transport would like to remind the public that Special Services, including the special transport service oper- ating for Malta Book Festival, are included in the Free Public Transport scheme. In order to benefit from free public trans- port, passengers are required to own a valid personalised Tallinja Card and tap it against the ticket machine every time they board the bus. Passengers without Tallinja Cards will need to purchase their ticket on board the bus. For more information, visit https://www.publictransport. com.mt/. St Julian's Maritime Finance turning the tide by championing diversity in Maritime Finance ACCORDING to the Interna- tional Maritime Organization (IMO), women represent on- ly 2% of the world's 1.2 million seafarers. Only 1% are sailors. Many fewer are maritime fi- nance professionals. In Malta, as elsewhere, men and women begin their careers in financial services at parity, but women are underrepresented in the C-suite. This is not so at St Julian's Mar- itime Finance, a licensed finan- cial services provider chaired by Tony Mahoney, former Deputy CEO of HSBC Europe. The com- pany has been promoting Malta as an international maritime fi- nancial centre and has women in key positions both within the Board as well as the executive management. According to Lena Göthberg, a Swedish shipping expert, it tends to be young women who are bringing new knowledge in- to the maritime industry. This is most certainly the case with the women at St Julian's Maritime Finance, director Angela Attard Fenech and CFO and director Ylenia Keegan. They are interested in autono- mous ships, connectivity, block- chain, 3D printing, and other innovations. These are subjects that exactly chime in with the fourth industrial revolution, in which disruptive technologies such as the Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality, and ar- tificial intelligence are changing the way we live and work. A propos, CFO Ylenia Keegan outlines how the financing of the world's-first solar yacht innova- tion project, Silent-Yachts, was undertaken by the firm: "As our chair recently commented, we believe that this financing round to bring a solar-powered vessel to a new owner sets the tone for our future." Board member Angela Attard Fenech, has salt in her blood, with longtime commercial in- volvement in marinas and yacht- ing. Angela is a Chartered Ac- countant, formerly with a 'Big 4' accounting firm, and leads on Corporate Governance as well as interpreting the company's finan- cial data. Fenech says that since financial leases are a derivative, they need careful handling and attributes a lot of her success to determina- tion and perseverance. St Julian's Maritime Finance offers asset-backed financing and finance leasing programs to customers who choose new or well-maintained boats with a value of between €1 million and €10 million. Malta has emerged as the preferred flag for owners of sizable yachts throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. Malta's competitive cost struc- ture has helped the island to compete, and strong corporate structures put yacht owners in a very strong position to enjoy their wealth while saving consid- erably on VAT and other costs associated with yacht ownership. For owners seeking the comfort and cost benefits of dealing with yachting and finance experts who understand innovation, St Ju- lian's Maritime Finance provides a safe harbour. Mahoney puts the situation for the St. Julian's Maritime Fi- nance Board, a Board inciden- tally representing some of the biggest blue-chip companies in the Mediterranean: "Diversity in our Board and senior executive management team is what drives us forward and gives us access to the best inputs, discussions and decisions. We are proud to carry the flag for diversity in this indus- try and to demonstrate on a day- by-day basis the difference this makes to financial and service performance." Fellow Board member Angela Attard Fenech explains: "While a lot of my time in our Board is fo- cused on higher level strategy, we must keep a careful eye on risk. To do that effectively, I must be in the office and in contact with people." Licensed financial services provider St Julian's Maritime Finance has championed diversity by ensuring a balanced Board and executive management team: pictured: director Angela Attard Fenech.