Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/281887
Events 42 maltatoday, Sunday, 23 March 2014 Banif Bank holds annual strategy meeting Gender not the issue behind the latest appointments at AIS Group The Farsons Foundation supports press photography Banif Bank 's chief officers, heads of departments and managers met up for the Bank 's Annual Strategy Meeting held at the beginning of the year, to lay out the organi- sation's plans for 2014. The 50- strong group that makes up the Bank 's management and coordi- nation tier discussed each depart- ment's vision and objectives for the year and how these will be im- plemented. The event is an annual appoint- ment that the Bank keeps with its management team, in the presence of directors, and serves as an eval- uation exercise of the Bank 's past performance, and as a platform for sharing the Organisation's corpo- rate plan for the year. The meeting was introduced by Chairman Dr Michael Frendo who referred to the Bank 's 6 years of achievements where the Banif brand has crystallised, despite the difficult economic scenario and cut-throat competition. While streamlining operations for better efficiency was a con- stant in each department's targets, as was the commitment to invest in people, the presentations also touched upon various key strate- gies that will help each department go forward and improve compe- tencies and effectiveness. The bot- tom line objective is to keep giving customers a high quality service and a range of financial solutions that has always differentiated the Bank from others. "Banif Bank is no longer a start- up. We now serve a significant per- centage of the local market," said Joaquim F. Silva Pinto, Chief Ex- ecutive Officer, Banif Bank (Mal- ta) plc. "In this particular phase of our growth spurt, we continue to review our operations and im- prove our productivity. "We have an ambitious pro- gramme for 2014 that includes introducing more points of sale and strengthening bonds with our clients, who are always at the core of our operations. The experience and commitment of our excellent team means we have no doubts whatsoever that will achieve our set targets. We are very satisfied with the outcomes so far, and while capitalising on these, we are aspiring for more!" Women should be appointed to high managerial posts based on their own merits and not simply because of a gender quota that needs to be complied with. This was stated by AIS Group Chairman, Ing. Mario Schembri, during the appointment of Christine Fenech and Ruth De- brincat Tabone in key senior posi- tions within AIS Group. A certified public accountant, Ms Fenech now heads the Group's Ac- counts Department. Having joined AIS Group two years ago from a leading Maltese beverage group, she quickly rose through the ranks at AIS and now manages the Group's financial multi-million portfolio. As part of her duties, she also manages the finances of GreenPak Coop So- ciety Ltd, the national waste packag- ing scheme, one of the many clients of the Group. Ms Debrincat Tabone heads AIS Environment project team, handling all the environmental consultancy projects. Holding a Masters de- gree in sustainable environmental resources management that com- pliments her first science degree, she has co-ordinated a number of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and environmental audits besides running the monitoring programmes and environmental permit applications for IPPC. Re- cent projects she was directly in- volved in include the Sicily-Malta interconnector project, air quality monitoring for Delimara Power Sta- tion, chemical and biological moni- toring of inland and coastal waters, and ship waste impact assessment. "We look at our employees as in- dividuals aiming to achieve their full potential, and, therefore, their development within the group has nothing to do with their gender, race or belief " said Ing Schembri. "Reaching the managerial hierarchy at AIS is a result of the individual's own merits, strengths and determi- nation. Today half of the top posts at our organisation are occupied by women. This simple statistic is clear evidence that our Group's human capital policies are based on equal- ity in every dimension and is further proof that the principles adopted in the Group's recently attained Equal- ity Mark certification are actually implemented". The AIS Group of Companies is a multi-disciplined collection of organisations with interest in diverse but intert wined fields. Having evolved and grown from its humble beginnings in 1991, AIS Group is now made up of multiple companies specialising in engineering, environmental consultancy and archaeological monitoring. AIS Group HR Manager Ms Odette Schembri added: "It is the undisputed wealth of exper- tise that we find in the team of great people we employ across the whole group that makes us so ef- fective in delivering high qualit y work. Based on years of collec- tive experience, these individu- als are driven by the passion for their specialisation to make a positive difference. These unified strengths bind us together and gives AIS Group the strength to win emerging challenges. Traditional press photos still capture the energy and convey emotions of a whirlwind world in today's glo- bal reality of 24-hour television news, always-on in- ternet and satellite communication. An ardent supporter of the press photography cat- egory of the Malta Journalism Awards, The Farsons Foundation is sponsoring the Press Photography cat- egory for the 13th consecutive year. This award hon- ours the efforts of photo journalists in Malta, who en- hance newspaper and magazine stories each day with their excellent work and the standard of their photos is improving year after year. "In recent years, Maltese press photographers have gone beyond delivering high standards by injecting photographic creativity in their press photography to deliver a more poignant and effective message. What has been achieved in Malta is also being recognised internationally. This is why The Farsons Foundation continues to support this particular category of the Malta Journalism Awards, professionally organised by the IĠM," said Mr Bryan A. Gera, Chairman of The Farsons Foundation. Mr Malcolm J. Naudi, Chairman of the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) explained: "In the Press Photography category judges seek a strong balance of aesthetics combined with powerful journalistic content that reflects the news stories on events, per- sonalities and social issues. It is our responsibility to encourage press photographers so that the quality of photojournalism constantly achieves higher stand- ards." The Malta Journalism Awards consist of 16 catego- ries covering print, broadcast and e-journalism. The awards ceremony will be held at The Palace Hotel, Sliema, in May 2014. The Farsons Foundation Chairman Mr Bryan A. Gera presenting the sponsorship to IĠM Chairman Mr Malcolm J. Naudi Christine Fenech (left) and Ruth Debrincat Tabone