Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/380554
Events 39 maltatoday, Sunday, 14 September 2014 MSV Life invests in staff development MSV Life, Malta's leading life insurance company, holds regu- lar training for its staff across all the hierarchies of the company combining learning with fun. Throughout the year, MSV Life employees get technical and on- the job training, benefit from aca- demic sponsorships, participate in conferences and are invited to attend in-house training sessions specifically developed to tackle is- sues that arise from surveys the company holds to gauge the work environment. Besides the technical and soft skills training that is carried out during each year, the Learning Through Fun initiative goes back to 2012 when MSV Life held its first one-day team building ses- sion for all staff, split into groups for business continuit y purposes, at Limestone Heritage. During the same year, an executive man- agement development programme was held over two days. In October of the following year, a 2-day training programme was held in Gozo for the senior execu- tives which are the middle tier of the organisation. The team of 14 staff members were taken to Gozo for an off-site two-day programme of training and team building, coordinated by Chief Officer HR and Corporate Services Norman Mifsud and conducted by Mdina Partnership and Jugs. Participants learnt how to com- municate effectively, the dif- ference between leadership and management, the importance of values and beliefs, different be- haviours and attitudes and inter- personal relationships. A similar programme was held earlier this year for the rest of the staff, where 37 employees participated. "We move out of our premises and incorporate sleepovers in our corporate training as we be- lieve this is most effective in team building because our staff have to live together outside an office environment," says Mifsud. "We start off by building their expec- tations weeks before the actual off-site, like blocking their calen- dars, meeting them in the board- room and announcing some of the information so that they can plan their own shopping and cook for the whole team on the first day. "They also have to elect a leader and other roles required during the training. Hence the actual team building and excitement starts weeks before. We give them no clues on the whole programme, just what they need to know in lit- tle doses to make it fun." During the last activit y, the team was ferried to Gozo where they found hired jeeps waiting for them which they had to drive to their destination. The event was professionally filmed throughout to serve as a souvenir for the par- ticipants, as well as to give them the opportunit y to learn by seeing what they did objectively. Besides the actual working ses- sions, which are conducted in an informal and comfortable envi- ronment, there is also the fun el- ement which includes shopping and cooking; filming; off-road navigating around Gozo at night, looking out for planted clues on the way; rigging a rope at Dwejra Cliffs and zipping down; lip dub- bing, where staff are given a song and lyrics which they have to act out and film in one continuous shot; and geocaching – a sort of treasure hunt around Gozo using GPS and jeeps and including ab- seiling and canoeing. These training sessions were successful and left positive expe- rience on all those who attended. The concept of learning through fun was truly an effective expe- rience and staff members were back at MSV Life with refreshed vigour, improved focus and team wisdom. MSV Life p.l.c. is authorized by the Malta Financial Services Au- thorit y to carry on long term busi- ness under the Insurance Business Act, 1998. COM100914 MSC Armonia enters dry dock in Palermo The Peugeot Exalt concept: a new incarnation for the Paris Motor Show Peugeot is showcasing the Exalt concept in a new livery at the Paris Motor Show. The car body features shades of grey that segue from the bare steel covering the majority of the exterior to the distinctive Shark Skin rear end. Inside, the Newspa- per Wood finish borrows (literally) from the pages of major business dailies. The tailgate features an ingenious opening mechanism and provides easy access to the HYbrid- kick, an innovative electric scooter, stowed below the boot bottom. With the Exalt, Peugeot contin- ues to build on the imposing vision of the sedan it first unveiled with the Onyx concept in 2012. A vision embodied by materials that achieve a blend of balance, local sourcing, recycling-based production and more. This new automotive experience is powered by a petrol HYbrid4 drive train with an output of 340hp. With its sleek, athletic lines, the Exalt embodies all the power of Peu- geot design. Sitting on wide tracks with powerfully rounded wheel arches, the five-door hatchback expresses its style over a length of 4.70m, combining flat surfaces and straight-cut lines to strike the per- fect balance between aggressiveness and softness. The Exalt is unabash- edly radical, stripped of any super- fluous materials to retain only what is really useful. All materials have been carefully selected with an eye to efficiency. In homage to the art of the French motor car from the twen- ties and thirties, the car's bare steel bodywork is hand-formed by a mas- ter panel beater. The Exalt is one of a kind, offer- ing a fresh take on time-honoured traits synonymous with automobile passion: taut, dynamic lines, a high waist line, a raked windscreen, a low roof (just 1.31m), a very slender profile that conceals a nonetheless spacious cabin, tightly shaped side panels with basalt-fibre sills and 20- inch wheels. The long bonnet grows out of a particularly expressive front end, where the twin headlamps, set in the bumper, integrate the brand's recognisable signature lighting. In the middle, the powerful grille emerges from the bodywork and provides the backdrop for the lion. At the bottom, the flow of air sup- plying the engine is divided by fins housing the LED indicators. To improve the drag coefficient, the rear of the Exalt is trimmed in "Shark Skin", an efficient textile that draws on biomimicry to create a technical grain structure that mark- edly improves the aerodynamic per- formance of the vehicle and reduces fuel consumption. This feature is highlighted by a clear line between the rear door and the quarter light that creates a sophisticated tone- on-tone transition between the bare steel and the grey of the Shark Skin. The result is a finish notably differ- ent from the version seen in Beijing. The material contributes to the Exalt's aerodynamic performance— with a SCx of 0.6—alongside other elements, including an air extractor in the rear bumper, the curve of the roof and the profiled mirrors. With such remarkable aerody- namics, the Exalt 's impact on its surroundings is visual more than anything else, enhanced by ahori- zontal band in the hollow of the rear spoiler showing the width of the car and the sculpted facet of the light- ing signature. MSC Cruises' ambitious Renaissance Programme to renew and enlarge four ships of its 12-strong fleet has reached a new level after MSC Armonia ar- rived in Sicily. On Sunday 31 August MSC Armo- nia entered the Fincantieri shipyard, in Palermo, Italy, where she will re- main for 11 weeks, until resuming service on 17 November with a one-off inaugural Mediterranean cruise from Genoa to the Canary Islands. Over the next two and a half months, Fincantieri's team of world-class ship- builders will lengthen the ship by in- serting a prebuilt 24-metre section containing 194 extra cabins. In addi- tion, they will refit and renew many other parts of the ship, upgrading the level of comfort, entertainments and services available on board. Before MSC Armonia's arrival on Sunday, Fincantieri had begun prepa- rations for the massive project both on board and in the shipyard. On 28 August, the new midship section was floated into the shipyard, and towed into the drydock area, where MSC Ar- monia will undergo her Renaissance. Finally, on Sunday morning, MSC Armonia stopped inside the drydock, where the midship section was wait- ing. Work immediately started on her hull, as the cutting line was marked. The midsection will be inserted mid- September and the maiden journey out of the shipyard will be on 17 No- vember. In addition to new cabins, the ship will boast new areas for the Baby Club built in partnership with Chicco; also a new Mini Club and Young Club for kids to play, as well as a Teens Club. Food lovers were not forgotten as the buffet will be open 20 hours per day and exciting features will be available for an even better food experience. She will also feature a new lounge area as well as an extended restaurant. MSC Armonia will in addition be fit- ted with a library for MSC travellers to enjoy their time on board even more. MSC Aurea Spa will also benefit from enrichments to please our guests. A completely new spray park will also be added, with an exhilarating pathway of water features and water cannons. The Renaissance programme will follow the below schedule -MSC Ar- monia: 31 August to 17 November 2014, MSC Sinfonia: 12 January to 16 March 2015, MSC Opera: 2 May to 4 July 2015, MSC Lirica: 31 August to 9 November 2015. The four ships were built between 2003 and 2005 at the STX yards in Saint-Nazaire, France. They are cur- rently 251 metres long, weigh 60,000 tons and carry 2,069 travellers. After the "renaissance programme", the ships will be 275 meters long, weigh 65,000 tons and carry 2,680 travellers, boasting 193 additional cabins (plus 59 new cabins for crew members). More information can be found on www.msccruises.com Vodafone Malta shapes the world of two graduates Through Vodafone's Discover Pro- gram, an intensive training and de- velopment program that enables Vo- dafone to identify, retain and develop high-quality talent from University, Samra Akhtarkhavari and Giulia Brunetti are currently undergoing a customized training program which is providing them with exposure to Vodafone's growth and career op- portunities and helping them make an educated career choice by offering them job rotation across functions, career path insights and projects amongst others. S amra Akhtarkhavari has graduated in B. Communications (Hons) and English at the University of Malta and Giulia Brunetti has obtained a Master of Science Degree in Market- ing and Market Research at the Uni- versity of Pisa, Italy. Both graduates are currently enjoying their Custom- er Facing induction phase and their final destination roles will be in Cus- tomer Experience (Commercial) and Customer Value Management (Con- sumer Business Unit) respectively. "We aim to be the leading customer and talent oriented organisation that engages people," said Gabriella Tanti Cappitta, Resourcing Senior Ex- ecutive at Vodafone Malta. "We are constantly focusing on creating ca- reer growth opportunities for fresh graduates. Life here is very fast and it brings new challenges every day; working for us means an opportunity for new graduates to experience this great opportunity to grow in a com- pany that is always evolving. "The program will ensure that both graduates feel valued and will go that extra mile to contribute to an organi- sation with development as top prior- ity. We wish both our Discover Grad- uates all the success in their journey at Vodafone!"