Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/527016
Events 45 maltatoday, Sunday, 14 June 2015 HSBC Bank Malta is organising monthly talks for employees on self-care and personal development throughout 2015. The theme in the first quarter of the year was wellbeing, and a series of seminars focused on developing employee's self awareness of how to manage their health and well be- ing. Jennifer Azzopardi from Rich- mond Foundation led the first event and discussed the importance of mental wellbeing in leading a healthy life. The next self-care talk was deliv- ered by John Xuereb on nutrition. A personal trainer and lifestyle coach, he explained to the audience the diseases of modern day living and how they can be controlled or even reversed. Another recent session concen- trated on how one can change stress into strength and the talk was deliv- ered by Dr Mariella Dimech. HSBC Malta HR Manager Mandy Garner said: "The health and well being of our people is fundamen- tally important to how we perform as a business. The self-care talks are designed to engage and empower all of our staff in Malta to find the right balance in their busy working lives and help them achieve their potential." The Malta Institute of Account- ants (MIA) recently held a net- working event for its members, past presidents, past council mem- bers, local and foreign stakehold- ers to mark its 50th anniversary. In her last speech as President of the Institute, outgoing President Ms Maria Micallef outlined the role of the profession in today's global changing environment. She underlined the importance of "integrity remaining the corner- stone of the accountancy profes- sion" and described the challenges facing the profession today as "an incredible number of moving parts." Ms Micallef referred to inter- national and regulatory issues at every level, huge financial con- cerns from an economic perspec- tive, interdependency of national economies, the complexity of re- porting, the expectations of the public, the implications of tech- nology, and the speed at which everything happens as some of the major challenges facing the profes- sion today. "These significant and complex changes happening around us are pushing aside the traditional transactional and reporting areas. The need for knowledge workers, who can analyze and apply busi- ness information to drive decisions is fast increasing. Accountants possess the skill set and education to excel in understanding the con- nectivity of these complex factors. Coupled with our ability to develop a trusted advisor relationship with clients, this puts us in a unique po- sition that we need to put to better use in the future" she said. Ms Micallef urged accountants "to uphold integrity in everything they do" and solicited the new President and Council, soon to be elected from amongst members, to take a more active approach in shaping public opinion on key is- sues. Guests of honour also included Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Minister of Finance Edward Sci- cluna. In a short address, Muscat referred to Malta's success in the financial services sector and in en- suring that the country's economy continues to grow steadily, not- ing that accountancy profession- als help the country to sustain the current high level of economic ac- tivity. On his part, Scicluna said that de- velopments in European financial services legislation will require the accountancy profession to voice its expertise on technical matters, which might have an impact on the country's record performance in this area. The membership of the Malta Institute of Accountants exceeds 2,500, representing more than 90% of local warrant holders. The Insti- tute is probably the largest profes- sional body in Malta. "The strength of a professional body is not necessarily measured by its size but rather by its ability to lead the profession to respond to changes, to shape public opin- ion on key issues, to contribute to international development and to chart new frontiers" Micallef said. MIA is actively involved in the delivery of ongoing Continuous Professional Education (CPE) for accountants and through a joint scheme with ACCA, the Institute also provides professional quali- fications to students who opt to follow a part time rather than full time course in accountancy. The Malta Institute of Accountants marks its 50th anniversary Staff maximise true abilities at monthly HSBC self-care sessions From left to right: Bernard J. Scicluna, Anthony Doublet, Albert E. Vella, Mario P. Galea, Maria Micallef, Frederick Mifsud Bonnici, Joseph N. Tabone, Anton Borg, Benjamin Rizzo standing in a commemorative photo showing all past Presidents of the Malta Institute of Accountants. Permits for Bingo available through the Malta Gaming Authority The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has issued a reminder for the general public that in order to organise a non-profit tombola, a permit is required in accordance with the Public Lotto Ordinance (Chapter 70 of the Laws of Malta) and the regulations issued there- under. Applications, which can be downloaded from the official website www.mga.org.mt or col- lected from MGA's premises at Suite 1, Level 3, TG Complex, Brewery Street, Mriehel, should be submitted to the MGA at least 15 days before the commence- ment of the bingo session applied for. Holding or hosting a bingo without a valid permit from the MGA will result in a breach of the Public Lotto Ordinance and legal action will be taken accordingly. Further information and ap- plication forms can be at tinyurl. com/ot3u7u3