Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/608340
46 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 46 PKF O'Connor Davies and Stanley Marks & Company, LLP announce merger PKF Malta is pleased to announce that O'Connor Davies, PKF of- fice in New York will merge with Stanley Marks & Company, LLP, a full-service accounting firm based in Newburgh, NY. Stanley Marks & Company LLP is a leader in accounting serv- ices for the medical practice field, working with more than 100 medical practices and more than 250 physicians. O'Connor Dav- ies, LLP is a full service Certified Public Accounting and consulting firm which is ranked number 29 in Accounting Today's 2015 "Top 100 Firms" list and recognized also as a "Leader in Audit and Account- ing". George M. Mangion, senior part- ner of the Malta office who is cur- rently a member of the PKF Global Council welcomed this expansion in the USA region as this adds immensely to the effectiveness of any future promotion of the island particularly in the growing sector of Captive Insurance. "O'Connor Davies exemplifies all that is good in PKF, passion, team- work, clarity, quality and integ- rity. We are delighted to welcome the clients, staff and partners of Stanley Marks & Company to the PKF family," said the PKFI Chair- man. Ballantine's and album cover artist Leif Podhajsky collaborate for Christmas 2015 BALLANTINE'S, the world's No 2 Scotch whisky, has unveiled a unique range of limited edition gift packs, exclusively designed for the brand by renowned artist, Leif Podhajsky. Leif Podhajsky has created some of the most distinctive and beautiful album artwork of the last decade; music fans will in- stantly recognise his sonically- inspired landscapes and visually arresting imagery. Podhajsky's work is often in- spired by nature and explores themes of the natural world. He is renowned for manipulating elements of balance, symme- try and repetition to create his striking designs. Staying true to his creative origins, this collabo- ration allowed Podhajsky to con- nect with Ballantine's by taking inspiration from the liquid itself as well as the stunning, natu- ral landscapes of Scotland and the whisky journey, resulting in three unique and beautiful lim- ited edition designs. Each stunning gift pack design tells a story of how Podhajsky was inspired by Ballantine's, and by the beauty of Scotland itself. This collection celebrates Scot- land as the home of Scotch whis- ky as well as heroing Podhajsky's own artistic style. The Ballan- tine's Finest Tin captures the movement of the liquid and is inspired by the complex- ity, depth and gold colour of this renowned whisky blend. The Ballan- tine's Neo- prene Finest Sleeve, in- spired by two of the most vital and natural elements in- volved in the whisky production process: fire and water. The Bal- lantine's 12-year-old Tin is an abstract interpretation of Scot- land's stunning scenery; captur- ing the light of sky, the rugged nature of Scotland's Highlands region and the country's f lowing streams. Leif Podhajsky said of the col- laboration, "Before starting on the designs for Ballantine's I spent time in Scotland exploring the rugged, natural landscapes and getting to understand the process of whisky making to get inspiration. "Immersing myself in this way is exactly how I work when I'm designing album cover artwork too; after a while something just clicks and the designs start to form organically. I take inspira- tion from everything in my life; the Ballantine's 'Artist Series' partnership has given me com- plete creative freedom and al- lowed me to stay true to my own artistic style." Peter Moore, Global Brand Di- rector for Ballantine's, added: "It has been a great pleasure to work with an artist as creative, dis- tinctive and as innovate as Leif on our inaugural 'Artist Series' partnership. His eye-catching designs will no doubt be a 'must have' for whisky and art connois- seurs alike this Christmas. Leif joins our growing roster of crea- tives who have worked with Bal- lantine's in a way that stays true to their own style, and we look forward to another exciting 'Art- ist Series' collaboration in 2016." For more information visit www.ballantines.com. Citroën maps out its sporting future AS it unveiled its future in motor sport, Citroën announced it will be taking part in the World Rally Championship from 2017. The team's entry will be based on a model designed in line with the FIA's new technical regulations. In order to dedicate as many resources as possible to devel- opment of the new car, the Cit- roën Racing team will be putting its participation in the WRC on hold next season. In 2016, the Citroën Total team will defend its FIA WTCC world titles with two works Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs, driven by José María López and Yvan Muller. Citroën has won an incredible fifteen world titles over the last twenty-two years, between 1993 and 2015: five in the Cross Coun- try Rally World Cup, eight in the WRC and two in the WTCC. Contributing to the renewal and growth of the company, and to developing a new Brand image, success in motor sport has be- come hard-coded in Citroën's DNA. As the 2015 season draws to a close, Citroën outlined plans for its next challenge, chosen to sustain values it holds dear: team spirit, pushing yourself to the limits and creativity. In line with the strategy defined by Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the PSA Peugeot Citroën Man- agement Board, the Brand will concentrate its sporting com- mitments on a single worldwide programme. After an in-depth study of all the current motor sport cat- egories, Citroën has chosen to compete in the FIA World Rally Championship. This may almost appear to be the obvious choice if you look at the Brand's past success in the sport, but it is one which is above all focused on the future. "With eight world titles and a record 94 wins, Citroën has cer- tainly enjoyed unrivalled success in the WRC," reiterated Linda Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of the Citroën Brand. "Rallying is a fascinating sport, which tests the performance, re- liability and solidity of the cars and drivers in some magnificent settings. The category is tak- ing off again, with increasingly widespread live television cover- age and the arrival of China on the calendar in 2016. In 2017, the appearance of a new generation of cars, which are purported to be very attractive, will coincide with our renewed involvement. "Everything will therefore be in place for us to write a new chapter in our history. Given the brand's rich heritage, this chal- lenge had to be ambitious. We will however be modest in our approach, gradually stepping up our objectives to the very top." Wider, more powerful and more impressive, with imposing aerodynamic features, the 2017- generation World Rally Cars will therefore succeed the cars that first appeared in 2011. This radical change in the regula- tions will enable Citroën Racing to compete on equal terms with its rivals, after devoting 2016 to development of the new model. "We have never hidden our in- terest in the 2017 WRC regula- tions and the entire team is ex- tremely motivated by this new challenge," commented Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. "We like the freedom granted to make the cars more spec- tacular, but also the possibil- ity of reusing development work done on the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC's engine. With a view to managing our resources effi- ciently, we have decided to focus all our efforts on designing and developing our new World Rally Car. This is why Citroën will not be competing in the 2016 World Rally Championship as a works team. We will obviously be keep- ing a close eye on the WRC, both with the organisation of the FIA Junior WRC and with the WRC2 programme for Quentin Gilbert, this year's JWRC Champion." MCAST art students undertake new Banif Life Case BUILDING on the success of pre- vious years' initiatives, Banif Bank has once again commissioned MCAST first year students follow- ing the National Higher Diploma in Fine Art to produce specific works of art as part of a 'life case' project. The aim of these life cases is to simulate real work situations in order to provide students with valuable insight and experience, whilst also opening up avenues for exposure. Banif Bank, acting as a client, commissions works of art from students in line with certain specifications, brand guidelines, and industry requirements. The works will then be judged on the basis of technical skill, originality and theme interpretation, amongst others. For this year's project, entitled Meditgħid, students have been asked to interpret positive and unifying aspects of Mediterranean culture in illustration format. To this end, University of Malta sen- ior lecturer and coordinator of In- izjamed Adrian Grima was invited to share some ideas with students and engage in a discussion which explored different elements and visuals associated with Mediter- ranean countries. Chosen works from fine art life cases, as well as location photog- raphy life cases which also form part of Banif 's collaboration with the MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts, have been used for many different purposes across the Bank's channels, including the Bank's perpetual agenda, calendar, branch installations, murals and a travelling exhibition. "I think this life case can be an eye opener for our students not only to explore different forms of artistic expressions and learn to work with clients, but also to dis- cover and appreciate other cul- tures and traditions of some of the Mediterranean countries," said Ruth Ancilleri, MCAST lecturer overseeing this study unit. "It is a way of educating our stu- dents to respect and accept not only what is familiar and appeal- ing to them but also what can be remote from their habits and their way of living." Smiles greet the announced merger First year art students in the life case project