Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/697149
45 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 JUNE 2016 Banif's top management does the rounds In line with Banif 's philosophy of promoting open communication and synergy across all levels of the Bank, the Banif branch network was paid a visit by Joaquim Silva Pinto, Chief Executive Officer, and Luis Avides Moreira, Chief Commercial Officer. During these visits, the Chief Officers took the time to have talk with members of the Bank's Retail and Corporate Banking Units, as well as clients, before sitting down with Branch, Corporate and Rela- tionship Managers to discuss vari- ous issues including market appe- tite and business opportunities. "We do our best to keep these meetings regular for a chance to get in touch with our front-liners, who at the end of the day are the face of our Bank," Silva Pinto said. "Although the Bank invests heavily in improving its processes and upgrading its digital infra- structure, our success is only pos- sible through the efforts of our dedicated team. With a retail net- work of twelve branches and three corporate banking centres across the Islands, our customers have rightly come to expect the high quality service given by our team of professional bankers." Corinthia brings Brussels legend to life Corinthia Hotels recently brought a Brussels legend back to life with a dinner to celebrate the group's recent acquisition of the landmark Grand Hotel Astoria in Rue Roy- ale. Guests included dignitaries, members of the Brussels commu- nity and the hotel's original own- ers, Robert and Joelle Goossens Bara, who were visibly moved to be back inside the property which has been closed for over a decade. A tearful Goossens Bara, whose grandfather built the property in 1910, said: "Everyone in Brus- sels has memories here… Brussels needs to have our beautiful home reopened and to relive some of its remarkable memories." The Astoria welcomed a string of illustrious guests in its prime, including former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and former US President Dwight Ei- senhower, but fell into a state of disrepair before closing down over a decade ago. Since acquiring the Astoria in May, Corinthia has announced that it will embark on an extensive redevelopment to turn the prop- erty into the city's leading luxury hotel comprising 121 rooms and suites. It will reopen as the Corin- thia Grand Hotel Astoria. However, as was the case when the group bought its London ho- tel in 2009, Corinthia cleared piles of dust from the hotel's majestic lobby and ballroom to make it possible to host a grand dinner to mark the company's arrival in the European capital. Corinthia chairman Alfred Pisani said: "This property is a living experience of the past. Our primary responsibility is to trans- form the building and to revive its soul. When I say that I want the Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria to be the very best in Brussels I really mean it. This will be a stunning property." Before the hotel shut its doors at the end of the evening so that the refurbishment process can begin, Madame Goossens Bara had the fi- nal word: "We are happy to entrust you with our old and beautiful As- toria. We consider it to be a lady that has been through a lot, but it will shine again thanks to you." Simonds Farsons Cisk plc addresses Research Analysts at MSE The Chairman and senior manage- ment of Simonds Farsons Cisk plc were recently invited to participate in a series of Research Analysts Meetings being organized by the Malta Stock Exchange (MSE) for listed companies. The objective of the meeting was to present an over- view of its financial year ended 31 January 2016 as well as to provide some insight into the plans of the Farsons Group for the current year, including an update of the current projects being undertaken to an audience of stockbrokers, financial analysts, major bank representatives and MSE officials. The event was introduced by the Chairman of the MSE, Joseph Por- telli, who said that the Exchange was committed to giving added value and visibility to listed entities like Farsons by creating opportunities like these that allow them to interact with the market. Louis A. Farrugia, Chairman of the Farsons Group then addressed the meeting, and whilst acknowl- edging the positive results achieved by the Farsons Group and giving due recognition to all the stakehold- ers who contributed to this strong performance, Farrugia emphasized the importance of the achievement of these encouraging results to be able to continue with the planned investments which are targeted at enabling the Group to further grow its business both locally as well as internationally. To be able to meet this vision, the Group is currently commissioning a new €27m beer packaging facility, an investment which was initiated in April 2014 and which has been completed on time and on budget despite the com- plexities involved. Other current investments include the extension of the Logistics Centre and the enlargement of the Group's administration block. Norman Aquilina, Group Chief Executive provided further insights into the plans of the Farsons Group and its strategies for the future. He presented the improved trading per- formance of the different business segments of the Group despite the fierce and ever-present competition in an increasingly complex and dy- namic market. The Group's focus on innovation and internationalisa- tion to be able to achieve its ambi- tions for further growth were em- phasized. The Group places a strong focus on new product development but also drives a strong message of innovation in its systems, processes and ways of working. Charles Xuereb, Group Financial Officer, then presented an overview of the recently audited financial re- sults and outlined the developments and plans relating to the proposed spin-off of the non-operational property assets into a newly listed public company. The decision relat- ing to this proposed spin-off is to be taken at a general meeting for share- holders planned for 2017. Simonds Farsons Cisk plc will be holding its Annual General Meeting at the end of this month Dinner celebrating another Corinthia Hotels landmark acquisition Charles Xuereb addressing one of the meetings Banif Chief Officers meeting members of the staff