Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/838705
42 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 JUNE 2017 Events Malta has a latent asset which so far has not been really organised and developed. While year on year, Business Network International (BNI) is growing and consolidating in Malta, BNI already has a ready- made structure that can draw to- gether under one BNI umbrella companies set up by businessper- sons of Maltese descent in other countries, particularly in England, Australia, USA, Canada and the EU. This was reaffirmed by Malta BNI's national director David Bull- ock at the fifth annual awards gala dinner organised by Malta BNI to celebrate its six years in Malta. "BNI can help develop this so- far-untapped network of Maltese companies in major countries across the world. This can be an- other significant contribution by Malta BNI. With over 6,500 Chap- ters having over 220,000 member companies in more than 60 coun- tries, BNI can help Maltese com- panies grow their business inter- nationally and, in turn, further the prosperity of Malta's economy," said Bullock said. Echoing the words of Ivan Mis- ner, who founded BNI in Cali- fornia over 30 years ago, Bullock urged members to set even higher expectations. "In the last six years, I have come to appreciate the exceptional qual- ity of our members in Malta. Your commitment to develop strong business referral chapters will make Malta BNI members among the best placed to open new trade corridors for their companies via BNI's global connectivity." He congratulated the members, and particularly those receiv- ing awards, for what had been achieved in establishing BNI in Malta over the last six years. With BNI's philosophy of 'Givers Gain', the next few years will see Malta BNI grow from the current six chapters to ten chapters across the island helping Maltese busi- nesses to become more success- ful through effective business networking. The Minister for Finance Pro- fessor Edward Scicluna, who also presented the awards, said: "As government, we welcome or- ganisations, such as Malta BNI, which trains and develops its members as professional busi- ness people. With its philosophy of 'Givers Gain' and its well- structured, proficient and posi- tive approach, BNI can tap the business potential in Malta." Malta BNI today consists of six chapters each comprising members who build long term business relationships and are sincerely committed to helping one another find more business through BNI's 'Givers' Gain' phi- losophy and business referrals. The six Malta BNI chapters - all named after Grand Masters - meet in Sliema (Verdala, Pinto de Fonseca) on Tuesdays, Naxxar (de Paule,) and St Julians (Wigna- court) on Wednesdays, Valletta (La Valette) on Thursdays and St Julians (de Redin) on Fridays. The annual awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of several Malta BNI members. The awardees were: Exceptional Contribution: Carmel Bonello, Richard Falzon Outstanding Presidents: James Abela, Chris Cachia, Peter Eng- land, Maurizio Mamo, Gordhan Mohnani, Duncan Polidano, William Spiteri Bailey, Tom van Malderen, Outstanding Vice-Presidents: George Bonello, Mark Lightfoot Outstanding Education Co- ordinator: Carmel Bonello, Dr David Gonzi, Peter Mifsud Outstanding Visitors Host: Steve Micallef, Anneli Nilsson, Enrich Stafrace Outstanding Contribution: Adrienne Despott, Marthese Grech, Steve Micallef, Conway Wigg Events Coordinator: Mark Ar- rigo, Gordon Pace Most Promising New Members: Michelle Attard, Nadine Cuschie- ri, Karen Muscat Baldacchino Most Improved Chapter: BNI de Paule Largest Chapter: BNI de Redin Best Chapter: BNI de Redin Alfred Pisani at EY's World Entrepreneur of The Year Award 2017 Heritage Malta and Google launch Wonders of Malta Country's latent asset highlighted at Malta BNI's 5th annual awards The Malta BNI award winners with the Minister for Finance Professor Edward Scicluna and National Director David Bullock Having won the first edition of the EY Malta's Entrepreneur of the Year Award this year, Alfred Pisani, chairman of the Corinthia Group, represented Malta at the annual World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards held in Monaco's Salle des Etoiles. He was among 59 country winners from 49 countries all vying for the title. The award was won by Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of Saskatchewan-based AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. Murad started AGT Food and Ingredients in 2003 and it has since grown into the world's largest vertically integrated supply chain for lentils, chickpeas and peas. The business went public in 2007 and has revenues of US$1.49 billion, with more than 2,000 employees on five continents. AGT Food and Ingredients has been growing rev- enue sustainably by an average of more than US$100m each year for the past five years. The company exports approximately 23% of the world trade in lentils to more than 120 countries around the globe. Mark Weinberger, EY Glob- al Chairman and CEO, said: "Through his vision and approach, Murad has transformed an in- dustry and today leads a company which has seen exceptional growth in the last decade. He also demon- strates a clear purpose by embody- ing compassionate entrepreneur- ship, using his capabilities to make a positive impact by feeding mil- lions and educating refugee fami- lies. Murad's success and passion make him an exemplary EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year winner." Ronald Attard, Managing Part- ner, EY Malta, spoke of Malta's first edition of the award. "We worked hard to put together the first edi- tion of EY Malta's Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. But I am glad to say that the hard work was re- warded by the very healthy and representative response from very worthy candidates. Alfred Pisani, the winner, did us proud. Not only in Malta but also in Monaco where he competed with today's entre- preneurial movers and shakers on a global level. The success of this initiative certainly encourages us to keep taking this annual event to higher heights in the years to come." Pisani said he was honoured to be Malta's Representative for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year. "It is always rewarding when Mal- ta is given the opportunity to show- case the potential of its people and overall importance in the Mediter- ranean," he said. "On a personal level, I must ex- press my complete satisfaction at the proficiency of the event's organ- isation, which no doubt demanded tremendous effort in looking after a thousand plus people with clock- work precision, ensuring that every representative felt the importance of his presence." Heritage Malta and Google are in- viting people to an unprecedented immersive discovery experience of the diversity of Maltese culture. A new online exhibition was launched this week on g.co/won- dersofmalta which enables visitors to discover many Maltese treasures such as the Ġgantija Temples, the oldest, free-standing monument in the world, or immerse themselves in the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, considered one of the world's most important prehistoric monuments. With the help of Street View visi- tors will be able to virtually walk through the Hypogeum of Ħal- Saflieni, the Grandmaster's Palace , the Domus Romana, the Hagar Qim Archaeological Park, the Tarxien Temples and the Ġgantija Temples in Gozo and many other locations. The partnership also means that the tapestries from the Palace State Rooms and frescoes from the Au- berge de Provence Grand Salon can now be viewed in never before seen definition thanks to Gigapixel technology, a powerful photo cap- turing process which has enabled the highest ever resolution image of this feature. Thanks to Google Expeditions, children from around the world will discover the beauty of the Meg- alithic Temples of Malta. Expedi- tions enable teachers to bring stu- dents on virtual trips to places like museums, underwater, and outer space. Expeditions are collections of virtual reality 360° panoramas and 3D images — annotated with details, points of interest, and ques- tions that make them easy to inte- grate into curriculum already used in schools. Finally, visitors can discover 30+ interactive stories and 28 card- board tours about the top Wonders of Malta. For this exhibition, more than 27 cultural institutions under the remit of Heritage Malta created over 35 exhibits, sharing a total of 600 assets and more than 800 im- ages online in collaboration with Google. Alfred Pisani, chairman of Corinthia Group and winner of the EY Malta's Entrepreneur of the Year Award Visitors can discover 30+ interactive stories in Wonders of Malta