Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/841483
42 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 JUNE 2017 Events MIDI plc will be holding histori- cal lectures on a regular basis, ad- ministration manager Mario Mi- callef announced as he welcomed attendees of the first installments. On 13 June, MIDI plc hosted a lecture entitled 'Sotto le Log- gie - The Lazzaretto: Corsairs at Manoel Island', delivered by Liam Gauci, an alumni of the history department at the University of Malta. Gauci described the lives of 18th century Corsairs whose ships spent many days under the bas- tions of Fort Manoel at Lazza- retto. The well-attended lecture was held in the chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua at Fort Manoel, on the day marked by a feast dedi- cated to the saint. The Fort's Curator, architect Edward Said, gave a brief intro- duction on the restoration of the chapel itself. Refreshments and an invitation to fully explore the Fort, which is almost fully restored, rounded off this cultural evening. Micallef added that MIDI plc will very soon be accepting group bookings for tours around Fort Manoel. For further information kindly visit www.midimalta.com Preparing the perfect espresso MAPFRE Health Week celebrated in Malta PKF Malta promotes Malta as a financial services centre in Dubai Historical lectures to be held regularly at Fort Manoel Liam Gauci delivering a lecture in the chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua at Fort Manoel The aroma of freshly brewed Mauro coffee, coupled with the rhythmic sound of a champion barista preparing the perfect es- presso, provided the backdrop for a Caffé Mauro seminar organised by GSD Marketing Ltd for estab- lishment owners and operators. Espresso Italiano Champion 2016 and Caffé Mauro top barista, Andrea Faggiana, was invited to Malta to deliver a wide-ranging presentation on coffee origins and preparation. Over 35 establishment own- ers and operators attended the event held at the newly refur- bished hall at San Anton's Palace. The purpose of this exercise was to provide local baristas with a comprehensive and foundational understanding of coffee, starting from the coffee bean in the planta- tions until it reaches the espresso cup. Faggiana shared his extensive knowledge on espresso prepara- tion and enabled participants to have hands-on training to refine their skills. By the end of the semi- nar, the participants could prepare the perfect cup of Italian coffee and understand the body, acidity, bitterness and astringency. "Caffé Mauro has become a firm favourite among coffee connois- seurs as coffee shops have become part of our lifestyle and ingrained in our daily routine," Martin Agi- us, sales and marketing manager at GSD Marketing Ltd said. "Our aim was to assist barmen in enhancing their skills to produce and serve the best espresso coffee to the satisfaction of customers. To achieve our aim, the 2016 Ital- ian Espresso Champion, Andrea Faggiana, was invited to Malta through the Caffé Mauro coffee academy to deliver an intensive training course on how to produce the perfect espresso," he said. Caffé Mauro, which was estab- lished in 1949 in Reggio Calabria and today markets around the world a diversified selection of cof- fee, is represented in Malta by GSD Marketing Ltd. The passion for the taste and top quality drives Caffé Mauro to monitor and control every stage, from the roasting, to the composi- tion of the selected blends, up to their packaging. The annual MAPFRE Health Week was held again, with the aim of promoting physical and mental well-being. This campaign is held yearly across countries in which MAPFRE operates. In Malta, MAPFRE Middlesea and MAPFRE MSV organised a number of different activities for its employees with themes rang- ing from Health Promotion and Mental Wellbeing, Physical Ac- tivity and Diet to Personal Envi- ronment. During the week, employees were invited to a number of semi- nars – which included a talk by Dr Pierre Vassallo about prevention of certain diseases, a workshop by Richmond Foundation targeted at working mothers and a lecture by Nutritionist Susan Borg about leading a healthy lifestyle. In another activity led by Wayne Aquilina, employees were en- couraged to practise mindfulness at the place of work. Dr Cristin E Fitzpatrick led a workshop about maintaining the right posture. On 14 June, the group joined International Blood Donation Day and a substantial number of employees donated blood. Dur- ing the Health Week, members of staff were also provided with a healthy lunch for free. During the year, both compa- nies engage in such activities to promote well-being, volunteering and development. "We want to make sure of the well-being of our employees, both physically and mentally. Such ac- tivities help to raise awareness and encourage action," Ana Zam- mit Munro, marketing manager at MAPFRE Middlesea said. PKF Malta has hosted its first international infor- mation investment session at the Carlton Ritz, DIFC, Dubai, promoting Malta as a financial services centre. The session was inaugu- rated by Chris Cardona, minister for the economy, investment and small busi- ness and former minister Emmanuel Mallia, via per- sonalised video messages. John Huber, governor of FinanceMalta led a presen- tation on Malta's financial services Industry and key investment opportunities, while Joseph Portelli, chair- man of Malta Stock Ex- change, addressed the floor via a virtual video followed by a detailed exposition by Professor Joseph Falzon, deputy chairman of the Malta Stock Exchange. The interactive dialogue kicked off with a Q&A panel chaired by PKF's Marilyn Mifsud and ad- dressed to Jean P Gaffiero, in- vestment consultant at Jesmond Mizzi Financial Advisors and Jo- seph Falzon, director at Medina Asset Management. During this discussion various types of asset and wealth management struc- tures available in Malta were dis- cussed along with high net worth individual portfolio building and management. Antonio Varvaro, founder and CEO of Euro Legal Consultants FZE, later delivered a presenta- tion on arbitration and Islamic finance focusing on resolution by arbitration of disputes arising on contracts founded on Sharia Law. After a networking coffee break, Mir Mahmood, senior sales di- rector of Range Developments, walked the audience through the Citizenship by Investment Pro- gram of Dominica in the Caribbean, and Range's new development at the Cabrits Resort Kempinski. The second panel discus- sion followed suit, chaired by PKF's Marilyn Mifsud and this time covering real estate, project management and pitting European (Mal- tese) Citizenship by Invest- ment against the Caribbean passport. A stand-up dinner and networking reception fol- lowed, leading up to a clo- sure of the session with a fine selection of Arabic sweets and coffees. The PKF Malta event in Dubai was supported by ministry for the economy, invest- ment and small business, com- petitiveness and digital, maritime and services economy; Finance- Malta; Malta Stock Exchange; Jes- mond Mizzi Finanical Advisors; Medina Asset Management; Euro Legal Consultants FZE and Range Developments. From right: Mir Mahmood, Senior Sales Director Range Developments, Antonio Varvaro, Founder & CEO Euro Legal Consultants FZE, Marilyn Mifsud, Head of Legal PKF Malta, Mrs Varvaro and Marjorie Tanendo, Euro Legal Consultants FZE