Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/939870
45 Events maltatoday SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2018 "EFFICIENCY and innovation – the way forward for Malta's Financial Services Industry" is the theme for this year's annual conference of the Institute of Fi- nancial Services Providers. The conference, which is sponsored by FinanceMalta, will be held on the 15th February at the Xara Lodge, Rabat. Commenting on this year's theme FinanceMalta Chairman, Kenneth Farrugia said that, "we are proud to be sponsoring this event as this forms part of our commitment to promote innova- tion and technology in financial services. Malta has always been at the forefront of embracing tech- nology, in fact later this year Malta will be introducing one of the first legal and regulatory frameworks in the world applicable to cypto- currencies, ICOc and Blockchain technology related service provid- ers." The conference will cover ar- eas of immediate interest to most practitioners, including a ses- sion dedicated to the upcoming Moneyval evaluation, and what can be expected from it. This ses- sion, which will be moderated by IFSP President Juanita Bencini, will feature Dr Anton Bartolo from the MFSA, Alfred Zammit from the FIAU and Dr Michael Stellini from the Council of Eu- rope, amongst other speakers. The conference will not ignore what has become one of the more pressing concerns for many finan- cial services firms in Malta: how to recruit, manage and retain the staff members each firm requires. This year, the IFSP conference will include a session dealing with just this issue, with a panel includ- ing Paulianne Nwoko (Apex), and others who are running particu- larly effective HR programmes in financial services and related spheres. Financial services today are changing fast, through the de- velopment of new technological services and delivery channels as well as the ever-evolving regulato- ry and compliance environment. This will be the focus of yet anoth- er panel session, with a two-fold brief: the regulatory landscape and the impact of IT on financial services with the development of, among other things, blockchain technologies and cryptocurren- cies. This panel will be moderated by Wayne Pisani, with Dr Abdalla Kablan, Dr Ian Gauci, Dr Christo- pher Buttigieg and Kenneth Far- rugia among the speakers contrib- uting to this discussion. Other topics to be discussed in- clude a look at the changing tax landscape and the way capital markets are evolving. These are all issues that have the potential to impact the business of each and every practitioner working out of Malta. The Malta Stock Exchange will be hosting a reception for confer- ence participants, also at the Xara Lodge, immediately after the con- ference draws to a close at about 17:00, providing an opportunity for further networking in a less formal environment. TEATRU Astra has announced a brilliant cast for its upcoming 50 anniversary production highlight – Jesus Christ Superstar. The ev- erlasting rock-musical will be di- rected in a brand new production by internationally-acclaimed di- rector, Hugh Wooldridge, a veter- an master who has a close-collab- oration with the show's authors, the household names in musical theatre, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Mro Sigmund Mifsud will again be leading this third musical at the Astra. This world-class production of Jesus Christ Superstar will har- ness and showcase both local and international talent, and will be backed up by the resident back- stage team at the Teatru Astra. Indeed, Wooldridge's experience, with a multitude of international productions under his belt, will ensure this production will fit- tingly commemorate the 50th an- niversary of Teatru Astra. Wool- dridge says "I am so happy to be asked to work with the people of Gozo and Malta on this exciting new production as it is a brilliant spectacle that appeals to young and old and tells a story which is particularly appropriate to the dates of the performance." Tim Rice says that Jesus Christ Superstar is "the last seven days of Jesus of Nazareth as seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot". Loose- ly based on the Gospels, the plot also explores the tumultuous re- lationship between Christ, the Roman occupier and the Jewish people. The role of Jesus will be played by the hugely talented and celebrated Ameri- can actor and singer, David Michael Johnson (DMJ). DMJ has ap- peared on Broadway and was a regular per- former at New York's Radio City Music Hall. He has also appeared in numerous international performances directed by Hugh Wooldridge including The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Chess in Concert (Roy- al Albert Hall, London), An Evening with Tim Rice (Barbados and London) and The Night of 1000 Voices concert series also at London's famed Royal Albert Hall. In Europe he has been seen in We Will Rock You and Stage En- tertainment's Best Of Musical Gala Tour. Resident rock star Chris Grech will play Judas. Grech is known for his outstanding voice and is no stranger to the local music scene, having appeared in nu- merous Rock and Metal perfor- mances. This is the first time Chris has played Judas – having always played Jesus – and he is excited to be a part of this stellar production. Rachel Fabri will play the role of Mary and it will surely be an- other highlight in her glittering career. Trained in the UK, Ra- chel has been performing around the globe for 17 years. Her per- formances include many sell-out appearances in the UK and the United States whilst she was one of the sensational all-girl group, All Angels. Roger Tirazona will play Pilate and given his impressive interna- tional career with awards hailing from Europe and Asia his perfor- mance will certainly be one to re- member. Roger's credits include performances in Shakespeare as well as the musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Se- cret Garden and more recently Les Misera- bles in concert and The Phantom of the Opera. Remy Azzopardi, a young local artiste, will play Peter, who denies Jesus three times in the chaos that follows the arrest of Christ. He was spe- cially chosen by Hugh Wooldridge because of his vocal qualities. Other local per- formers include Wal- lace Camilleri (Anna), Fabian Galea (Priest) and Noel Galea (Caiaphas), who play the Jewish priests who perceive Jesus as a threat to their power. King Herod will be played by another lo- cal favourite, award- winning comedian and actor, Christopher Dingli Jesus Christ Superstar is sup- ported by the Ministry for Gozo, the Valletta 18 Foundation, The Ministry for the Family, Chil- dren's Rights and Social solidar- ity, The General Softdrinks Co Ltd, The Victoria Local Coun- cil and the Planning Authority, and will be staged in Victoria on Saturday 24 March 2018 (Fully- Booked) , Sunday 25 March 2018 at 15:30hrs and on Easter Sunday 1 April 2018 also at 15:30hrs. AtlasChat reaches 20k AFTER reaching 15,000 chats last March, Atlas Insurance's live chat facility has now surpassed another milestone with 20,000 chats clocked in December. To mark the occasion, Atlas Marketing and HR Manager Jackie Attard Montalto re- cently met the 20,000th chatter Dario Bezzina. Dario was given a goody bag, including a brand new Android tablet, to make sure he keeps using the chat facility. Since its introduction in 2012, the chat facility has continued to grow in popu- larity with customers who find it par- ticularly easy to enquire about insurance products and services. AFTER a positive first year of collaboration in 2017, MAPFRE has agreed to renew and expand its agreement with the Renault Sport Formula One Team. The Spanish insurance company will become one of the team's main official sponsors over the next five seasons. The agreement, which was presented in a meeting between the Chairman and CEO of MAP- FRE, Antonio Huertas and Re- nault Chairman and CEO Car- los Ghosn, goes beyond a sports sponsorship; it opens the door to MAPFRE and Groupe Renault exploring additional mobility so- lutions and services linked to the role of insurance in the future of the automotive industry. "This agreement with Groupe Renault will allow us to further promote the MAPFRE brand and its values worldwide," explained Antonio Huertas, Chairman and CEO of MAPFRE. "Formula 1 is not just a competitive sport - it is also a testing ground for techno- logical research that can then be expanded to society as a whole. This philosophy fits perfectly with our strategic position for the future." "Our relationship with MAP- FRE has highlighted the reach and potential of Formula 1 and the team and this long-term partnership is an opportunity for Groupe Renault and MAPFRE to build new projects together. We look forward to continuing to push for our respective targets over the coming seasons," added Jérôme Stoll, President of Re- nault Sport Racing. Mapfre also sponsors the ten- nis player Rafael Nadal, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federa- tion and the Spanish team of the Volvo Ocean Race. MAPFRE is a global insurance company which operates across five continents and employs more than 37,000 profession- als and services approximately 37 million clients worldwide. In Malta, it is represented by MAP- FRE Middlesea and MAPFRE MSV Life. FinanceMalta sponsors IFSP's Annual Conference discussing efficiency and innovation in the Financial Services Industry Mapfre extends contract with Renault for Formula 1 A world-class production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Teatru Astra