Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/989894
19 COMMERCIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JUNE 2018 ONE skip load of rubbish was collected from under sea in under three hours, in the third edition of the underwa- ter clean up held by The Malta Skin Divers Club (MSDC) in collaboration with MAPFRE Middlesea and MAPFRE MSV Life. A number of employees from both companies as well as members of the MSDC partic- ipated in the event, which was held on 25 May at Gilieru Ma- rina. The event aimed at rais- ing awareness about the nega- tive effects of littering marine ecosystems and habitats. The initiative forms part of the MAPFRE Volunteering Programme, where employees are encouraged to give back to the community by volunteer- ing some of their time in such activities. "It is sad to see what lies be- neath the clear waters, and what we are doing to marine life. Each year, we are sur- prised by the amount of rub- bish collected from under the sea. We need to send out a clear message – that we are re- sponsible for the world around us," Felipe Navarro, CEO at MAPFRE Middlesea, said. The Malta Skin Divers Club, formed in 1970 works to create awareness on the importance of sustainable fishing and to promote safety while spearfish- ing and freediving. Throughout the year, it organises a number of events, including informa- tive sessions for beginners to freediving and spearfish- ing, underwater clean ups and spearfishing tournaments. The club has evolved greatly in the past years, and is in the final stages of being registered with Sports Malta as well as with the council for Volun- tary Organisations. MSDC is a member of the Federation of Underwater Activities Malta and Federazzjoni Sajjieda Dil- ettanti. Underwater clean-up by MAPFRE Group and Malta Skin Divers Club The (r)evolution of the Lottery LOTTERY is evolving here in Malta, and Yobetit is quite ex- cited about the new changes. The concept of Lotto has come a long way and everyone remembers the days before the evolution of lottery betting, queuing up for a paper ticket, dreaming of a world where Lotto came with rollover guar- antees, free lines and simple subscription service! Today, that dream is a reality, and it has all been made pos- sible by the award-winning lot- tery platform YoMillions. But what about the origins of the lottery, where did it come from and who started it? Origins The Great Wall of China, a product of Lotto funding. While some Lotto providers might act like the concept of the lottery belongs to them, it's actually been around for thou- sands of years, like our Mega- lithic Temples in Tarxien. The very first appearance of the lottery was in ancient China. It was rumoured that the Chinese rulers used a rudi- mentary form of lottery (Keno to be exact) obtaining funds for the Great Wall of China. The source of this tale is the Book of Songs, which is the earliest collection of Chinese poems in existence. In Europe, the concept was first introduced by none other than Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. Much like China, it was brought in to raise funds to repair Rome, and prizes were dished out to lucky par- ticipants. Augustus would also arrange lottery draws amongst his din- ner party guests, with prizes of varying value distributed. Genoa in Italy was the home of the next Lotto innovation and another step closer to the format we all know and love. Every six months, in Genoa five council members would be drawn out of a pool of ninety, and people would bet on which names would come out. Eventually, residents of Genoa demanded more than their twice-yearly draws, so numbers were used to replace the candidates' names. Betting on Lotto numbers, where have we heard that be- fore? Paris, where the twice-weekly EuroMillions draw is held. In the 20th century, lotteries re-emerged across the globe, and are now the world's most popular form of gambling. While they all follow the same principle, each draw has its own unique features, odds, prices and jackpots. That's not all. For many years lotteries were contained with- in the boundaries of their host nations, until EuroMillions came along, becoming the first transnational jackpot draw. With nine countries taking part, jackpots are consistently amongst the largest in the con- tinent, and the numbers are se- lected in Paris. Lotteries have certainly come a long way, although the principle has remained amazingly precise for over two thousand years, and that's where the challenge lies. How do you bring a concept that is older than Jesus and bigger than The Beatles into a world of smartphones and the Inter- net? In 2018, do Lotto players really want to be limited to their national lottery? Hell no! That's why YoMillions offers over ten international lotter- ies, giving an unrivalled level of choice. How many Lotto players have forgotten to enter a huge rollo- ver because life got in the way? With YoMillions' subscription service, you're always in with a shot. Ever looked at your favour- ite Lotto, the one you enter religiously every week, and thought that jackpot just isn't big enough? With a click of a button, the YoMillions multi- ticket enters you into three lot- teries, making the possibilities endless.... Vodafone appoints new CEO VODAFONE Group has ap- pointed Sonia Hernandez as chief executive officer for Vodafone Malta. Hernandez succeeds Amanda Nelson, who was appointed chief executive officer at Vodafone Hungary. Hernandez joined Vodafone in 2012 as the head of sup- ply chain radio access at the Vodafone Procurement Com- pany (VPC) in Luxembourg. In 2015 she was promoted to Group supply chain commer- cial and services director and was responsible for expendi- ture across all operating com- panies, in the areas of Market- ing, Customer Care, Human Resources, Business Services and Real Estate. She also was a member of the Board of Di- rectors of the VPC. Currently she is a member of the Board of Directors of Vodafone Germany and Kabel Deutschland. Throughout her career, Her- nandez has occupied key roles is sales, human resources and supply chain management. Prior to joining Vodafone, she worked for Siemens Mobile Communications and was in charge of global sales account management for international accounts such as Telefonica and Telecom Italia. She was a key contributor to the growth of the Siemens mobile and Nokia Siemens Networks business in Latin America. She then made a career change to human re- sources management, and served as Head of HR for Nokia Siemens Networks. Hernandez speaks five lan- guages fluently and studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Ma- drid.