What could Malta’s Property market look like in the near future?

Can we truly work on envisioning the future state when we appear overly caught up by the tensions and triumphs of the current state of play?

What are the trends and themes that are jockeying the direction of travel of this market?

Is there clarity of the ask (or more importantly the need) out of the property market so that this component of the overall socio-economic fabric of the island delivers its part of the Malta brand promise?

This and more will be discussed in our upcoming webinar on the property market in Malta. 

On 24th June 2021, the Malta Business Network will be hosting a panel of experts who will bring light to this topic and answer the questions posed during The Malta Business Network Webinar: The Property Market Triumphs and Tensions, Trends and Themes.

The session will be moderated by David Pace, Partner & Head of Advisory at KPMG Malta, together with a panel consisting of:

• George Debono – CCO of @BNF Bank
• Denise Xuereb – Director of @AX Group & Vice-President of @Malta Developers Association
• Jeff Buttigieg – CEO of @RE/MAX Malta
• Andre Pizzuto – Managing Architect, Design Principle & President of @Kamra tal-Periti

24th June 2021, 5pm CET | Live Webinar | Register today

Moderator

David Pace currently heads the firm’s Advisory function, one of the broadest multi-disciplinary teams on the island. Throughout his career he has assisted clients in successfully raising debt and equity finance and in valuing shares, businesses and real estate.

David is the engagement leader for the “Construction Industry and Property Market Report” commissioned by the Malta Developers Association, an extensive research report on the sector, regularly published locally since 2017. He is also actively involved in numerous business negotiations and has a lead role in the firm’s Merger and Acquisition service offering and has also participated on vendor and buy-side due diligence assignments for which he has worked within the local and foreign practices of KPMG. His engagement portfolio has led him to work at the heart of strategy within a number of businesses, helping them throughout the process of considering strategic options, articulation of plans and their subsequent implementation and monitoring.

David has provided various training sessions on corporate finance, accounting and business related topics to clients and at public seminars. He is an active promoter of entrepreneurship, supports early stage companies, and is a Director on the JAYE Malta Foundation (previously Young Enterprise) Board, of which he was previously Chairperson.

Panelist

In the role of Chief Commercial Officer at BNF Bank, George Debono leads the Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Business Development and Treasury Departments.  Mr Debono has over 25 years experience in the banking sector, during which he occupied various senior management roles, predominantly within Commercial Banking, Retail Banking and Risk.

Panelist

Denise Micallef Xuereb is the Director of Construction and Development at AX Group. As one of the few women operating in the top-flight of the local construction industry, Denise has accomplished many significant milestones and breakthroughs in the sector over the course of her career.  

Daughter of entrepreneur Angelo Xuereb and Josephine née Abela, Denise was born in Pieta and attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart during her primary and secondary school years. It wasn’t until her teens that Denise found a fascination with buildings and design, whereby she sought to follow in her father’s footsteps and forge her own path within the construction industry. After completing a B.Com Hons in Management at the University of Malta, Denise was entrusted with her first major project—overseeing the finishing stages of the five-star AX The Palace hotel in Sliema, which was completed in 2008. 

Capitalising on her passion and propensity for project management, Denise continued to build upon her first-hand experience in the field by embarking on an MSc in Project and Programme Management at the prestigious Ecole Superieure de Commerce, Paris. On her return to Malta, she was quick to put her newfound knowledge into practice through one of the most extensive construction projects carried out in Valletta in recent years. The construction of the New Parliament Buildings and the reimagined Opera House, saw Denise take responsibility for managing the Joint Venture and works on site. 

Taking on the mantle of Director of AX Construction in 2010, Denise set about spearheading the restoration division within the firm by building a strong team of talented individuals who were capable of carrying out high-quality restoration works on Malta’s stone heritage. Under Denise’s directorship, AX Construction continued to strengthen its estimable reputation. In recent years, the firm has been entrusted with many landmark construction and restoration projects, including the building of the new visitor centre and restoration works at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, the AX Business Centre in Mosta, the conversion of Farsons Brewhouse in Mrieħel, the rehabilitation of the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa, the restoration and construction of a Visitor Centre at St. Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat, and countless other buildings of note.

In addition to her directorship duties with AX Construction, Denise has served as an executive director on the AX Group board for the past 10 years. She is also council member in the Malta Developers Association, a member within the Chamber of Commerce, and an active participant in the Building Industry Consultative Council where she continues to champion sustainable development and eco-friendly innovations within the sector. Through her participation in various forums and conferences, she remains at the forefront of innovative ideas within the international scene and seeks to develop projects where quality design meets practical functionality that will serve well into the future.

Panelist

André Pizzuto graduated in engineering and architecture at the University of Malta in 2002, and was granted a professional warrant to practise as an architect and civil engineer in Malta in 2004. He successfully read for a master’s degree in Planning Policy & Practice at London South Bank University, an MBA in Real Estate and Construction Management at the University College of Estate Management, Reading, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Pizzuto is the Managing Director of designprinciple, an architecture firm he set up in 2004. He occupied the role of Executive Head of the Property Services Department at the Housing Authority of Malta between 2011 and 2013. He was elected President of the Kamra tal-Periti in December 2020, after having served as Vice President and Treasurer in the preceding two years and Council Member since December 2014. He is also a Council delegate on Building Regulation in Malta since 2017 and represents the Chamber on the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC) on matters related to building regulation. In 2017, he was also appointed Chairperson of the Chamber’s Building Regulation Working Group tasked with the formulation and development of a position paper on a comprehensive building regulation regime for Malta which was published in May 2019.