Many companies nowadays prefer to have all their corporate services requirements, including legal, compliance and payroll, via one central service provider. This removes the need of multiple on-boarding processes, unnecessary expenditure and wasted energy, translating into maximum operational efficiency.

“Aegis Corporate Services is perfectly positioned to achieve precisely this,” says recently-appointed Director Marylise Sacco. “The Group includes Mifsud & Mifsud Advocates and MMPS Ltd., which means we are in a position to leverage legal and payroll services internally. This avoids the client source yet more service providers to resolve issues that may be time-sensitive.” 

She explains that all the companies within the group support each other, sharing knowledge between them under the common aim of serving all clients in the best way. Aegis itself focuses on all aspects of company incorporation, including anything related to the daily operations of a company. 

“This includes multiple aspects such as accounts and book-keeping, maintaining of documents and reporting, financial requirements such as VAT and income tax compliance,  directorship services, fiduciary shareholders and even the provision of a Maltese registered office for those that need it,” Marylise says. Other examples of the services offered by Aegis include the drawing up of the company memorandum, registration with the Malta Business Registry, administrative support, such as share transfers and - crucially - ongoing monitoring for compliance and anti-AML measures.

With many of Aegis’s client portfolio based under the Merchant Shipping Act, both legal and payroll services acquire a strong importance. This is where the diverse specialists from both sister companies are roped in, to assist with specialist legal requirements related to maritime law, tax law and immigration. MMPS, on the other hand, focuses on the various human resources needs such clients typically require, including overseeing all crew member needs.

“The onboarding process is very transparent, and it’s also tailor made according to each case. As soon as a client approaches us, we schedule an online meeting to discuss exactly what nature of service is required. We do have a fee schedule but we adjust this according to each client’s needs,” Marylise says.

The process includes due diligence checks to ensure the client is within Aegis’s risk policy and, once that is completed, on-boarding starts. 

“Our engagement letter includes everything, including itemised fees. The client confirms which services they’d like to sign up for, and there are no surprises for anyone. If there’s a service they decide not to opt for, but that we know needs to be done anyway, we explain this clearly. So basically, either they choose to include it in the package or they’ll need to contract a separate company to do it. We also include a time cap for full billing transparency,” the director continues.  

Marylise is a firm believer in fostering strong client relationships, and since her appointment to directorship has made it one of her priorities to maintain open lines of communication to ensure client feedback is taken seriously and actioned.

“As long as the feedback is in line with regulations, we make sure we comply with clients’ wishes. We troubleshoot all the time and we make sure to never disappear on a client. One of my recently-instituted policies is to ensure the emails are answered within two days. If an issue cannot be sorted out within that timeframe we keep the client continuously updated,” she tells me.

This is an area, she says, that many other companies offering corporate services often neglect, and one that will support her efforts to embark on a client expansion and diversification strategy.

“At the moment we mostly service international companies, but I am also working on growing the local client portfolio. Another area I’m focusing on strongly is internal training and making sure the whole team maintains its motivation. I encourage everyone to strengthen their knowledge, even if something doesn’t necessarily fall right within their area of competence. The implementation of the 32 hour work to 8 hour self-improvement ratio has had tremendous results so far,” Marylise adds. 

The sector brings with it multiple challenges, as can be expected. She describes how laws related to due diligence keep getting increasingly complex, something that she describes as “understandable and essential”. 

“Technology is advancing at such a fast rate that new loopholes emerge regularly. This necessitates stricter frameworks, which in turn mean that laws have to be regularly updated. We try not to overwhelm the client with all this and we have an entire team dedicated to ensuring the company keeps up -to-date with an ever-evolving landscape, both via internal and external training,” she explains. “Ethics and legalities are non-negotiable, naturally. We are there to ensure full compliance with the law.”

This is a culture that Aegis tries to instil even with clients from the very start of the relationship. I ask where technology fits in all this, and she agrees that a company that aims to be competitive cannot ignore this facet of the industry. 

“It starts with us. We audit and revise our internal softwares and technologies continuously, incorporating AI when it leads to more efficiency. For instance, our reporting is done via a system that is intuitive and learns according to the company’s needs, for a fully customizable result. If there’s a process that can be automated, it is, but always with human oversight,” she adds.

The conversation returns to client relationships, confirming the high priority that Marylise places in this area. I ask her what legacy she looks forward to leaving as part of her directorship.

“My main priorities are definitely to maintain and improve upon our current reputation for excellence, and to continue spearheading the drive towards client growth - including within the domestic sector - and diversification. Parallel to this will be investing in our team, as this is the key to excellence. We’re already seeing tangible benefits and I fully intend to continue strengthening these efforts,” she concludes.