Malta’s Institute of Accountants (MIA) has held its 57th Annual General Meeting and appointed a new President, in the form of David Delicata, it has announced.

During the AGM, it also elected seven fellows of the same Institute to its Council.

The members are Charmaine Baldacchino, Edmond Brincat, Mark Bugeja, Christian Gravina, Mr Noel Mizzi, Lucienne Pace Ross and William Spiteri Bailey.

They join Fabio Axisa, Christopher Balzan, David Delicata, Jonathan Dingli, Shawn Falzon, Ivan Grixti, and Annabelle Zammit Pace on the 14-member Council.

During the first meeting of the same council held shortly after, four Officers of the Council were elected. Aside from Mr Delicata, Mr Mizzi was elected as Vice-President, Mr Bugeja as Secretary and Mr Gravina as Treasurer.

Mr Delicata, who served as Vice-President of the Institute for the past two years, thanked the Council members for their trust while expressing his appreciation towards outgoing President Mr Axisa for his “sterling” contribution throughout the past challenging two years, during which the Institute’s voice was strengthened and has become an important stakeholder in matters of national interest.

Going forward, Mr Delicata expressed his commitment to continue to guide the Institute in elevating the standards of the profession and working closely with Regulators and other stakeholders to support the country in shoring up its reputation, which is essential in Malta’s post-pandemic recovery.

On the part of the outgoing President, in his final AGM speech, Mr Axisa highlighted the Institute’s efforts to strengthen and elevate the quality and standards within the accountancy profession.

While insisting that the accountancy profession in Malta offers a high-quality, highly-regulated industry, he acknowledged that there was always scope for improvement.

With the objective of covering as many accountants as possible, the MIA has also instituted a programme for the purpose of including expatriate accountants, Axisa explained, adding that the Institute would like to see better numbers in this regard over the coming years.

Recalling that the Institute comprises some 3,700 members, the absolute majority of which reflect the body’s ideals and standards, Mr Axisa highlighted the efforts to improve the disciplinary proceedings of the Institute.

“Every single complaint against any of our members was investigated, and where necessary, disciplinary proceedings were undertaken”, Mr Axisa explained.

Mr Axisa also highlighted the importance of investing further in driving more young people towards the accountancy profession, referring to an ongoing campaign directed at secondary students, indicating that increasing the supply of quality professional accountants will remain one of the MIA’s priorities. “We have recently launched a landmark education campaign targeting Year 8 & Year 11 students, to educate these children on the attractiveness of our profession and other topics related to accountancy”.