IZI Finance plc, the finance company of IZI Group plc and its subsidiaries, on Wednesday announced the appointment of its Board of Directors.

The Board will be chaired by Christian Gernert, who will also be responsible for Strategy and Implementation. Johann Schembri, who founded the Group in 2004, is the Chief Executive Officer of IZI Group, the leading land-based gaming group of companies in Malta. Dr Gernert and Mr Schembri will be joined by another five Directors in the stewardship of the company.

Two of the Directors form part of the chief officer suite of the group, namely Franco De Gabriele, Group Chief Commercial Officer and Joseph Mallia, Group Financial Officer. The executive directors have a long track-record within the group and were an integral part of its success over the past 10 years, IZI Finance said in a statement.

The Board of the company is being strengthened with the appointment of three independent non-executive directors of high calibre: Certified Public Accountant Jacqueline Camilleri, who will also chair the Audit Committee of the Company, economist Stephanie Fabri and experienced banker Dr Otto Karasek.

“The new Board of Directors features high-calibre executives from different sectors, all of whom will be essential to lead the Group forward in the pursuit of its growth strategy locally and internationally. I am privileged to be working with such an exceptional line-up to steer the Group towards its next phase of expansion,” said Mr Schembri.

“Over the past 20 years we have managed to build a home-grown success story in Malta’s vibrant land-based gaming industry. Our incessant efforts led us to successfully bid and be awarded the concession to operate the Dragonara Casino, while also being declared as the Preferred Proponent of the National Lottery of Malta following separate international calls for tender issued by the Privatisation Unit. These successful efforts impose on the Group a stronger responsibility to rise to the challenges ahead of us, something I am confident we shall succeed in through the leadership of a formidable team at the level of the Board of Directors,” he added.