MAPFRE Middlesea plc on Thursday announced that Bernard Mallia has been appointed as Chief Officer Internal Audit, with effect from 2nd January 2024.

His appointment came after Mario Debono expressed his desire to resign from the position due to “personal reasons”. The resignation will come into effect at the end of 2023.

Mr Debono had joined the Malta-based insurance company in September 2022.

Outgoing MAPFRE Middlesea Chief Officer Internal Audit Mario Debono / LinkedIn

Mr Mallia was identified as the suitable replacement after an “intensive recruitment process” that was conducted.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) from University of Malta in 2010, and also read for a master’s degree in Financial Services from the same university.

Prior to his latest role, Mr Mallia worked at Bank of Valletta plc as Internal Audit Manager for four years. He has previously occupied an accounting role within MAPFRE Group, having served at MAPFRE MSV Life for more than five years. He also has external audit experience with KPMG Malta.

Mr Mallia will be reporting to the company’s audit committee and his appointment will be subject to regulatory approval.

MAPFRE Middlesea, a subsidiary of Spanish multinational firm MAPFRE, was established in 1981 as the first insurance company transacting general business in Malta. It has “innovation and customer focus” at the core of its business philosophy, seeking to provide clients with an “excellent customer experience”.