Maria Micallef has been appointed as Chairperson of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD).

Ms Micallef is a highly experienced person in the private sector, having also served as Chairperson of Air Malta between 2014 and 2017.

Currently, she serves as a Director on several companies in the manufacturing, tourism, insurance, and financial services sectors.

Ms Micallef, who is the first woman to hold the position of Chairperson of MCESD, is a graduate in Chemistry and Biology and obtained a Masters in Strategic and General Management from the Maastricht School of Management.

During a meeting with Ms Micallef, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul said that her appointment is another step in favour of strengthening the MCESD.

Dr Ellul explained that the MCESD is crucial in the implementation of the country's policies and therefore said that the Government must ensure that it continues to be strengthened with all the necessary tools.

In this regard, he explained how in the coming time the Government will launch the Young Shapers Forum which will give secondary school students an opportunity to be part of the discussion within the MCESD itself.

Parliamentary Secretary Andy Ellul concluded by saying that all this confirms how much the Government truly believes in social dialogue and in the participation of young people in shaping the future of Malta.

At the end of the meeting, Parliamentary Secretary Andy Ellul thanked the outgoing Chairman, Architect David Xuereb, for the hard work he has done in his three years in this post.