FJVA, also known as Francis J. Vassallo & Associates Group, a corporate, tax and financial advisory firm, has appointed Nicholas Warren to be its new Chief Operating Officer.

Mr Warren was previously the firm’s Head of Regulatory and Compliance, and also serves as Company Secretary.

He took to LinkedIn to share the news.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Operating Officer at FJVA!” he said.

He brings with him a wealth of experience as a senior executive, starting his career as an auditor with Big Four audit firms Deloitte and KPMG before moving to a management role at the Malta Financial Services Authority.

His career trajectory saw him join J.P. Morgan before returning to Deloitte. He also worked with MamoTCV Advocates, Amicorp Fund Services, Heritage International Fund Managers and Chetcuti Cauchi.

Mr Warren has also served as Compliance Officer at Directa Management, Asteria Management, and CCA InterServ, and as a Senior Manager related to blockchain services with Chetcuti Cauchi and CSB Group.

He joined FJVA in 2019, bringing his background in the regulatory environment in banking, investment services, blockchain and investment funds.

“The biggest issue in regulatory matters is the changing landscape of regulation. You need to be on the ball of everything,” he said

He has also described Malta as a good environment to test new products to assess their compatibility with EU legislation.

He noted Malta’s advantages in this area, including flexibility to meet with the regulator, open discussion with the regulator to bounce off ideas, and the jurisdiction’s ‘nimbleness’ to get licenses across the line in a shorter period of time.