Dino Fino Group Chief Operations Officer (COO) Donald Mallia has passed away at the age of 48.

The announcement was made by CEO Dino Fino on Tuesday (today) morning, with him stating that he still “can’t find the right words” to describe their friendship, particularly because he still can’t believe he has passed away.

“We have known each other for ages, but during these last three years we have worked closely together sharing some great memories and also facing some challenging moments together,” he added.

Mr Mallia joined furniture company Dino Fino in September 2021, after working at a number of other firms in senior operations positions, including the likes of Pharma.MT, Cool Ride-Pooling Malta, and Vivendo Group.

Mr Fino said that as CEO, he “couldn’t have asked for a better COO” to work by his side.

“I still can’t believe it even though all the suffering you were passing from up to a couple of weeks ago and you were still coming to work and giving your support. I will miss you ħabib (friend),” Mr Fino concluded.

The news of Mr Mallia’s passing was a shock to many, with a number of people expressing their condolences to his family and friends on social media.