Finding meaning in your work is something most people aspire to – but it is far from easy. Some wander from job to job, looking for a place they belong. Others settle for what they have, understanding that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job they are passionate about.

Lisa Camilleri, CEO and inhouse legal counsel of boutique maritime advisory firm MCConsult, founded by shipping veteran Miriam Camilleri, counts herself amongst the lucky ones.

“Barring a period during my teenage years, I can honestly say that shipping was always a part of my life - in that sweet spot between dream and reality where every day is a new adventure where I get to do what I love,” she tells WhosWho.mt.

“I was a young girl living in Greece, where the maritime tradition is among the strongest in the world, when my mother decided to branch out on her own,” she says, explaining that the “massive passion” she saw Miriam Camilleri bring to her work clearly rubbed off on her, ultimately creating a lifelong love that continues to grow to this day.

“The older I got, the more interest I took, and after all the experiences I engaged in, solely to gain a deeper understanding of the industry better, the more my love for it grew.”

In fact, while she credits her mother with lighting the spark and guiding her way, Dr Camilleri’s own trajectory has resulted in extensive experience that belies her years, essential for her development in an industry where connections are only as valuable as the hard work and expertise they bring to the table.

Starting out by working summers at MCConsult, preparing STCW endorsements before progressing to ship registration and the more corporate sides to the business, by the time Dr Camilleri was 20 she was working full-time with the firm. “After a few years, I decided to take it to the next level and decided to read law at University of Malta as a mature student, with the full intention of coming out as a maritime lawyer from Day 1.”

This singular focus helped her zero in on the topics that would prove useful later on as she did everything she could to gain more insight and knowledge into a sector she describes in glowing terms. This included joining the then-newly set up Malta Maritime Forum (MMF), where she found another source of inspiration and mentorship in Joseph Bugeja, who headed the organisation at the time (former Chairman of Transport Malta).

“Working side-by-side with people like Mr Bugeja was an excellent start to my maritime career,” she recounts, “and it taught me a world of knowledge that served as the perfect complement to my studies. While I was learning all about the legal frameworks that govern the industry at University, with MMF we focused on the local industry, specialising in areas related to our ports, pilotage, agency, and everything relating to the hands-on, practical side of shipping.”

After she finished her Bachelors of Law degree, Dr Camilleri was accepted for an apprenticeship in London with the International Chamber of Shipping, the world’s principal shipping organisation, representing some 80 per cent of global merchant tonnage.

“It was an absolutely amazing experience,” she says. “The body acts as an advocate for the global industry at large and holds observer status at the IMO, focusing on issues of maritime affairs, shiping policy and technical matters, including ship construction, operation, safety, and management. I got to sit in on ICS legal and social policy committee meetings and meet some of the great shipping minds of our world, real moguls, while absorbing the maritime culture of the UK’s capital, itself a massive shipping jurisdiction.”

Returning to Malta, and in between stints at MCConsult, where she retained a strong presence to keep abreast of the latest developments, Dr Camilleri then undertook a Masters in Advocacy, after which she applied for a Masters in International Maritime Law, to the International Maritime Law Institute, a prestigious International Maritime Organisation-run facility set up to train specialists in international maritime law and was admitted under a scholarship.

“It’s one of those things I always really wanted to do. I think I went into my degree to apply for the IMLI, not the other way around,” she laughs. “It was an incredible experience, with students from all corners of the world, through which I was able to understand the different laws governing the seas and the approaches of different jurisdictions… and through which my love for this beautiful industry was further secured.”

After graduating from IMLI, Dr Camilleri dove head-on into the company while also joining the Executive Committee of the Malta Maritime Law Association, which she still forms a part of today.

Thanks to her early exposure to the world of shipping and her continuous strengthening of her maritime legal background, Dr.Camilleri believes she was at the right place at the right time as the sector underwent significant regulatory overhauls that changed the way business is conducted.

“Increasing scrutiny – which is a positive development - meant that we needed to adapt our approach to both law and business,” she says. “I remember a time when a client could be serviced within 24 hours. Nowadays, that simply does not exist anymore.

For MCConsult, the shift was both easier and harder than it was for larger outfits.

“Miriam Camilleri always endeavoured to meet her clients personally, travelling to meet them at their offices with me in tow, building a personal relationship. That was a massive plus on our side, as our Know-Your-Customer (KYC) protocol was never just a box-ticking exercise.”

On the other hand, adapting to big changes as a small business and managing to keep up with the big players is never an easy task, especially from a human resources perspective.

“It was very challenging, with the workload increasing considerably while having to explain the changes to clients and asking them for information they were not used to divulging.”

However, Dr Camilleri today lists the company’s adaptation to the new rules as one of her greatest satisfactions: “Was it a struggle? It was indeed a big struggle! But at the end of the day, overcoming these challenges is an important lesson, which only serves to make you smarter, stronger, and more resilient.”

With the insight established through her deep familiarity with the industry, an education as broad as it is deep, and now sitting firmly in the seat she has been preparing to occupy ever since she could think about her future, Dr Camilleri promises to lead MCConsult into a future that looks as bright as when she first set her eyes on a ship and dared to dream.

“I just can’t imagine myself doing anything else!”