The Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA) elected seven members to its council during its 58th Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held on 30th September at its head office.
The new members are Fabio Axisa, David Delicata, Jonathan Dingli, Shawn Falzon, Ivan Grixti, Christopher Portelli, and Annabelle Zammit Pace, who will be joining current members Charmaine Baldacchino, Edmond Brincat, Mark Bugeja, Noel Mizzi, Lucienne Pace Ross, and William Spiteri Bailey in the council.
Fellows of MIA physically participated at this year’s AGM for the first time in three years, during which they were also called to vote on a series of statutory changes proposed by the council to improve and strengthen the operations of the same organisation.
Addressing his first AGM as Council President, Deloitte Malta Director David Delicata gave a run-through of the past twelve months, during which time MIA was increasingly involved at a national level, supporting authorities on matters of national policy, through recommendations, feedback and advice particularly on proposals for new legislation and regulations emanating from international institutions.
He highlighted MIA’s central role in supporting the National Coordinating Committee during the authorities’ year-long effort to secure a timely exit from the FATF’s grey-listing.
“As a result of this contribution, MIA is every day becoming an even more respected and trusted partner at a national level, strengthening the role of the profession in the process,” Mr Delicata added.
He thanked the institute’s members, particularly the over 100 fellows who take an active role in MIA’s committees and groups to “painstakingly go through extensive regulatory proposals, debating and providing feedback which the institute then relays to authorities”. Mr Delicata explained how, in this context, MIA seeks to find the right balance with pushing for the necessary regulatory developments “while ensuring that this is not unduly prescriptive on the profession”.
Mr Delicata referred to other areas in which MIA is focusing its efforts, including the implementation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards and “the constant challenge” relating to the availability of resources. On the latter, he highlighted MIA’s two-pronged approach, proposing short-term solutions to facilitate the recruitment and retention of third country nationals while investing long-term through the recently launched second edition of the #AccountsforYou campaign.
During the first meeting of the same council held shortly after, the four Officers of the Council were elected. Mr Delicata was re-elected as the institute’s President following his appointment last year, while Mr Bugeja was elected Vice President, Ms Pace Ross as Secretary and Dr Dingli as Treasurer.
Established as the voice of the accountancy profession in Malta, MIA provides professional guidance, technical support, and continuing professional education to around 4,000 accountants. It forms part of leading international accounting organisations and is tasked with ensuring that professional standards and ethics applied locally meet the requirements of international regulatory bodies.
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