Mifsud Brothers CEO Ivan Mifsud took the reins of this family company in 1998, and has led its evolution into one of Malta’s most diverse companies ever since. Today, his 17-strong team oversees the journeys thousands of cruise passengers make each week, also offering dynamic DMC and yacht services, locally and internationally.

As he looks out of the window on the top floor of his office, he can watch the cruise ships entering and leaving port. Building the office was his dream, and it now stands testament to four generations of hard work in the shipping industry in Malta.

It is a story Ivan loves to reflect on. “I still have one of the company’s first business cards,” he smiles. “It states that Fratelli Mifsud (the Mifsud Brothers) were armatori (ship owners) and ship agents, as well as rifornitori (provisions providers).

"Back then, the company owned three small cargo vessels, one of which, the Seine, was requisitioned along with numerous other vessels by Winston Churchill to repatriate British soldiers from Dunkirk.”

The business has played many roles over the decades. It has been a service company to the shipping trade, cargo ship owners, tugboat owners, incoming and outgoing travel agents, and ship agents for cargo, ferry and cruise ships.

Today, that operation has slimmed down, and Ivan and his team focus on handling cruise ships in Malta, Gozo and Algeria, also offering MICE services, representing Messe Berlin (Germany’s largest trade exhibition centre), and providing business services to Maltese entrepreneurs planning to invest in Algeria, and Algerians wanting to do the same in Malta.

On top of all this, Ivan is Honorary Consul for South Africa, another role he takes very seriously.

Algeria has also become a very important place for the CEO, and he knows the country inside out, having visited over 200 times in the last 15 years. “Recently, I married my Algerian wife and, together, we have a three-year old daughter. I absolutely love the country and completely believe in its potential,” he says with a smile.

There is no doubt in Ivan’s mind that his company’s success today is very much rooted in the achievements of his ancestors, starting in 1860. “It was my great, great grandfather, Orazio Mifsud, who saw the potential of the maritime sector, and, then, my grandfather, Paul, oversaw the massive growth and diversification of the company in the 1960s.

"That’s when we expanded into tourism, accommodation, towage and other related services, together with his three sons, Ronnie (my father), Norman and Derek,” he says.

“Fast forward to today, and we have gained ground to become one of the leading cruise services companies on the island, and even expanded to North Africa in the cruise sector, and into the German and Scandinavian markets with our inhouse boutique MICE agency, called 20twenty. I want to see 20twenty become the DMC brand that personifies Maltese know-how and hospitality, offering guests an exceptional service and outstanding experiences.”

Much of that recent success is down to Ivan’s unwavering vision and core values. “I have the overall responsibility for creating, planning, implementing, and integrating the strategic direction of the company in order to meet goals that often start off as dreams,” he quips. “This includes responsibility for all components and departments of the business and, especially, my staff.

"They are the key to our success. I take care of them and they give their very best. As this is a people industry, our daily interaction with clients is what we are judged on. I maintain constant awareness of both the external and internal competitive landscape, opportunities for expansion, customers, markets, new industry developments and standards. Sometimes, I may have to make the tough decisions but, luckily, these are few and far between.”

That said, he acknowledges that taking over the helm of an already set-up business did shorten the time needed to climb to the top of the company, although that too came with its own challenges.

“To use a maritime analogy, manoeuvring a big ship takes time and you need a steady hand at the tiller,” he says. “When I came into the picture in 1998, the company had plateaued and was in danger of losing ground. The first few years were incredibly tough because the outgoing travel business was struggling, our cargo operations weren’t economically viable, and our cruise calls were infrequent. It meant that it was time for a new game plan but, in the long-term, it has worked.”

Last year, 2019, in fact, was an important time for Mifsud Brothers Ltd. It was their third year handling the logistics of a homeporting operation for P&O, for a whole Mediterranean season lasting six months. “This meant being responsible for the disembarkation and embarkation of approximately 1,600 guests, and getting them from the port to the airport, and vice versa,” Ivan explains.

“It’s no easy feat! It is a time-critical operation that needs most of our team on the ground, supplemented by over 40 freelance staff to manage the port, airport and check-in operations simultaneously. We filmed the process on one occasion, and reviewing it fills me with pride for the team members and their ability to seamlessly work so well with the Malta International Airport and Valletta Cruise Port teams.”

Looking back on how the cruise sector has changed over the last five years, Ivan notes that the larger sizes of the newbuilds created issues for some ports as quays are not long enough to house them. On top of that, there is the gradual shift to clean LNG power to consider, which then requires shore facilities for refuelling ships. This ties in with sustainability, which has also become a very important topic for the sector at the moment.

“I was at a Seatrade Cruise Conference, in Hamburg and I could see that cruise lines are really beginning to take this more and more seriously,” he says.

Nevertheless, Ivan has his sights set on many opportunities for MBL in 2020 and beyond, starting with the encouraging trend that larger vessels are starting to visit Gozo. “In 2006, when we first floated the ‘Cruise Gozo’ concept, it was 100 per cent small ships that made the trip. Now, 14 years later, it is 20 per cent small ships (with about 100 passengers on board), 45 per cent medium (700 passengers) and 35 per cent large (2,000 passengers).

“Through our own internal research, we estimate that Gozo can handle up to 2,000 guests on shore excursions in one day, using clever micromanagement. We have, therefore, designed our own collection of more than 20 tours and activities to satisfy this potential demand. Client feedback is consistently excellent, and we are confident that more cruise lines will consider adding Gozo to their itineraries in the near future, which is very positive for the island.”

Ivan also touches upon the fact that the company’s operations in Algeria have been given a big vote of confidence by Viking Ocean Cruises as they have made numerous calls in the last few years. “Other lines that have visited include Hapag-Lloyd, Phoenix, Saga, Fred Olsen and Thomson,” he says. “Plus, Saga will be increasing their calls with their larger ship and we’ll be welcoming more new clients in 2020, so that is also very positive.”

Finally, Ivan says he is also witnessing increasing demand for the company’s Casbah Tour, which was made possible thanks to a 1938 film called Algiers, directed by John Cromwell and starring Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie and Hedy Lamarr.

“In this film, the invitation to ‘Come with me to the Casbah’ is used by one of the characters, and that’s exactly what we are encouraging visitors to do today – and it’s working. The excellent security throughout this destination, together with the modernising or building of new ferry terminals, bodes well for their future, and our business there.”

For Ivan it is, thus, certainly thrilling to witness how all of the company’s various sectors are faring – from cruise liners coming into Malta, to businesses considering Algeria – and he loves playing a role in each of that.

“Our attitude has always been to satisfy our clients’ needs as best as we can. One thing we will never do is cut corners; that’s how it has always been in this family, and it is how it will always stay.”

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