When he looks back on what he wanted to do with his life, A.M. Mangion CEO Jonathan Mangion is clear – exactly what he is doing now.

“I think my first word was probably ‘pharmacy’,” he smiles, as he talks through growing up in a business built by his father Alfred. “My earliest memories are of visiting my father in his office, and I always found it fun. I enjoyed the environment and watching the team grow. I knew it was going to be my future.”

Educated in the UK and the US, Jonathan took on limited roles throughout his teens and early 20s, before diving right in when he returned to the island full-time in 1998. It was at that point that he took on the position of head of marketing, and started travelling to Libya to develop the business there. He then moved into the position of CEO in 2006.

“As a company, I think we handled the succession process very well – all thanks to my father,” he continues. “There wasn’t really a rigid plan in place, and I took more of a ‘dive in and swim’ approach. It seems to have worked. My sister Kristina also played an important role in developing the retail side of our business and, of course, I am privileged to work with such a fine management team.”

Jonathan looks back on the many landmark moments in his career, including restructuring the company’s Libya business in 2004, when it faced having to move out of the country when the market was privatised. “We opted to identify people we could partner with to add value, and it turned out to be a very successful venture. It helped to guarantee the future of our business there.”

The CEO also cites the company’s move into other markets in the Maghreb and in Sub-Saharan Africa as a landmark moment, along with signing regional contracts to handle the business development, sales and marketing of products in that area. This, he explains, transformed the company from a two-market player into a regional one.

“Finally, I would say another milestone moment was when we chose to focus more on our Malta business in 2011, when it became harder to travel to Libya.

That meant that my constant travel schedule was reduced, allowing me the time to focus on growing things here. As it turned out, that was a very fruitful decision and it has benefitted the company as a whole. We now operate in a very diversified set of markets, with a team of 110 people locally and responsibility for a further 60 overseas.”

Jonathan sees the family-run side of the business as an important component of A.M. Mangion’s success. “We don’t look for quick fixes or short-term returns; ours is a long-term mindset,” he says.

“We really do treat this business as an extension of our family, and that’s the way we like it. We care for our employees and their families; we love meeting their children, or even having those children join us for a summer job or longer. It all comes down to creating a nurturing environment.”

That approach has certainly led to positive results for the Group, which – aside from the importation and distribution side of the business – also runs the Remedies pharmacies and clinics.

“We recently purchased our sixth pharmacy. Through our clinics we are able to offer a vast portfolio of services, including weight management, physiotherapy, sports medicine, dental care and med-aesthetics, as well as an array of different out-patient medical services. We’re currently renovating our pharmacy and clinic in Sliema, which burnt down last year, as well as making upgrades to Remedies Birkirkara, Siggiewi and Msida. It’s going to be fantastic to see them fall in line with the image that the Remedies brand represents, which are centres dedicated to enhancing life!”

Jonathan says, above all else, he is most driven by the positive change that A.M. Mangion can bring to people’s lives. “For instance, we recently won a tender to update the dialysis equipment in the Renal Unit at Mater Dei, and the results have been so satisfying. Hearing patients say what a difference it has made to their lives – that they now feel well enough to play with their children or run errands – is incredible. It highlights the effect that our work has out there.”

The CEO talks about another similar project – the Hepatitis C Elimination Programme that is currently ongoing. “It’s so rare that a cure for diseases like this one comes to exist, but this has, and we were tasked with eliminating Hepatitis C from Malta over a period of five years,” he explains.

“So far we have cured close to 300 patients who had been infected and who would have eventually died from the disease. Now they are cured and able to get out there and live their lives, and reintegrate into society. It shows the incredibly positive knock-on effect of medicine and it’s a great feeling to know we have been able to bring that to people in an accessible way. I hope that will be one of my legacies.”

Looking at the wider challenges of the health industry and how it is likely to change in the years to come, Jonathan zones in on our ageing population and what that could mean – both for Malta and the wider world.

“People are living longer, which is positive on the one hand, but a resource-related challenge on the other. However, innovations and treatments are constantly being introduced, and I believe the next five years must be dedicated, in part, to finding ways of making these new options monetarily feasible for the people that need them. After all, if they aren’t affordable then there is very little point.”

Going forward, Jonathan also expects to see significant changes in the way people are treated, with more remote patient monitoring, in particular for patients with chronic diseases, who require constant measuring of their medical parameters. Remote monitoring reduces the pressures created at hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Patients will only need to visit when called in, or for more valid reasons as opposed to a routine visit. “In the future you will communicate with your GP over an app because, realistically, your GP only actually needs to see you 20 per cent of the time – the rest can be communicated and monitored remotely. At A.M. Mangion, we’re very excited about this sort of development and dedicated to bringing it to Malta. We’re currently investing in this type of technology and look forward to introducing it, not just here but in other parts of Europe. It is definitely the future.”

So, as Jonathan and the rest of the team at A.M. Mangion set their sights on 2020 and beyond, they see this as a time for consolidation and innovation. “Across our distribution arm, our clinics, pharmacies and at our headquarters, this year is about seeing through our recent investments.

"I also trust that some of the start-ups we have invested in will break through this year; we have been working on some related to remote patient monitoring, medical marijuana and a medical concierge service, as well as a new e-commerce service for Remedies through which people will be able to order their medicines online and have them delivered to their door. The next 12 months will certainly see us expand the current boundaries we are working within and achieve more than ever before.”

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