Anthony Diacono joins Tauss Holdings as Chairman of the Board

Anthony Diacono was welcomed as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Director of Tauss Holdings and its subsidiaries last February.

He brings with him decades of experience in corporate leadership.

“I am excited to have been invited to join the Board of Directors of Tauss Holdings and their subsidiaries. The medium and long-term plans presented to me by the Shareholders and their vision is what caused excitement on my part,” Mr Diacono said.

“The founding Shareholder, Pierre, and the second generation of ‘Tausses’, his sons Niki and Matthew, are putting in place the structure to meet both the expected growth in business and the changing legal, social, and environmental requirements that corporate firms must embrace going forward. I’m looking forward to this challenge,” he continued.

Mr Diacono has served in both the manufacturing and service sectors, be it private or publicly owned. Tauss Holdings noted that his track record in capital markets and internationalisation ‘will take the company forward’.

Mr Diacono has served as Director of Medserv plc (now MedservRegis plc) since its inception in 2001 and of Medserv Operations since 1997.

He has also held several posts as Chairman, CEO, and Director both locally and overseas. Mr Diacono is active with the Constituted Business Organisation in Malta and was President of the Malta Federation of Industry between 1992 and 1993.

Since April 2010, Mr Diacono had sat on the Board of Directors of CommBank Europe Ltd and was appointed Chairman in July 2012. He held said role until the bank de-listed in 2021.

At Tauss Holdings, Mr Diacono will be the first Board Member who is not part of the Tauss family.

“This is the first concrete step to evolving the group of companies from a family business towards a leading market player in the industry,” Niki Travers Trauss said.

“[Mr Diacono’s] experience in corporate governance, capital markets, and internationalisation will be the key input to the board. He ultimately shares a common interest in yachting as an avid sailor and yachtsman, which makes him the right fit for the organisation,” he continued.

As Chairman of the Board, Mr Diacono will oversee the overall strategic direction for Tauss Holdings and its subsidiaries.

He will also be providing experience and insight to the executive board, together drawing up the organisation’s long-term strategy, goals and objectives now that the group is well primed to engage in its next stage of horizontal growth through targeted M&A transactions.

From the humble beginnings of Strand Marine in 1990, to their representation of household name Larson Boats and Varta Car Batteries and the milestone of incorporation of Esprit Yachting in 2007 as the exclusive representatives of Azimut|Benetti Group in Malta, Tauss Holdings’ portfolio of companies over the years has expanded to include Yachting Events.

This was tasked with the organisation of the successful RC44 Valletta Cup in 2015 and 2016 together with the Yacht Racing Forum, the setup of Valletta Superyachts – a boutique yacht agency and Benetti Service partner – and, most significantly, the Group went on to spearhead the development of Marina di Valletta in 2016/7.

Tauss Holdings embarked on this development together with its Italian and local partners, an event which ultimately solidified its position in the market.

In 2018, the group diversified operations and, once again in partnership with the Azimut Benetti group, local investors AB Finance plc was setup to offer yacht finance solutions across the Azimut Yachts dealer network in Mediterranean.