From those in the know: ‘Malta is not immune to global economic trends’ – Marthese Portelli

Malta’s growth forecast may be on tract, but business sentiment among CEOs and business leaders is divided for 2025. In the second part of this series, we zoom in on the views of Malta Chamber CEO Marthese Portelli.

Marthese Portelli has brought her wealth of experience in policy formulation and negotiation, to her role as CEO of The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry since 2021. 

She identifies critical reforms – such as improving infrastructure, addressing over-construction, reducing bureaucracy, and better governance – as essential for sustainable growth. 

She also emphasises the importance of shifting Malta’s economic model from labour-intensive to value-added industries to improve quality of life and maintain the country’s attractiveness for high-quality investors, visitors and residents alike. 

“Manufacturing has always been a strong component of growth, as has tourism. We need to assist the manufacturing industry to move towards higher value-added processes and to do more with less,” she says. “In tourism, we need clarity on how we will move from quantity to quality in tangible terms.” 

While Malta has proved to be resilient many times over, the island is exposed to vulnerabilities which pose challenges in remaining competitive. Attractiveness and productivity, as well as overall well-being and quality of life, remain key to embrace success. 

“Malta is not immune to global economic trends,” she says. “Higher interest rates potentially lead to increased borrowing costs for businesses and consumers. Inflation tends to erode purchasing power, affecting consumer spending and business investment. 

Geopolitical tensions disrupt trade and investment flows, as well as supply chains.” Marthese calls for the implementation of over 250 policy proposals that The Malta Chamber has presented in recent years, focusing on a workforce strategy nurturing and keeping talent, innovation, the environment, renewable energy, traffic mitigation, pensions, rationalising public spending to get better return on investment, and better governance. 

And, with aviation and technology showing growth potential, she concludes that business sentiment for 2025 remains “guardedly prudent”, shaped by structural inefficiencies and the urgent need for strategic, forward-looking reforms.

This forms part of a feature first published on Malta CEOs 2025, the sister print brand to MaltaCEOs.mt, both owned by Content House