‘Greed harms more businesses than anything else’ – Wolfgang Tweraser

A seasoned entrepreneur with nearly four decades of international experience, Wolfgang Tweraser leads TW Consulting & Trade Ltd, a Malta-based firm at the forefront of sustainable innovation. As the company exceeded its first-year revenue goal by 15 per cent, Wolfgang’s focus for the year ahead is a balance of growth and consolidation, guided by a philosophy of proactive engagement and a belief in the power of meaningful, personal connections.

Wolfgang Tweraser’s journey to becoming a business leader is one defined by foresight, adaptability and an unrelenting drive to deliver solutions. When he began his career 40 years ago, sustainability was barely a consideration in corporate strategy. Most businesses were focused on profit and growth alone, but Wolfgang was already exploring how efficiency and environmental care could go hand in hand.

“From day one, we were thinking about how we could use our products to be more efficient and environmentally friendly,” he remarks. That forward-thinking mindset remains a core tenet of his leadership, which he believes is essential for any CEO. “You have to be one step ahead to see what’s coming next and understand what the market needs.”

He distils the company’s ethos into a simple but powerful philosophy: “We believe in finding solutions. Many consulting businesses can tell you what the problem is, but our strength lies in identifying both the challenge and the solution.” This outlook has carried Wolfgang through a diverse career. After more than two decades in the United States, where his firm advised cities on restructuring parking systems and where he served on President George W. Bush’s business advisory board, Wolfgang made the deliberate decision to relocate both his home and company to Malta in 2024, a country he had first visited and lived in for six months over 40 years earlier.

Despite the positive outcome, relocating to Malta was not without its obstacles. “The biggest challenge wasn’t even business-related – it was the overwhelming bureaucracy around setting up the company on the island. I had never filled out so many forms for minor things,” he recalls. Yet, he views overcoming those hurdles as a valuable lesson in patience and persistence. Once the initial barriers were cleared, momentum came quickly, and with a lean but highly effective team, TW Consulting & Trade Ltd built strong connections and soon became a supplier to the Armed Forces of Malta.

For Wolfgang, success is not defined by business objectives or revenue alone. “My daily motivation is to do something for the community – the business community, my friends, my neighbours,” he explains. His professional philosophy mirrors his personal one: “Help wherever you can and make improvements wherever you can, in both your personal and business life.”

This alignment between personal values and professional goals gives Wolfgang’s work enduring purpose – a commitment clearly reflected in the curated portfolio of sustainable products represented by his company, offering direct solutions to some of Malta’s most pressing challenges. Among them are Candela’s electric hydrofoiling ferries, Robotic Parking’s automated parking garages and SmartFlower’s solar energy systems, alongside other renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles (EVs) and eco-friendly consumer goods.

At the heart of the company’s model is its ‘ambassador’ approach, positioning TW Consulting & Trade Ltd as a bridge to the market for innovative brands. The company provides an end-to-end service covering everything from market research and logistics to contract execution and legal compliance. Central to this approach is relationship-building – something Wolfgang insists can never be replaced by technology. “Video calls and emails are great, but there is nothing better than a face-to-face meeting,” he asserts. “It shows people that you take them and the business seriously. You have to understand different cultures and be willing to put in the time and effort to build relationships, not just sell a product.”

This personal, hands-on way of working has already yielded results. The firm won a tender in Gozo, installing a SmartFlower solar system – the largest of its kind in the manufacturer’s nearly 20-year history. It is also in the running to build Malta’s first robotic parking garage and has introduced a line of biodegradable products, including edible takeaway utensils made from tapioca root and rice. “Such items help the environment, and they’re easily adoptable – but people need to embrace them,” Wolfgang stresses.

The company’s focus on sustainable solutions directly addresses some of Malta’s most significant growth challenges: parking shortages, traffic congestion and land use. Robotic parking garages, for instance, require only half the space of conventional facilities while integrating EV charging stations – solving two problems at once. “We’ve also proposed an electric ferry from a Swedish company to improve transport between Malta and Gozo. It’s quieter and far more environmentally friendly.”

Yet progress is often hampered by misaligned policies, stemming from a lack of communication between governmental entities. Wolfgang points to a new law requiring taxis to be electric without providing adequate charging infrastructure as an example of poor coordination. “There’s a disconnect between the vision and practical reality,” he says. Such gaps between policy and practice highlight the need for innovation. Ultimately, technology remains a crucial driver of that change, and Wolfgang views artificial intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool to improve efficiency – though he warns of unintended consequences. “I recently saw a company dismiss 50 people because one software replaced them all,” he shares. He acknowledges that AI has the potential to streamline processes and cut costs dramatically, but he insists that such gains must never come at the expense of people. “I don’t want to introduce a technology to our organisation and then lay people off because the tool saves money. Greed kills businesses more than anything else.”

That same people-first outlook shapes his views on another issue: talent. While Wolfgang has been able to assemble a small, capable team, he sees wider challenges in Malta’s labour market. The system for attracting qualified workers needs improvement, he argues, citing inefficiencies in recruitment agencies like Jobsplus and the financial hurdles that make job mobility difficult, deterring skilled professionals. “If you want the right people, you have to make it attractive for them,” he notes, flagging rising rents and unnecessary fees as key barriers.

As a leader, Wolfgang is not one to be kept awake by such challenges. Instead, he is energised by a strong sense of purpose. “I am excited to continue leading TW Consulting & Trade Ltd towards new opportunities in international trade and innovation,” he says. What motivates him daily is simple: “To do good for the community and provide a solid foundation for my employees – that’s what keeps me going every day.”

Looking ahead, Wolfgang believes Malta’s adoption of sustainable technologies will depend on the community’s willingness to embrace change. New solutions may carry higher upfront costs, but he insists they deliver long-term value and environmental gains. He also highlights a lack of Government support schemes for larger corporations – the biggest energy consumers – as counterproductive to the national energy transition. With better collaboration and long-term planning, he believes Malta could realise its full potential as a hub of sustainable innovation.

His message to Malta’s business community is both pragmatic and passionate: “The answer to many of Malta’s problems is communication. Why don’t we all sit together and talk? It’s not that complicated.” Reflecting on his return to the island, Wolfgang shares a personal pledge: to help improve Malta by at least 0.01 per cent. “This country has so much to offer. It could be like a little Monaco if the right decisions were made.”

This article is part of the serialisation of 50 interviews featured in MaltaCEOs 2026 – the sister brand to MaltaCEOs.mt and an annual high-end publication bringing together some of the country’s most influential business leaders.