GVZH Advocates announces three senior leadership changes

Malta-based law firm on Friday (today) announced three changes to its senior leadership team.

The law firm stated that Ann Bugeja has been appointed as its first female Partner, while Mario Vella has been named Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Josef Cardona is the new Chief Operating Officer of GVZH’s trust firm, GVZH Trustees.

“Join us in celebrating their achievements and looking forward to their continued contributions to our firm’s success,” GVZH Advocates said.

Dr Bugeja joined GVZH Advocates as Senior Associate in 2017, heading the firm’s private clients practice. She is particularly active in advising clients on relocation matters, be it citizenship or residence.

Throughout her career, she gained vast experience with assisting high net worth individuals with various tax solutions and their general relocation requirements.

Dr Bugeja also forms part of the law firm’s transportation and employments teams.

She holds a Doctor of Laws from University of Malta, as well as a Master of law in Public International Law and Maritime Law from the International Maritime law Institute (IMLI).

Prior to his newest role as CFO, Mr Vella was Head of Internal Accounting at the Maltese law firm, having first joined in 2018.

His main area of focus and responsibilities are running the firm’s internal accounting operations, namely, financial planning, establishing control procedures, cash management, and all statutory obligations.

Mr Vella, who has various years of experience working in financial services, holds a warrant as a Certified Public Accountant, and is also a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA).

Mr Cardona has worked at GVZH Advocates for the past six years, having joined as Tax and Structuring Consultant in 2018.

He has led GVZH Trustees as General Manager for the past five years, spearheading the tax advisory team. He is responsible for the provision of corporate and international tax advice to a range of clients, including traditional trading and holding companies to financial institutions.

He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Henley Business School and an Advance Diploma in International Taxation (ADIT) from the Chartered Institute of Taxation in the UK.

GVZH Advocates’ roots date back to 1943, when Albert Grech Senior and Joseph Vella Senior set up their separate legal practices in Valletta. Following a series of strategic mergers in 1997, 2000 and 2016, the firm is now a key player in the Maltese legal landscape.