These are the philanthropic causes Malta’s business leaders feel most strongly about

Malta has no shortage of entrepreneurial minds making waves locally and overseas and, thankfully, despite their rise to success, most of these have retained a strong social conscience and a desire to better the country they live in.

In light of that, in the latest MaltaCEOs publication we asked the country’s leading business leaders which of Malta’s diverse philanthropic causes they hold closest to heart. This is what they had to say:

Undoubtedly, the causes that garner the most attention from this demographic are those that, in some way or another, help children in need.

More than a handful of local CEOs, such as Busy Bee Chief Stefan Borg, voiced their support for those NGOs that provide social or medical support to children.

RE/MAX Malta CEO Jeffrey Buttigieg, Burmarrad Group CEO Sharon Gauci, and Sparkasse Bank CEO Paul Mifsud all share Mr Borg’s sentiment, whilst naming Puttinu Cares as the organisation that they hold closest to heart.

Since its foundation in 2002, this children’s cancer support group has easily become one of the country’s best known charitable organisations. By establishing the Rainbow Ward in Mater Dei Hospital and purchasing property in the UK, Puttinu Cares has eased the cancer treatment process for countless Maltese children and their families.

This NGO is far from the only Maltese organisation attracting admiration from the country’s business leaders.

BMIT Technologies CEO Christian Sammut, for example, names Hospice Malta as the philanthropic cause he is most passionate about. Similarly, Andrei Grech – CEO at AG Group – considers the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation and ALS Malta to be his charitable organisations of choice.

All three of the aforementioned causes seek to help individuals battling a variety of illnesses. ALS Malta, founded by ALS patient-activist Bjorn Formosa, seeks to raise awareness about neurological conditions whilst supporting patients battling said conditions.

Hospice Malta, on the other hand, has the primary aim of offering and promoting palliative care for persons suffering from a plethora of terminal illnesses.

Another highly popular cause amongst local CEOs is assisting people with disabilities.

“Helping children with special needs,” Harvest Technology CEO Godwin Caruana says when asked what philanthropic cause he’s most passionate about, “but you will never see or hear about me doing this publicly.”

Epic CEO Tamas Banyai and Campus Hub CEO Christian Vassallo share the same sentiment, with the latter focusing his efforts on “creating an environment where all children can reach their full potential.”

Certain local business leaders found it hard to choose a single cause they feel passionately about.

“A lot of organisations and individuals are doing a lot of good in our society. All of them deserve our respect, gratitude and, as much as possible, our support,” said MAPFRE MSV Life CEO Etienne Sciberras.

“Throughout my career, I have worked to put myself to the service of others. I guess this is my greatest philanthropic gesture to date,” added Mercury Towers CEO Marcel Bonnici.

This article is part of the serialisation of interviews featured in MaltaCEOs 2022 – an annual high-end publication bringing together some of the country’s most influential business leaders.