What keeps Malta’s CEOs awake at night? – Konnekt Executive Director Josef Said

Behind the boardroom confidence, CEOs are juggling competing demands. So, we asked five of Malta’s business leaders what keeps them up at night. Their candid answers reveal the tensions, trade-offs and frustrations influencing leadership in 2026 – from AI disruption and workforce strain to bureaucracy, cash flow and changing regulations.

Here’s what Konnekt Executive Director Josef Said had to say.

What keeps you awake at night as a business leader in Malta right now?

Misjudging the speed, scale and direction of AI’s impact. We already use AI and machine learning models internally and for clients. The real risk is not AI itself, but investing in the wrong places and failing to reskill people quickly enough.

If you could change one thing about Malta’s business environment tomorrow, what would it be?

The treatment of third-country nationals (TCNs) needs to change radically. Unless they’re treated like Maltese citizens when it comes to changing jobs and work permits, we perpetuate a cycle of abuse and suffering. Identità needs to be far more service-oriented, and the Immigration Appeals Board requires complete reform and better resourcing – its backlog already exceeds 18 months.

What’s the toughest decision you’re facing this year?

Where to double down and where to hold back. The real dilemma is executing these choices when they have a human impact, like reshaping teams and stopping projects. Balancing long-term responsibility with immediate impact on individuals is the hardest part of the job.

What aspect of running a business in Malta has become significantly harder in the past two years?

Building and retaining a stable workforce. Foreign workers made up five per cent of the workforce in 2005, 20 per cent in 2015 and about 36 per cent today – yet systems feel designed to push them away. We bring people here, train them and then too many move to countries where life is simpler and citizenship achievable in under five years. We’re quietly losing the talent we need.

What’s one thing about your business or team that you’re particularly grateful for right now?

Exceptional people. I’m particularly grateful for how we show up for one another – the support, maturity in handling difficult conversations and willingness to challenge for better outcomes.

Apart from Josef Said, MaltaCEOs.mt also spoke to Harald Roesch (CEO of Melita), Cenk Kahraman (CEO of Finance Incorporated Ltd), James Cassar (Managing Director of 242 Group), and Alexander Chetcuti (CEO of Lift Services Ltd) on this subject. Watch this space as these interviews will be published in the following days on our website.

This forms part of a feature first published on Malta CEOs 2026, the sister print brand to MaltaCEOs.mt, both owned by Content House.