Marlene Seychell’s career has traversed the public and private sectors, having occupied leadership positions in various public entities. Marlene’s strengths lie in various high-level disciplines including strategic planning, communication, management, consultation and cutting-edge thought leadership. She is renowned for her entrepreneurial skills which led to the success of numerous companies and organisations in the private sector. Marlene is regularly a key panel speaker during numerous International Summits and hosts delegations from key organisations, whereby she provides insight into core issues and in the development of innovative strategies. Marlene is also renowned as a strong decision maker and effective communicator, with strong interpersonal and organisational skills. She has extensive experience of organisational leadership at Board and senior executive levels.

Heathcliff Farrugia is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). He is specialised in business management, operational efficiencies, strategic planning, and regulation; and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Leicester, UK. Throughout his professional career, he held various senior executive positions both within the private and the public sector. In 2014, Heathcliff joined the Gaming Authority in the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO), and was pivotal in the transformation process which the Authority underwent. He held this position for two years, up until he moved to the Regulatory department to hold the role of Chief Regulatory Officer (CRO) in 2016. In this role he was responsible for all Regulatory aspects of the Authority, with four teams focusing on Regulatory Supervision, Authorisations, Compliance and Player Support respectively.

At the same time, he was also a member of the Supervisory Council, and co-chaired the Fit & Proper Committee, entrusted with the assessment of the fit and properness of the individuals and companies applying for a MGA licence. Heathcliff was a board member on the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), where he is now a member, and is also a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).

Prior to joining the MGA, Heathcliff spent the largest part of his career in the telecoms industry, specifically with Vodafone Malta, where he occupied various managerial positions. In 2013, Heathcliff was also appointed Customer Value Management (CVM) Manager for Vodafone Italy in Milan where he was responsible for the overall planning and strategy within the Consumer Department.

Heathcliff Farrugia is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). He is specialised in business management, operational efficiencies, strategic planning, and regulation; and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Leicester, UK. Throughout his professional career, he held various senior executive positions both within the private and the public sector. In 2014, Heathcliff joined the Gaming Authority in the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO), and was pivotal in the transformation process which the Authority underwent. He held this position for two years, up until he moved to the Regulatory department to hold the role of Chief Regulatory Officer (CRO) in 2016. In this role he was responsible for all Regulatory aspects of the Authority, with four teams focusing on Regulatory Supervision, Authorisations, Compliance and Player Support respectively.

At the same time, he was also a member of the Supervisory Council, and co-chaired the Fit & Proper Committee, entrusted with the assessment of the fit and properness of the individuals and companies applying for a MGA licence. Heathcliff was a board member on the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), where he is now a member, and is also a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).

Prior to joining the MGA, Heathcliff spent the largest part of his career in the telecoms industry, specifically with Vodafone Malta, where he occupied various managerial positions. In 2013, Heathcliff was also appointed Customer Value Management (CVM) Manager for Vodafone Italy in Milan where he was responsible for the overall planning and strategy within the Consumer Department.

Dr Dominic Micallef is the Chief Officer – Enforcement at the MGA, responsible for both remote and land-based gaming operations. Prior to joining the MGA, Dr Micallef served in the Malta Police Force for 25 years where he worked in several areas such as the anti-riot squad, as a Police Inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department and finally as a Superintendent and head of the police force’s legal department. Dr Micallef holds a BA in Criminology, Doctor of Laws and a Magister Juris in EU and Comparative Law from the University of Malta. At the MGA his main responsibilities include field operations, the overseeing of the due diligence process and Anti-Money Laundering policies and procedures.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

FIELD OPERATIONS

• Inspections in casinos, gaming parlours and other licensed gaming establishments
• Gaming device inspections
• Overseeing the national lottery draws
• Investigations related to illegal gaming activities in conjunction with the Malta Police Force

ENFORCEMENT

• Liaison with local and international law enforcement agencies e.g. Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), Attorney General (AG), Interpol, Police, etc…
• Enforcement action to ensure compliance with licence conditions and regulatory obligations
• Participation in the Task Force on Match Fixing (and related policy development and review)

DUE DILIGENCE

• Conducting Due Diligence assessments in liaison with the regulatory directorate
• Issuing of regular Due Diligence or Enhanced Due Diligence reports with the relevant recommendations

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING

• Single point of contact from AML procedures, both locally and internationally
• Review of licensee AML procedures and controls
• Conducting on-site visits on locally based operators when the need arises
• AML Policy development and review

INVESTIGATIONS

• Special investigations
• Investigations on all land based and remote gaming companies/individuals resulting from information emanating from multiple internal and external sources
• Follow up on intelligence and reports

Peter Spiteri is the Chief Officer – Finance & Programme Management at the MGA. Peter is an ACCA qualified accountant with almost 10 years’ experience in the finance sector. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he worked in the Corporate Administration Services department. He then moved to Deutsche Bank (Malta) as Head of Finance, where he was responsible for the overall finance function in Malta. At the MGA, he is responsible for the overall finance function of the Authority namely, revenue assurance, tax compliance, corporate finance, treasury, financial planning and control, management accounts and reporting, as well as procurement. He is also responsible for programme delivery as well as for the overall knowledge and strategic information management of the Authority.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

REVENUE ASSURANCE & TAX COMPLIANCE

• Collection and follow up on gaming taxes due, licence fees and other administrative fees charged to licensees
• Gaming tax compliance and enforcement
• Gaming tax audits
• Review of licensee gaming tax submissions

FINANCE OPERATIONS

• Corporate finance
• Cash flow management
• Financial planning and control
• Financial accounting
• Management accounts & reporting
• Procurement
• Audit
• Liaison with NAO, IAID, MFIN & Audit Committee

PROJECTS & QUALITY

• Risk analysis & management
• Planning and co-ordination of the MGA’s agenda and relative follow-ups on all actions and projects,
• Leading the strategic and business planning process,
• Developing and implementing a project management structure,
• Establishment and review of Quality Assurance standards across the MGA,
• Coordinate the implementation of recommended corrective actions derived from quality audits/reviews and other audits performed by the MGA’s internal auditor, external auditors and NAO & IAID,
• Ensure MGA data, systems, processes and deliverables comply with internal policies and procedures and quality standards,
• Conduct and/or review quality audits including reporting and deliverables.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

• Research, statistics & information management
• Industry performance reporting
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Document management

Karl Brincat Peplow is the Interim Chief Officer – Regulatory at the MGA. He is responsible for all Regulatory aspects of the Authority, with four teams reporting to him: Authorisations, Compliance, Regulatory Supervision and Player Support. Karl also forms part of the Supervisory Council, and the Fit & Proper Committee, which is entrusted with the assessment of the fit and properness of the individuals and companies applying for a MGA licence. Karl has joined the Authority in 2009, as Systems and Financial Auditor, and then proceeded to occupy the positions of Authorisations Manager and Head of Authorisations respectively, prior to being appointed Interim Chief Officer – Regulatory.

He possesses an Honours Degree in Information Systems Management from the University of London, and is also a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). Both certifications were issued by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) where he was a member of the Board for three years. Prior to joining the MGA Karl held various positions within the telecommunications industry, specifically within the IT Security and Design sphere.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

AUTHORISATIONS

• Management and processing of new applications
• On-boarding of new operators & renewals
• Approval of premises and changes in floor plans for Land Based operators
• Approval & certification of new machines
• Approval of key persons, employees and issuing of HQP’s
• Management and processing of licence applications, renewals, and other related applications
• Processing of surrender, termination or expiration of licences
• Approval of share transfers, licence transfers, intermediaries, shared conducts and technical infrastructures
• Management of the MGA’s “Fit and Proper” process

COMPLIANCE

• Development and implementation of an annual compliance review plan, for both online and land based operators
• Compliance audits review
• Internal compliance reviews (operator checks) on an ongoing basis
• Adherence to licence conditions (follow-up and review)
• Review of games & control systems including policies
• Design and development of the relevant policies and procedures
• Liaise with land based Inspectorate Unit for the performance of offsite compliance checks.

REGULATORY SUPERVISION

• Regulatory Financial Supervision (Player Liability Reports, Financial Accounts)
• Thematic reviews based on risk

PLAYER SUPPORT UNIT 

• Player complaints management
• Dispute Resolution

Christopher Formosa is the Head – Human Resources & Corporate Affairs at the MGA. In his role Christopher is responsible for the overall management and development of the Human Resources function with a focus on maintaining an employee-oriented, high performance culture which emphasises quality, productivity, and goal attainment including the ongoing training and development of the Authority’s employees. Moreover, Christopher is responsible for facilities management, health & safety and security, all internal and external communications, as well as public and media relations.

Christopher started his career as an Executive Secretary within a local council.  He was then appointed Head of Operations with the CHOGM Malta 2015 Taskforce within the office of the Prime Minister where he was directly involved in the different functions and activities of the Task Force both at planning and execution stage.  He was also selected as the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Forum organising Committee where he was responsible for the coordination of the local team, which involved planning all the logistical arrangements associated with the forum.

Christopher holds a Master of Arts Degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of York.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Training & Development
• Recruitment
• Talent management
• Succession planning
• Internal & External Communications
• Public & Media Relations
• Facilities management
• Health & safety
• Security