The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has appointed Heathcliff Farrugia as the new Chief Executive Officer.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has appointed Heathcliff Farrugia as the new Chief Executive Officer. He’ll be stepping into his new position as of 24th April, taking over from Joseph Cuschieri who was earlier this month named CEO of the Malta Financial Services Authority.
Mr. Farrugia specialises in strategic planning, business management and operational efficiencies, boasting experience built through a number of senior executive positions held within the public and private sector. He was a member of the Supervisory Council and a co-chairman of the Fit & Proper Committee responsible for assessing fitness of companies applying for an MGA license. Farrugia is currently also a member of the Gaming Regulators European Forum, International Association of Gaming Regulators, and the International Association of Gaming Advisors.
Prior to taking on the role of the MGA’s CEO, Heathcliff Farrugia held the position of Chief Operations Officer tasked with overseeing PR and Marketing, HR and Admin, Information systems and Player Unit Support. His career before that was built mostly in the telecom industry. Having started in the Marketing division at Vodafone Malta, he later held various commercial positions within the same company. He was also appointed Customer Value Management manager for Vodafone Italy and put in charge for the overall strategy of the area.
Farrugia joined the MGA in 2014 and is said to have given crucial contribution to the Authority’s transformation processes. Becoming Chief Regulatory Officer in 2016 made him responsible for all of organisation’s regulatory activities, particularly regulatory supervision, authorisations and compliance. His new role as the company’s CEO will deliver new challenges linked to the licensing, terminations and renewals, the licensee relationship management, and the Player Support unit.
Decision on the new CEO has been made following the discussions with Hon. Silvio Schembri, the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation.