Updated 1.30pm

Mater Dei Hospital COO Steve Agius will be heading Identità as the entity's new CEO, the government confirmed in a statement.

As Chief Operating Officer of Mater Dei, Agius managed the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Agius will be taking over from Mark Mallia, who held the post since January 2022.

On Thursday the government also confirmed that Mallia will replace Carmen Ciantar as head of the Foundation for Medical Services as of March. 

The changes come weeks after a surprise Cabinet reshuffle in which Jo Etienne Abela replaced Fearne as health minister. 

Identità is responsible for issuing all identification documents in Malta, including ID cards and passports. 

However, much of the agency's work involves vetting candidates' applications from non-EU countries who want to work in Malta.

Malta is increasingly reliant on foreign labour, with the number of foreign workers multiplying from just under 70,000 in 2019 to over 107,000 last year.

Agius has a background in big data. He lectures at the University of Malta on big data analytics and is reading for a PhD on the use of data in decision-making.

Before his Mater Dei appointment, Agius was Chief of Information and Development at the Malta Communications Authority. There he led initiatives aimed at supporting social cohesion and e-Inclusion.