Marisa Micallef, the former chairman of the Housing Authority, has been appointed a strategy adviser to Labour leader Joseph Muscat, The Sunday Times reports today.

She joins a small team of consultants reporting directly to Dr Muscat. Her main role will be to help convert voters who never considered Labour.

In the past, Ms Micallef used to be criticised by Labour for writing pro-PN political articles while chairing a public entity.

Asked by The Sunday Times for its comments, the PL said the 'past was past' and it meant business when it said it was building a new movement.

Ms Micallef unsuccessfully contested the 1998 general election as a PN candidate. She resigned from the Housing Authority in 2008.

Another former head of a public entity, Marlene Mizzi, chairman of Sea Malta, was among the Labour candidates for the European Parliament elections earlier this year, while last year, former PN candidate Marlene Pullicino was elected as a Labour MP.