TradeMalta have launched the first episode from the series entitled ‘International Insights – Stories from the Real Economy’. In the series, Dr Joe Schembri meets with entrepreneurs, experts and academics to discuss current themes that are central to global growth in a post-pandemic scenario. 

In the first episode, entitled ‘Navigating a crisis – Leading in a crisis and emerging stronger’ – Dr Schembri talks to Andrew Mangion, executive chairman and CEO of EC English Language Centres. 

Mangion describes how the global coronavirus pandemic affected EC English Language Centres – which, founded in 2007 and built on Maltese foundations, had, by 2019, grown into a multinational company with 30 full-immersion schools in eight countries. That gave it the status of the third largest provider of language education in the world. 

Covid-19 shook the company’s business model, as students could no longer travel to learn English.

“It was a catastrophic event – we had never seen anything like it. It was a shock… an existential threat,” Mangion says. “We had 6,000 students and some 1,000 staff – so our primary concern was their safety.”

In two weeks, EC English Language Centres pivoted from a brick-and-mortar to an online model. 

Mangion says how the company’s biggest strength was communication. “We communicated on daily basis – and had weekly huddles with our board and senior management team,” Mangion says. “We communicated with our agents, staff and students.”

With the staff’s commitment, the management’s leadership and a strong focus on communication, EC English Language Centres not only survived the crisis but emerged stronger. 

In 'International Insights', Dr Joe Schembri meets with entrepreneurs, experts and academics to discuss current themes that are central to global growth in a post-pandemic scenario.

International Insights is organised with the support of strategic partners HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. and powered by Studio Seven. Times of Malta is media partner. The series will be available on popular podcast platforms, TradeMalta’s YouTube channel and timesofmalta.com.