Portrait of former Chamber of Commerce president unveiled

A portrait of the late Chev. Anthony Miceli-Farrugia, a former president of the Chamber of Commerce, has been unveiled at the chamber by his widow, Dame Lilian Miceli-Farrugia.

The ceremony was hosted by chamber president Reginald Fava and the council, and attended by the Miceli-Farrugia family, directors and senior management of Simonds Farsons Cisk plc. and associated companies.

Apart from his position at Farsons, Mr Miceli-Farrugia was active in other companies and in private sector organisations. The business body with which he was most actively connected was the Chamber of Commerce.

He was an elected member of its council for many years and in 1971 was elected president for the first time, a post that he occupied the following year and on another two, two-year terms, in 1977-78 and 1980-81.

In 1988, he founded the Maltese-Italian Chamber of Commerce, serving as president up to 1996. He was appointed honorary president for life of the Maltese-Italian Chamber of Commerce in 1997.

Mr Fava recalled the leadership qualities, active involvement and genial character of Mr Miceli-Farrugia.

"It is our great pleasure that we honour a colleague who defended private enterprise in difficult times.

"It is therefore right and fitting that his portrait will feature prominently in the chamber's Sir Agostino Portelli Hall together with portraits of other, past presidents for the years to come as a testimony of our appreciation."

A similar event was held at the Farsons Brewery where another portrait was unveiled earlier on. Addressing the small gathering of family and the closest circle of friends and colleagues of Mr Miceli-Farrugia, Farsons chairman Bryan Gera recalled the former chairman's career at Farsons, and his various initiatives in the interest of the company, highlighted in 1952 with the introduction of the soft drink Kinnie.