Vanessa Macdonald, an assistant editor at the Times of Malta, has won the first business reporting award to be given by the Malta Stock Exchange.

Ms Macdonald has worked for the Times of Malta since 1994 in various roles, and first started looking after its business content in 2004. After a brief break to pursue other interests, she returned to the newspaper in 2013 and was instrumental in setting up the Business Observer, which she coordinated and provided content for.

The Stock Exchange said her role had created many opportunities for her to report on the financial and business sectors “in an unbiased, always interesting and often candid manner”.

Ms Macdonald took the opportunity to appeal to the business and financial services community to work closer with the media in a more collaborative manner.

The Malta Stock Exchange annual dinner at the Casino Maltese was also an opportunity to present other awards. The Eden Leisure Group was awarded Company of the Year 2017, based on its exceptional year in 2016.

The Life-Time Achievement Award was given to Joseph Zammit Tabona who boasts a successful 40-year career as an accountant and entrepreneur, owning one of Malta's finest boutique hotels and catering establishments.

The Employee of the Year Award was given to Stephanie Abela who was selected by her colleagues at the MSE through a voting system.

During his address, MSE chairman Joseph Portelli outlined the Exchange’s plans for future strategic growth. The event was also addressed by Finance Minister Edward Scicluna and Joseph Cuschieri, executive chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority.