Businessman
Albert was born in Valletta, the son of Alfred Mizzi and Mabel née Dunbar Vella. He received his education at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, St Julian’s and at St Aloysius College Birkirkara, (1935-1945).
In 1946, he joined the family business of Alf. Mizzi & Sons. From that point onwards there was no economic or business area or activity in which he did not feel tempted to try his business acumen. The early 1960s were the beginning of what was probably to be the best period for business in Malta’s modern history.
The list of companies in which, at some time or other, Albert Mizzi was shareholder, director, or even chairman, is a very long one. It covers activities in, inter alia, real estate development, hotels and tourism, importation and distribution, manufacture and export, and retailing. He was actively involved in the direction of a number of Alf. Mizzi & Sons Group of Companies until his demise.
In a business career spanning 70 years he was behind many major projects including:
Malta Development Ltd with John Mizzi of Mizzi Bros., Consolidated Biscuit Company in 1979, Plaza Centres plc. in 1990, MIDI consortium for the development of Tigne Point and Manoel Island in 1990, the Santa Maria Estate in Mellieħa, and Mellieħa Bay Hotel, Comino Bay Hotel in 1993, Chairman of the Supermarkets (1960) Ltd in 1990, chairman of the Marina Milling and Grain Handling Co Ltd., in 1990, and chairman of the Mizzi Organization, the major car importation group with diverse commercial and industrial interests including the local Coco-Cola franchise, in 1990.
Albert Mizzi’s involvement in government projects started in the early 1970s. Since then he served under five different prime ministers and managed to keep good relations with both sides of the political spectrum.
Mizzi’s greatest challenge came when successive Maltese governments asked him to set up companies after 1973: Air Malta Co Ltd. (of which he was executive chairman for 19 years), Sea Malta Co. Ltd. in 1973, Malta Insurance Brokers Ltd. in 1976, Mediterranean Oilfield Services Ltd. in 1980, and Middle Sea Insurance Company Ltd. in 1981.
In 1992, five years after a change in government, the Nationalist government of the day decided that Bertie’s time was up and chose to appoint a new chairman at Air Malta. The government appointed him Chairman of Malta Shipbuilding. Another notable appointment by the government was as chairman of the Malta Council of Economic Development. In 1999, after the HSBC bought Mid-Med Bank from the Maltese Government, and they appoint Bertie Muscat as their Chairman.
In 1992 Albert Mizzi was given the task of chairing the Malta Council for Economic Development and Malta Shipbuilding Company Ltd. and was instrumental in setting up Malta Gantry Manufacturing Ltd. and Malta Win Cargo Containers Ltd.
From 1955 onwards Mizzi was a member of the council of the Chamber of Commerce. He was either secretary or treasurer for a number of years. He was founder member of the Malta Trade Fair Corporation (1959-1965), and a council member of the Federation of Industries.
Mizzi was for many years Deputy Chairman of Caritas (Malta) after he was approached by Dun Victor Grech to help him on the board of Caritas, as well as was consulted from time to time by the Society of Jesus – the Jesuits – mostly for the administration of the Order’s property.
In 1992, Mizzi was elected fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and in 1993 was decorated by the government of Malta as member of the National Order of Merit (M.O.M.). In November 2005, Queen Elizabeth appointed Mizzi as Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.).
Mizzi married Elda Radmilli on 2 June 1953, and they had a son, Alec.
As Julian Sammut, his nephew commented: "nearing the venerable age of 90, Bertie still went to the office on a daily basis, running Mizzi Associated Enterprises and remaining actively involved in MIDI, Plaza Centres, the Mellieħa Bay Hotel, Kemmuna Ltd. and Supermarkets (1960) Ltd. For him work was a pleasure and ‘is-salmura tal-ġisem’ or balm of the soul, as he was fond of saying. He passed away on 10 September 2015."
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.