KPMG in Malta, a leading provider of audit, tax and advisory services, has appointed Hermione Arciola, Clifford Delia and Claude Ellul as partners.
Over the past 12 years, Hermione Arciola has played an important part in developing KPMG’s deal advisory service line. She has taken a leading role in local and cross border vendor and buy-side due diligence assignments for clients operating in various sectors, as well as in assisting clients with the raising of debt and equity finance through the local capital market.
She has also accumulated a wealth of experience assisting both local and international clients operating across various industries through the delivery of valuation, mergers and acquisitions and financing assignments, as well as, assignments involving the preparation of business plans for large real estate development projects and turnaround plans.
Mr Delia leads KPMG’s corporate accounting services. Under his leadership this service area has achieved impressive growth over the past few years. His major focus is now centred on advising and assisting international and local clients in outsourced accounting services, financial reporting, indirect taxation compliance services and payroll outsourcing.
Mr Ellul joined KPMG’s audit function in 2003 and over the past three years he has co-led the firm’s banking and asset management audit cluster. He also focuses on fintech clients within the financial services space, a segment which is growing at a significant pace with new entrants to the market and has also worked at KPMG in Dublin where he has gained experience in the fund sector.
The firm has also appointed six directors, namely Justin Axiaq, Christopher Azzopardi, Sean Azzopardi, Robert Bianco, Thane Micallef and Russell Mifsud.
Over the past years, Mr Axiaq has instrumental in the organisation and management of the mid-markets cluster. He currently manages audits of a diverse portfolio of local and international clients and listed clients operating in various industries including software, banking, logistics services, consumer products, retail and manufacturing.
Mr C Azzopardi leads the IT assurance team within the audit function, a service line he has been instrumental in developing. His team provides assurance over the operating effectiveness of IT controls and substantive testing in supporting statutory financial audits through various technology solutions. He also leads KPMG’s systems audit services.
Mr S Azzopardi forms part of the banking and asset management cluster within the audit function and also manages the audit of some of the firm’s largest clients in this segment. He spent three years with KPMG’s financial services teams in London and New York working on audit engagements of a number of global players. He also leads the coaching initiative which aims at maintaining and enhancing quality and ensuring consistency and efficiency across the audit function.
Mr Bianco has accumulated a wealth of experience through his involvement in a large number of deal advisory engagements. He has helped local and international clients cutting across various sectors in achieving their strategic objectives through the delivery of valuation, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence and financing related mandates. He has also been instrumental in developing KPMG’s real estate and hospitality service offering.
Mr Micallef co-leads the insurance cluster within KPMG’s audit function. He was instrumental in the setting up of this cluster following the re-organisation of the audit department, and is heavily involved in its day-to-day management.
Mr Mifsud leads KPMG’s gaming efforts across functions, providing insight on the industry externalities and commercial strategy. He is a founder member of a core group of professionals that specialise in gaming within the KPMG network globally and co-leads the KPMG 70+ Global Gaming team alongside the UK’s global head of leisure. He sits on the board of the Malta Remote Gaming Council and is a Silicon Valletta board member. He plays a key role in the organisation of the KPMG Malta eSummit and the KPMG Gaming Faculty.