Our investment in our people, reputation and the quality of our services all contribute to our growth, say Anthony Attard, managing partner, and Michael Falzon, HR manager, at Mazars Malta.

Mazars’ roots in Malta go back to 1998, when two partners started a small firm known as Attard Giglio & Co. Eventually, the firm became part of the global Mazars network, going on to establish itself as an advisory-driven firm with a strong reputation for quality advice and service.

This growth occurred in parallel with the progress made by the financial services sector in recent years.

“In the 24 years since we have been operating, we have grown and established ourselves as a mid-tier firm,” says Anthony Attard, managing partner. “In the meantime, the financial services sector has also achieved significant and continuous growth – and Malta is now considered to be an important hub for financial services. That said, we are still to see the full impact of Malta’s grey listing by the Financial Action Task Force on the jurisdiction’s international standing.”

“Moreover, there are other factors that will have an effect on the financial services sector – namely the rising cost in manufacturing and transportation, as well as the harmonisation of taxes within the EU. The latter would especially impact the competitive edge that we currently have over other jurisdictions.”

“As Mazars Malta, the last couple of years have been among the best that we have ever experienced.”

Michael Falzon, HR manager, adds that the Coronavirus pandemic has not affected the business.

“Yet it has dramatically changed the way we do business. We’ve had to adapt our work practices to new realities. Thankfully, we had a high level of readiness which allowed us to adapt in an agile manner. We literally shifted to remote working overnight. On the downside, I believe that the lack of personal interaction during the height of the pandemic had a negative effect on our people.”

This level of readiness was a result of the continuous investment in digital solutions at a local and group level.

“The shift to remote working – and now to a hybrid model – has shown us how important it is to continuously invest in digital solutions,” Attard says.

“This is the result of a constant evolution at a local and group level, and provides us with a significant degree of readiness, as well as collateral advantages that we then pass on to our clients.”

Mazars have also recently moved to new offices.

“Having outgrown our former offices and having already been in the market for new commercial premises, we were in a unique position to identify premises that would address our new approach to working,” Attard says. “We are now not only all based in one building, but also on one floor. Our offices have an open plan design to highlight the oneness of the collective, while providing diverse ways of collaborating, in the form of regular meeting rooms as well as smaller ‘focus spaces’, soundproof pods with an environment allowing team members short bursts of focus. For clients, our new offices offer a much more welcoming environment, with well-designed meeting spaces which afford an ambience of comfort and privacy.”

We adopt a multi-dimensional approach to the workplace, to the worth of the individual, and to the collective

Falzon explains how the growth of the financial services sector has led to a high demand for human resources.

“There is a deficit in numbers in the talent that our education system is producing, and which our sector needs. In a way, as a jurisdiction, we are victims of our own success.”

“Our education system is not producing enough of the local talent that major sectors on the island require in order to thrive. This means that prospective candidates benefit from a wealth of opportunities at all levels across several industries. This also means that we need to focus much of our efforts on talent attraction and talent retention. As part of our HR strategy at Mazars in Malta, we have also continued to invest in foreign human capital and talent, and this now represents nearly 22 per cent of our total headcount. The breadth of knowledge, experience, mindsets, and opinions derived from the contribution of our international employees provides us with the added energy and drive to challenge long-standing practices and perspectives, in turn allowing us to create a cycle of continuous improvement and technical excellence.”

“All our employees benefit from the fact that we regularly secure clients whose diverse requirements provide myriad challenges to the range of services we can provide, and which tap into our extensive and specialised knowledge base. This contributes not only to enriching our portfolio, but also provides critical learning opportunities for our people to grow as professionals.”

Mazars describe the company as a ‘family’.

“As professionals, our work and the needs of our clients are our first priority,” says Attard. “However, we adopt a multi-dimensional approach to the workplace, to the worth of the individual and to the collective. The environment we strive to achieve is the one closest to family. Like a family, we have fun together, we are sad together, and we give the necessary space to colleagues to deal with whatever is happening in their private lives. We make sure that everyone feels comfortable expressing their opinion and to disagree, sometimes fervently. At Mazars, you will never be bored! The foundation of our togetherness is respect: respect for opinions, respect for diversity, and respect for the ultimate well-being of everyone.”

This creates a unique work ethic.

“Like most players in the industry, we aim at delivering excellence in all the facets of each and every work assignment. Perhaps what makes us stand out at Mazars, however, is our accessible management style, coupled with a regular feedback and coaching culture. This ensures that at our firm there is an important place for young and emerging professionals who enjoy what they do, who want to make a difference, who relish challenges, who are hungry to learn, and who have a positive and inquisitive mindset,” says Falzon.

What are the plans for Mazars in Malta?

“Our plans are two-fold,” says Attard. “We want to continue achieving growth, and to provide professional services which in turn help us, as well as the sector, to grow.”

For more details and information visit www.mazars.com.mt.