Mark Bugeja

Early on in his career, Mark was seconded to the then Deloitte Haskins & Sells offices in Turin, Milan and Florence, Italy.  He joined the audit and investigations department of Grant Thornton’s audit and investigations department in 1987 and was admitted partner in 1993.

Mark specialises in auditing and has extensive experience of high-profile clients in Malta, Italy and other countries across a broad range of industrial and service sectors.  His responsibilities include the audits of large international groups of companies.  Amongst others, he is the partner in charge of the audit of a US subsidiary in Italy and has reviewed work performed for Grant Thornton offices in the United States relating to SOX 404 requirements and other assurance services.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Accountancy
• Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Henley Management College UK

Memberships:

Malta Institute of Accountants

Austin Demajo
Austin joined the firm in 1982 and was initially mainly involved on audits in Malta. He later underwent training at the Milan office of the then Deloitte Haskins and Sells for 15 months following which he resumed his duties in the Malta office. He was admitted partner at Grant Thornton Malta in 1993 and is currently Head of Tax Services. During the past 20 years Austin has taken up further studies and specialised in the local and international taxation and in the financial services sector. He was appointed Tax Partner in 1995. Apart from being in charge of the local tax and VAT services, Austin is also responsible for services given to foreign owned companies setting up businesses in Malta, and has provided tax advice to international clients involved in cross border business ventures. Austin is a Fellow of The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, a Fellow of the Malta Institute of Accountants and holds a Practicing Certificate in Auditing. He is currently a member of the Tax Experts Group within Finance, as well as a member of the Direct Tax Committee of the Malta Institute of Accountants, and of the Council of the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners. Austin regularly attends tax conferences organized by Grant Thornton International, and is a customary speaker at local conferences related to VAT and tax matters, including those organised by the Malta Institute of Management and the Malta Institute of Accountants. Education and Training - Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accounts - Fellow of the Malta Institute of Accountants - Warranted Certified Public Accountant - Member of the Society of Financial Advisors

George Vella
George has over 15 years experience in corporate and project finance, research and development, strategic and project management, starting his career in 1995 at PwC where he worked in assurance, advisory and risk management arms . In 2001 he joined the Corinthia Group and fulfilled a number of roles both locally and abroad, including that of Finance Director at the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal in Budapest and Corporate Finance Executive at the Corinthia Head Office. Tasks included business planning and budgeting processes, feasibility studies and acquisition bids, the implementation of a standard accounting package, raising of funds for project and corporate finance. In 2005, he took on the role of Head of Corporate Strategy at APS Bank and was a member on the Bank’s risk management and credit committees. At Grant Thornton, George and his team provide a variety of services including financial control, internal audit, evaluation services, assistance in the preparation of business plans, feasibility studies and cost benefit analyses, business valuations, assistance with mergers and acquisitions, project finance and corporate finance advisory services. Apart from the management and leadership of the firm’s advisory practice, George also still holds various technical roles in high profile advisory assignments, including EU funding projects and applications as well as fund raising for the private sector, both through negotiating bank loans or raising private equity, and through assisting in public equity and bond listing. Qualifications Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Accountancy – University of Malta Masters in Business Administration Memberships Malta Institute of Accountant

Joe Pullicino
Joseph (Joe) joined the firm in 1988, after many years at the Central Bank of Malta where he gained extensive experience in banking, foreign exchange and information technology, and was admitted partner at Grant Thornton in 1993. Joseph’s expertise centres around computer security and audit procedures. As partner responsible for the Business Risk and Outsourcing Services Division of Grant Thornton, Joseph is heavily involved in computer systems consultancy for Government and other major clients of the firm and also internal and online-gaming audits. He has accumulated extensive experience in the analysis, design and implementation of integrated accounting systems for corporate customers of varying size, including the Departmental Accounting System (DAS) for the Government of Malta, and for a number of Government entities, manufacturing concerns and service companies. Qualifications Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Accountancy – University of Malta Certified Information System Auditor Memberships British Computer Society

Wayne Pisani
Wayne joined Grant Thornton and was appointed Director in 2007. He was admitted partner in 2013 and currently heads Grant Thornton’s financial services group within the Tax & regulatory practice. He is also jointly responsible for the management of Grant Thornton’s fiduciary and trustee services arm licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority. He advises an extensive international client base ranging from private clients, including family offices and high-net-worth individuals, to NASDAQ listed companies. He was admitted to the Bar in 2001 and, until March 2007, practised with a leading Maltese law firm specialising in antitrust, civil, commercial, banking and securities law. Sector experience Leading the corporate and financial services regulatory team at Grant Thornton, Wayne conducts an active consulting practice in international tax planning, financial, corporate, commercial, transactional, trusts and fiscal law. He advises on the legal and tax implications involved in the structuring of both local and international M&A and project finance transactions, rendering advice to clients in various industry sectors. Professional qualifications and memberships Wayne is a council member of the Malta Institute of Management as well as the Malta Institute of Financial Services Practitioners, chairing the education committee thereof. He is also a member of the International Fiscal Association, the International Bar Association and the Maltese Chamber of Advocates. Following a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law and International Relations, he was awarded a Doctorate in legal studies from the University of Malta Faculty of Laws in 2001 after researching and submitting a thesis on "Merger control: a comparative study of regulatory systems for potential implementation into the Maltese legal system." His thesis research involved a comparative study of numerous different types of legislations and regulations which was the basis for a tentative proposal for a legislative system for Malta. The work he did in this field also resulted in his being approached to be a joint contributing author to "European Competition Laws: A Guide to the EC and its Member States, the leading legal compendium with respect to Competition law in Europe", published by Lexis Nexis and revised annually. Wayne also read for a Masters in Financial Services at the University of Malta, graduating in 2003 after submission of a thesis entitled "The Impact of Information Technology on Financial Services". Qualifications : Doctorate in Laws - University of Malta Bachelor of Arts in Legal and Humanistic Studies (cum laude) - University of Malta Masters in Financial Services- University of Malta Memberships : Chamber of Advocates of Malta Malta Institute of Financial Services Practitioners