HR GIG 9 – Building Bridges: Uniting EX & CX

6th September 2024

The 9th edition of HR GIG marked Malta’s first CX Conference, held at the Grandmaster Suite, Hilton Malta and hosted by Stephanie Spiteri. Opening speeches by Joseph Farrugia and Prof. Vincent Marmara highlighted the state of Employee Experience (EX) and Customer Experience (CX) in Malta, stressing the need for enhanced CX initiatives.

A live CX survey, conducted by Prof. Marmara, provided groundbreaking insights from 52% HR professionals, 21% C-Suite executives, 8% CX professionals, and 20% others across industries. Keynotes included Antoaneta Iossivofa discussing the strategic importance of EX, and Scott Lee Holloway focusing on the evolution of CX and the distinction between ‘Intentional’ and ‘Accidental’ strategies.

An experiential learning activity, “Building Bridges,” coordinated by Outdoor Living Malta, showcased practical integration of EX and CX. A panel discussion on “Harmonising EX & CX – A Practical Perspective,” moderated by Yasmin De Giorgio, featured experts like Martin Schillig, Tony Namulo, Kate De Cesare, Shawn Stanyer, and Wayne Anthony Caruana, exploring the evolving dynamics between EX and CX and offering actionable insights for attendees.

The event concluded with a networking lunch at The Hilton Business Centre, which allowed delegates to connect with exhibitors and enjoy a live musical performance by Mark Rapa and Sarah Bonnici.

HR GIG 9 was proudly partnered with The Malta Chamber of Commerce – Enterprise and Industry, Information Systems Limited, Shireburn Software Ltd, Outdoor Living Malta, StreetHR, APS Bank, and The Hilton Malta. HR GIG 10 is scheduled for 12th September 2025.

For more information on future HR GIG events, visit HR GIG website or contact hrgig@streethr.com.mt.

HR GIG 8 – Redefining Leadership
1st September 2023

During the eighth edition of HR GIG held on the 1st September 2023 at The Xara Lodge, Malta’s top CEOs, HR professionals and decision makers met under one roof and discussed the Leadership topic in a 360 degree perspective.

Hosted by renowned TV personality Lara Azzopardi, the event kicked-off with a speech by Joseph Farrugia, Founder of HR GIG and Director at StreetHR who elucidated the core mission behind HR GIG’s inception – addressing a significant market gap. ‘’When HR GIG first launched, it aimed to bridge the gap between CEOs/business executives and Human

Resources Professionals, who frequented separate conferences and discussed disparate topics. The primary objective was to unite these two distinct worlds under one roof, a goal that has since been successfully realised. The enduring role of HR GIG extends beyond event management; it continues to foster a culture of strategic HR collaboration.’’ Joseph emphasised ‘’the imperative need for HR professionals and CEOs to work in tandem.’’ He underscored ‘’that individuals from HR and various disciplines will be empowered to ascend to the company’s highest echelons, assigning equal importance to people as we do to numbers.’’
This was followed by the first keynote speaker. Kenneth De Martino, Chairperson and CEO at KDM Group, tackling the subject ‘Numbers, People or Both?’ In his post even comments he stated “Sharing of experiences and understanding how to redefine leadership was an ideal topic in this day and age. Participating and having such a great audience added to the success of the event”

In the second keynote speech of the event, Bernardette Bonnici Kind, Chairperson at Hospice Malta, tackled the subject ‘Leadership in the New Era’. Looking into the topic from a Voluntary Organisation perspective, she stated ‘When we describe a people-centric organisation, we are saying People come First. Therefore we are committing ourselves to creating and maintaining a culture of caring and inclusiveness from top to bottom and across all levels, It underlines the fact that each individual employee is equally important to the enterprise, not just because of their competencies, but above all, as Human Beings.’

This was followed up by two panel discussion sessions ably moderated by Rachel Attard from The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. The sessions, which were enriched with contributions from the audience, encompassed high-level panelists including Kenneth Farrugia (CEO, Bank of Valletta), Pierre Mallia (CEO, iMovo), Mikela Fenech Pace (HR Consultant, Upstream), Geoffrey Debono (CEO Debono Group and Council Member at The Malta Chamber), Christine Coleiro (Group Chief Human Resources Officer, FIMBank), John Schembri (CEO, Shield Consultants) and Natalie Kenely (Senior Lecturer & Resident Academic, Department of Social Policy and Social Work – University of Malta).
Joining the event digitally, Chris Vassallo Cesareo, President of The Malta Chamber said, “In a rapidly evolving world, the concept of leadership is undergoing a profound transformation. No longer confined to a hierarchical structure, leadership has transcended traditional boundaries to become a dynamic force. Redefining leadership is about embracing this change and adopting a new perspective.”

The event also kept the tradition of delivering an element of fun and well-being via a custom created team-building activity which was once again impeccably rolled out by Outdoor Living. The interactive energiser engaged all delegates together in a fun and relaxing way.

HR GIG 8 came to a close with a stand-up lunch in the informal setting of The Xara Lodge. This made an excellent networking opportunity for all delegates who also enjoyed a live performance by talented musicians Mark Rapa and Sarah Bonnici.

Key Partners for HR GIG 8 were The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Shireburn, Indigo Suite, HSF Health Plan, Outdoor Living, StreetHR and Powerhouse. Other sponsors included Bank of Valletta, Dakar Software, Costa Coffee, Franks, Corporate Gifts, NIUM Malta and The Xara Lodge.

HR GIG 7 – BREAKING THE SILOS
2nd September 2022

The 7^th Edition of HR GIG – ‘Breaking the Silos’ took place on 2^nd September 2022 at The Xara Lodge.

Hosted by Darine Aboulezz, this year’s HR GIG focused on different aspects of organisational silos including those resulting from departmental or hierarchical structures, geographical locations, lack of mental health and wellbeing, data or data accessibility, and hostility between competing businesses, amongst other aspects.

The subject was tackled through opening keynotes by Joseph Farrugia – Director, StreetHR, Yasmin De Giorgio – CEO, Shireburn Software and Martin Hignett – Managing Director, Trelleborg. These were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Marisa Xuereb – President, The Malta Chamber with the participation of Christina Galea – CEO, Costa Coffee Malta, Stephania Dimech Sant – CEO, Richmond Foundation, Joshua Zammit – Consultant, Novargo Ltd and Jaques Barnard – Business Development Manager, Cleverbit Software.

As the discussion evolved with input also being given by the audience, it was clear that silo mentalities and barriers across multiple functions are commonly experienced issues.  Even worse, they hurt organisations, hinder productivity, diminish innovation, affect employees’ engagement and break alignment with the overall strategy.

One of the key messages that emerged during the event was that sweeping this topic under the carpet can leave organisations battling themselves as opposed to moving forward! Silos are a real challenge that most of us face at some point. They are an inevitable side effect of lacking communication, toxic work cultures, poor mental health and misuse of technology. However, those same elements can be made key to breaking the silos: building healthy work cultures, being mindful of mental health and explore the opportunities which technology offers and above all, open and respectful communication.

In their typical slot, Outdoor Living Malta entertained the audience with a fun and energetic activity ‘Beat the Box’. This activity encapsulated the core point of HR GIG 7: how collaboration breaks down silos!  Moving onto the traditional fun element of HR GIG, Wayne’z World kept the audience entertained with live music during the final slot reserved for food, refreshments and networking.

HR GIG 6 – EMPLOYEES OF THE FUTURE
2nd September 2021

The sixth edition of HR GIG, Employees of the Future, looked ahead at 2030 predictions, exploring the idea of what employment will look like in the future from a 360° angle.

Marisa Xuereb (President of the Malta Chamber of Commerce), was the panel moderator. The event opened with speeches by Corinne Fenech (StreetHR’s Strategic Partner and founder of TinkTings), and Rachael Blackburn (Head of Culture at APS Bank plc).

Marisa led an interesting discussion supported by Alexiei Dingli (Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Malta), Dr. Gordon Cordina (Executive Director at E-Cubed Consultants Limited), Edel Cassar (Director Strategy Implementation at MCAST), Zach Ciappara (Founder and Chief Executive Officer at FreeHour Malta), and Tamas Banyai (Chief Executive Officer at Epic).

The discussion highlighted the need for all stakeholders to come together in addressing future topics and strategies, as the current reality is that departments work separately, with the CEO and decision makers on one side and HR teams on another. This has led to challenges not only in finding the right people for employment, but also in the creation of new educational national strategies to fulfil perceived skills’ gaps. Additionally, new generations are entering the workplace with a different mindset and customer trends are rapidly changing.

Notably, shifts in customer experience and employee experience need to be addressed. Edel Cassar identified the efforts implemented to align educational programmes with industry needs and Alexei Dingli added valuable insights at the future of skills in the Maltese economy based on his research study, the Human Capital Research Project (HCRP). Zach Ciappara provided his own hands-on experience of what university students and upcoming generations think of the future of work whilst Tamas Banyai provided the audience with a practical outlook from a CEO perspective in managing a company’s transformation and change processes. Dr. Gordon Cordina introduced the topic with a discussion on whether HR is in itself a determinant of economic growth and whether HR professionals are responders or shapers of the future organisation.

The event also included a fun activity by Outdoor Living and live music performed by ‘The Busker’.

HR GIG 5 – EMPOWERMENT – SET NO LIMITS
3^rd December 2020

An HR GIG held in a hybrid style which was also transmitted live to an online audience.

Hosted by Clare Agius, the speakers included Perit David Xuereb, then President of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry who focused on the bigger picture of empowerment and the effect of empowerment on the industry of today and tomorrow. Another key-note speech was delivered by Ms. Fiona Captur, Chief Executive Officer at the Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise (JAYE); In her intervention Fiona gave the audience an outlook on the future development and the effect of change from a skills, technology and learning point of view.

The audience was kept immersed in the subject through an interesting high-level panel discussion that was facilitated by Ms. Michelle Seguna – HR Director at Westin Dragonara. The panel consisted of Ms. Maria Bartolo Zahra, Managing Director at SurgeAdvisory; Mr. Marcel Cassar, Chief Executive Office of APS Bank plc; Prof. Charmaine Gauci, Superintended of Public Health and Ms. Catherine Calleja, Managing Director at Atlas Healthcare Insurance.

The discussion touched upon a number of key factors ranging from the causes of financial strains on businesses and the highly impacted industries, issues related to people’s stress levels and the management of anxieties caused by the pandemic, performance management and results, empowerment of young people, leadership styles and more.

The event also kept the tradition of delivering an element of fun and well-being to both sets of audiences (online and present). Outdoor Living Malta delivered an interactive energiser engaging all delegates together in a fun and relaxing way whilst drinks and refreshments were served at the hall and/or delivered to everyone’s homes to ensure that people joining remotely were also treated and engaged in the best way possible!

At the backdrop, Mark Rapa delivered live guitar classical music to blend the safe and unique atmosphere at the hall with an element of relaxation and positivity.

HR GIG 4 – VALUES IN ACTION
18th October 2019

Another successful HR GIG which once again brought together the major players in the local HR community, business leaders and entrepreneurs in a practical and informal workshop which was followed by drinks and networking.

A number of carefully selected organisations ranging from NGOs to private and public companies namely Dr. Klown, Malta Police Force, Enemed, Corinthia Group and Vodafone, shared their success stories during the fourth edition of this event, entitled ‘Values in Action’.

All organisations showcased how they strive to live by their values, starting from the process undertaken to identify the values to actually putting them into practice. Each organisation demonstrated different ways of doing this, and that values do not only help shape what the organisation does, but how it does it.

HR GIG 3 – BUSINESS SUCCESS – PEOPLE AT ITS HEART
5^th April 2019

HR GIG 3, organised with the collaboration of SurgeAdvisory, saw a very large audience attending and participating in a very interactive and energising discussion.

Joseph Farrugia – Founder and Director of StreetHR and Maria Bartolo Zahra, Managing Director of Surge Advisory delivered a presentation also questioning the space Human Resources professionals are being given at Strategic (including board) level. They emphasised the need for people to be at the heart of any business strategy.

Leading economist and entrepreneur, Joseph FX Zahra was then interviewed 1-1 by Pia Zammit, followed by a Q&A session which gave the delegates the opportunity to put forward questions to the guest speaker in an impromptu fashion.

The concept of having CEOs and HR professionals coming together under one roof was gaining momentum. Eventually during the discussions raised by the audience present, it was questioned why HR professionals are not moving to CEO positions in the same way and momentum as compared to other professions.

HR GIG 2 – SHAPING THE FUTURE
28th September 2018

HR GIG 2 event was launched and, a larger audience turned out organically. The concept was now shaped.

In this HR GIG the audience was engaged in a fun but effective brainstorming session covering subjects such as Leadership, Culture Building, HR Practices and Business Management. Different participants presented and shared best practices with others,. and tThe role of Human Resources Management and the need to tailor HR practices in relation to the different phases of the Business Cycle was discussed.

The event also set the scene on topics such as future leadership and the evolving generations at the workplace./

Musician Wayne Camilleri entertained the audience with live music during the networking part that followed.

HR GIG 1 – FUTURE HR
23^rd July 2018

HR GIG 1 was the start of a concept that turned into a reality.

The scope was to bring together a number of HR and Business Players (such as CEOs, Directors, HR Managers) under one roof, to share insights in a fun and informal way.

HR GIG set the pace for this strategic interaction to happen in an informal ‘jeans’ dress code. The focus was on content and relationship building whilst bringing business executives closer to the people they speak about.

The aim was also to continue instilling the culture of Strategic HR and to engage Human Resources at all levels of the business whilst creating a room for networking and the exchange of support and ideas between those present.

The event followed with a few glasses of wine and based on the encouraging feedback we received, a committee was set up to take the event to the next levels.