MGA Names New Chief Executive Officer

The Malta Gaming Authority, the country’s gambling watchdog, ended April with an important corporate move.

Heathcliff Farrugia has been appointed as the regulator’s new Chief Executive Officer, taking over this vital position from Joseph Cuschieri, who was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Financial Services Authority.

A New Role for Farrugia

Farrugia’s naming has been done in accordance with Article 14 of the Lotteries and other Games Act. The appointed was approved by the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy & Innovation, Silvio Schembri.

Farrugia has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, and boasts a wide experience in business management, operational efficiencies, strategic planning, and regulation.

He has been a vital part of the MGA since 2014, when he was appointed as the regulator’s Chief Operations Officer, and played a key role in the Gaming Authority went through. In 2016, he became the new Chief Regulatory Officer, supervising all regulatory activities conducted by the MGA, with a special emphasis on segments such as Regulatory Supervision, Authorizations, Compliance and Player Support.

An Experienced Executive

Farrugia was also one of the members of the Supervisory Council and spent some time as the co-chairman of the Fit & Proper Committee, where his duty was to evaluate companies and individuals applying for a Maltese license. In addition to this, was a member of the board of the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), and a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).

Before arriving at the MGA, Farrugia occupied several managerial positions at Vodafone Malta, while a year before joining the country’s regulator, he was appointed Customer Value Management (CVM) Manager for Vodafone Italy in Milan, working closely with the company’s Consumer Department.

Under the provisions of the 2001 Lotteries and Other Games Act, the mission of the MGA is to regulate the various sectors of the country’s gaming industry by ensuring the gaming is fair and transparent, as well as to prevent crime, corruption and money laundering.