About the speaker

Dr. Abela worked in the family law firm and has acted as the legal consultant of various organisations including public entities and trade unions. He was elected as Member of Parliament in June 2017 and was appointed as legal adviser to the Cabinet of Ministers. On 13 January 2020, he took office as the 14th Prime Minister of Malta after being elected as Party Leader by the members of Partit Laburista. Whilst steering the country through a global pandemic, Dr. Abela presented his vision for Malta’s future built on five pillars: quality of life, infrastructure, education, environment, and good governance. Despite the challenges and difficulties presented by the pandemic, the government led by Robert Abela continued to reap successful economic results which led to the country’s lowest unemployment rate in history, whilst in parallel, implementing unprecedented reforms in good governance and rule of law. Dr. Abela even relinquished the Prime Minister’s powers such as when appointing officials to key posts such as the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and Police Commissioner, to further strengthen democracy and the institutions that deliver it: a first for a Maltese Prime Minister. Dr Abela took office once again on 28 March 2022 after confirming victory in the General Elections of 26 March 2022 which saw Partit Laburista winning with the greatest majority in Maltese history.

About the speaker

Silvio Schembri is a an elected Maltese politician and academic currently serving as Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects. Hon Schembri was born in Luqa, the second child among four siblings. His father John Schembri has been occupying the office of Mayor of Luqa since 2001. Silvio is an experienced Lecturer In Economics with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Political Communication, Negotiation, Sustainable Development, Political Science, and Analytical Skills. Strong education professional with a Master of Arts and a Bachelors Degree of Honours focused in Economics from L-Università ta' Malta.

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Charles Mizzi is the Chief Executive Officer at the Malta Gaming Authority. He joined the MGA following a five-year tenure at the helm of the Residency Malta Agency. During his time there, he led the organisation towards its goal of ensuring that Malta is one of the most reputable and desirable residencies by investment jurisdictions. He has extensive experience in operations management and a background in marketing, communications and national-level event management. He holds an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Henley Business School and is a dynamic and results-driven professional.

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Mark Blandford was the founder and Director of Sportingbet Plc, an online global sportsbook and casino. Mark now works as a successful Venture capital investor. Mark Blandford AIM Entrepreneur of the year 2002. Mark now has a Venture Capital style investment portfolio which includes stakes in: Future Anthem www.futureanthem.com AI powered real time personalisation for gambling customers. Gaming Realms (www.gamingrealms.com ) Director AIM Listed UK based Games developer and distributor. Best known for the Slingo gendre of games. Gambling.com Group (www.gambling.com/corporate ) Chairman Performance marketing specialising in online gambling. Owner casinos.com gambling.com and bookies.com NASDAQ Listed. Synalogik www.synalogik.com Data aggregation platform for real time transaction monitoring, fraud investigation and integrated case management.

About the speaker

Ulrik Bengtsson has spent the last 20+ years in consumer platform businesses, across industries such as; Broadcasting, Betting & Gaming and Telecom. Most notably Ulrik was the CEO of William Hill, resulting in the £ 2.9bn acquisition by Caesars and subsequent carve-out sale to 888 in 2022. Before that he was the CEO of Global Betting and Gaming operator Betsson. Ulrik also spent seven years with broadcasting company Modern Times Group (MTG) first as CEO for the Swedish broadcasting business, Viasat, and later as CEO for the Emerging Markets Pay-Tv business. More recently Ulrik held the roles as COO and CCO for British telco giant ViginmediaO2 Currently Ulrik is the Chair of two-sided travel market place Hostelworld as well as Chair of Affiliate company Raketech and Slot Operator Gamenation. He is also working as advisor and investor in early stage Betting and Gaming related companies.

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About the speaker

Mariusz collaborates with top partners across Central and Eastern Europe to foster the growth and development of the mobile gaming and apps ecosystem. With over 12 years of experience, Mariusz has leveraged both internal and external Google data to gain deep insights into mobile user behaviour and industry trends. Since 2015, he has specialized in mobile gaming and apps, expanding his expertise to include Web3, casino, and sports betting sectors since 2021.

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Rachel is a chemist and chartered environmentalist, having 18 years’ experience in sustainability. She joined KPMG in 2022 as Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) lead, after having worked in both the environmental consultancy and regulatory sectors. Throughout her career, Rachel has worked with public and private entities in various sectors, including in gaming, construction, waste management, energy, and manufacturing. Her specialisations include ESG reporting, climate change, environmental permitting, reporting, and auditing, as well as air quality monitoring and impact assessment. Rachel is also a skilled trainer and communicator, having lectured at various levels in academic settings, and published articles online and in print. She is also a co-founder of the ESG in Gaming roundtable.

About the speaker

Piotr has over 25 years of experience managing enterprises as CEO in EU, UK and overseas. He specialises in marketing and sales. As a Board Member of Revenue Capital LLC he oversees the core elements of the company’s activities, revolving around developing and selling Web3 products and services, portfolio investments as well as brand building and visibility.

About the speaker

Quirino Mancini is the global head of the gaming and gambling practice at Tonucci & Partners (www.tonucci.com), a top Italian general practice firm with offices in Rome, Milan, Brescia, Padua, Florence, Tirana, Bucharest and Belgrad. Quirino is one of the leading Italian gaming and gambling lawyers with a specialist practice of more than 15 years. He acts for many Italian and foreign-based online and land-based companies operating in the Italian gaming market advising them on all business strategy, legal regulatory and operational connected to their activities. Alongside his robust and long-established legal and regulatory practice he also runs a bespoke matchmaking and business strategy service to provide clients with a broader and more customised type of assistance that notably includes also introduction and facilitation of dealings with the local regulatory authorities, banks as well as scouting and suitability checks on potential business partners. He is also heavily engaged in the sports & entertainment fields and regularly advises market analysts, banks, investment houses and venture capital funds directly or indirectly involved in the Italian market.

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Ramona Cassar Azzopardi is recognised as a leading taxation lawyer and practitioner in Malta. She is highly ranked in several directories including the Chambers Europe Guide, Legal 500 and Women in Tax Leaders Guide by World Tax. Prior to joining WH Partners, Ramona was at a noted Maltese law firm. Ramona advises on tax matters across various sectors, specialising in Tech and Fintech. Her niche expertise in these sectors uniquely positions her to provide expert advice on matters across several industries and on both direct and indirect tax matters related to cross-border transactions. Ramona is a Council Member of the Malta Institute of Taxation and Chair of the Taxation Committee. She is also Vice President of Ally Law, Committee Member of CFE, Member of the Chamber of Advocates and the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners where she is a Committee Member on the Taxation Sub-Committee. Ramona is frequently invited to speak at IBA events and other international tax conferences. and she has contributed to several renowned tax publications. Head of the Private Client Team at WH Partners Ramona is regarded as a leader in this sector and advises High Net Worth Individuals on how they may manage and protect their assets. Ramona’s multijurisdictional expertise is internationally recognised.

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James is a Malta Advocate and a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He has practiced law in the UK and Malta, both in private practice and as in house counsel. James is a versatile lawyer who predominantly advises organisations operating, invested, investing or with exposure to the Gaming & Gambling, Sports, Real Estate and Hospitality & Leisure industries. His main areas of expertise are M&A, corporate finance, company law, gambling regulation, devising strategic commercial solutions within a regulated environment, IPR licencing, sponsorship, brand development and protection. James also has experience of advising business owners and senior executives on their estate planning and succession, together with WH Partners' private client and tax teams. In 2012 James formed a partnership with Olga Finkel to create WH Partners. Before that, James held the positions of Chief of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, and General Counsel respectively for a leading European online gambling operator, prior to which he worked as a solicitor in the corporate & commercial team of a top 50 law firm in London.

About the speaker

Olga Finkel is a partner at WH Partners, providing advice on strategic, regulatory, and commercial matters to businesses primarily focused on, or supporting, digital economy and emerging technologies. She has been advising stakeholders in the gaming and gambling industry for over 20 years. Olga is ranked as a top-tier gambling lawyer by Chambers & Partners Global and is recommended for Data Privacy & Protection, Data Security, and IT by Lexology Index (ex-Who’s Who Legal).

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Joseph Borg heads both the Fintech and the Gaming and Gambling practices of WH Partners. Joe is ranked in the Chambers FinTech 2024 guide in the FinTech Legal practice area in Malta. He is also ranked as a "Leading Individual" in the FinTech practice area in Malta by Legal 500 EMEA 2024 guide, where WH Partners is listed as a Tier 1 law firm in Malta. Joe practices in the areas of Esports, Corporate, IT, Telecoms and Intellectual Property Law. Joe is a Co-Founder and currently the Vice-President of Bitmalta, which is a non-profit organisation with a mission to promoting discussion about blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies in Malta. Joe was an elected Member on the Board of Trustees of the International Association of Gaming Regulators. He originally joined the Authority in March 2007 as Director Legal and Enforcement and occupied this position for almost 4 years. He is a General Member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and a lecturer in Gaming Law at the University of Malta. Joseph graduated with an LL.M. with Distinction in Information Technology and Telecommunications Law from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow). He holds a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Malta.

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Robert Zammit is a regulatory, licensing and litigation lawyer and practices in the Gaming and Transport industries. His principal areas of expertise are licensing of gambling businesses and regulatory compliance in the area of gambling, intellectual property, information security, privacy and data protection. He assists clients with the preparation of correct procedures to be put in place to monitor and identify suspicious transactions related to money laundering. He also advises our client companies on employment matters. Robert is a member of the Malta Chamber of Advocates and of the International Masters of Gaming Law. Robert is listed as a Next Generation Partner in the "Commercial, Corporate and M&A" practice area in Malta in the Legal 500 EMEA 2020 Guide. Robert conducts business in English, Italian and Maltese, all of which he speaks fluently. Robert holds a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Malta and was admitted to the Bar in Malta in 2008.

About the speaker

I’ve worked in the gambling industry for over 20 years with focus on casino and poker products. My main areas of operational interest are AI driven personalisation, careful customer profiling and segmented communication strategy.

About the speaker

Davinia Cutajar is a partner at WH Partners and the international secretary of the Malta Chamber of Advocates (Kamra tal-Avukati). Her main areas of practice are dispute resolution and corporate law. She also assists on private client matters and advises on AML compliance. At WH Partners, Davinia assists individuals and corporates on complex civil, commercial, and regulatory disputes. She regularly advises on cross-border matters, particularly in the EU, and is used to coordinating and co-operating with teams in multiple jurisdictions. Throughout her career, Davinia has settled a number of high-profile claims for damages linked to negligence or breach of law. Before joining WH Partners, Davinia was the Managing Partner of a law firm in Malta focusing on corporate law and financial services, employment law, real estate law, relocation services and yacht and trademark registration.  Her legal career started as a litigator with a well-respected law firm in Valletta. She later moved to corporate, trustee and compliance law, fulfilling the role of Money Laundering Reporting Officer and Compliance Officer for a corporate and trustee services provider in Malta, before taking on the role of director. Davinia was admitted to the Malta Bar in March 2006, and has been a member of the Chamber of Advocates since. She was elected international secretary of the Chamber of Advocates in 2023. Davinia is a member of the Institute for Financial Services Practitioners (IFSP) and forms part of the IFSP's Sub-Committee on Compliance.

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Camille Pepos is a Head within the Fintech Supervision function of the MFSA which is entrusted with the authorisation and supervision of the VFA and Financial Institution sectors as well as the implementation of FinTech initiatives. An Economist by academic background, Camille also possesses two Master degrees in Finance and Wealth Management from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and IAE Graduate School of Management. Before joining the MFSA, Camille held various roles in private banking, fundraising, fintech advisory and corporate services.

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Multi-Award winning Digital Asset lawyer with experience working with the biggest firms in Crypto, NFT's, Metaverse and Web3. A not 'secret tech geek' owning patented crypto technology. Advocate for Crypto, Digital Asset adoption. Monaco Voice 40 under 40. Proudly featured in some of the worlds biggest media including: CNBC, Forbes, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Cointelegraph, Easyjet Magazing and others.

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Dr Sharon Xuereb is a senior associate at Camilleri Preziosi, with a passion for anything IT related, most significantly new and disruptive technologies and how these advancements are challenging local and foreign legal landscapes, particularly in the areas of privacy and data protection laws, intellectual property and communications laws, which also happen to be her main areas of practice at Camilleri Preziosi.

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Passionate about employee wellbeing, transformation and people. A wealth of talent management experience having been in the Recruitment industry for over 10 years both agency side and in house, gaining International work experience in Malta. Having successfully hired candidates across Tech, Finance, Marketing, Sales and Executive level roles globally, I am dynamic and ambitious. I decided in March 2022 to start my own HR and Recruitment Consultancy after spotting a real gap in the market when it comes to a consultative, people centric consultancy approach to HR.