Sitting in her office at MFCC, Mifsud recalls how, when growing up, her parents had always wanted her to work with the bank or the government, a job which guaranteed stability. However, what really intrigued her was all things technical.

"Whilst my sister was the domestic one following mummy, I was following daddy," she laughed. Her father, a former Airforce man, had a collection of technical books on calibrating equipment. "I used to pinch his books from the library, and they would all fascinate me," she said.

Mifsud got her foot into the automotive industry, Merit, through a friend of her parents when she was only 17, with a promise to continue studying whilst giving the workplace a shot.

Her first role was in production - producing switches, a job which turned out to be a bit tedious in its repetition. What appealed to the curious then-17-year-old was more than equipment with which the switches were made.

Describing the company like a college of sorts, Mifsud said that the she was shown and educated about each step of the process, and with the help of her mother's friend Maria Falzon, who she emphasised 'made her the person that she is today', she eventually changed her role to one in the quality department, where she was deemed to be better suited.

As star alignment would have it, that same year, a diploma in Engineering and Total Quality Management opened at university; in which, out of 27 students, Mifsud was one of the two women enrolled and accepted.

Meanwhile, in the automotive industry, she was the first woman to get into quality engineering within the company. "I used to attend meetings of Ford in Germany, together with 2000 people, and they would address the hall by saying 'good morning lady and gentlemen', and I would realize that I was the only woman there," she said, remembering her disbelief. She explained that such a situation within the automotive industry remained this way for many years, and although the ratio was so large, Mifsud insisted that she never felt different or looked down upon in any way.

Not men and women, but individuals

"I never considered myself different from a man," she said. "Perhaps sometimes, as females, we make the mistake of considering ourselves as different. We are all different, even between one female and another and one male and another. One has to understand, that you set objectives in life and you must focus on them, rather than thinking 'how am I going to achieve it because I am not a man?' I always respected men and always wanted to retain my female part at the same time. If there is a heavy box and I know men can handle it better, I won't fight for that right; it might also be the opposite situation. It could also be the case between girls, if one is taller than the other they may be able to reach something that the other cannot. It makes us individuals."

"We are individuals, and we have to forget the 'I am female, he is male,'" she said, "it's more of a 'what do we want to achieve?'". "It's the skill, competence and objective that you want to get across, and maybe that is why I have never had a problem in this regard."

Being at the forefront of experiencing women emerging in the industry was not the only advancement Mifsud witnessed. She also lived through the heart of the change in advanced technologies. "From typewriter to calculator to a real computer, I've been through that change," she said. Like everything else, Mifsud said she rose up to the challenge of each. "A challenge really motivates me," she smiled.

Salary as something personal

Asked for her opinion about salary gaps between men and women, which is a reality currently faced in the Maltese labour market, Mifsud said "maybe I am not the best person to ask this to, but once you prove yourself, and you deliver, your delivery is not fully concentrated on how much you should be earning. You should ask yourself 'am I happy with the salary?' If not, I will speak to my superiors. Your salary is a personal thing," she explained. "If I feel I deserve a certain salary, I will fight for it," she said.

 

Local and foreign industries

After 20 years of working in a German company in the automotive industry, Mifsud's change to how things are done locally was a shock for her. "It was really challenging, the local mindset is totally different," she explained.

"In international companies, there is no 'uwija'. I remember having the Chairman at Merit checking if our desks are clean with white gloves, before we left our desks for the holidays," she laughed. However, she felt the need to rise to the challenge.

Mifsud then went on to pursue a degree in Events & Exhibitions Management in Dubai. It was in Vagira, 20 minutes away from Dubai, that she experienced her first-and last - instance of discrimination, when she was turned down from a job by the constituting bodies, just because she was a blonde woman. However, her experience did not stop her from taking a job opportunity in Egypt when she was offered one. "If I had taken my experience in Dubai to when I got the offer in Egypt, I would not have bothered to go for it," she said.

 

Looking at progress, remaining positive

Anita Mifsud looks at entrepreneur Helga Ellul as a source of inspiration. "She's strong, I like her tactics. I admire how she brought manufacturing on the island, and she is committed and assertive." Ellul is one of Malta's foremost business leaders who helped establish manufacturing in Malta.

She points to assertiveness as being key to getting far. "That's how they make it," she said, "they look at progress". Mifsud added that positive attitudes make a big difference. "I don't want to be surrounded by negative people. If we have a problem, let us find a solution."

Asked for what advice she would give, Mifsud said it is important to know who you are as an individual, having competence and not to pretend to know something you don't. "You're going to get there because you learn or train yourself, and you have to be committed and assertive, but that assertiveness comes along when you accept yourself as you are."