Tonio Fenech, Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry, has won the fourth edition of the Outstanding Young Person of the Year Award (TOYP) of Junior Chamber International (Malta).

The award was held in collaboration with HSBC Malta, KPMG Malta, the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, and Jos. Vincenti, together with the support of the Education, Youth and Employment Ministry. JCI Malta said the award recognises those individuals under the age of 40 who excel in their chosen field, and who exemplify the best attributes of Malta’s young people. It also gives credit to people who managed to make other people’s lives better through their exceptional skills.

This year, JCI Malta said, it “received an outstanding number of quality nominations in the various TOYP award categories. Tonio Fenech was voted the overall winner from the eight category finalists. He won in the political, legal, governmental affairs category”.

JCI Malta added that among his achievements, Tonio Fenech enabled Malta to attain economic convergence and the criteria necessary to join the European Monetary Union. He steered the committee responsible for the Euro-changeover process, managed public finances, prepared four national budgets and contributed to develop the financial services sector.

Bernard Schembri won the Business, Economic, and/or Entrepreneurial Accomplish-

ment category. At 24, Mr Schembri is a solo entrepreneur and creator of Webgenix Ltd. At 14 he launched an e-commerce table tennis website which today has attracted the sport’s largest brands, and a huge customer base.

Klejda Mulaj, winning the Academic Leadership and Accomplishment category, is an international relations lecturer at the University of Malta, specialising in conflict and peace studies. Her research has achieved international exposure and has contributed significantly to understand the causes of war and conditions of peace.

Winning the award for Cultural Achievement, Francesca Grima is a flamenco dancer and co-producer of Etnikafe. Today she works as a professional flamenco dancer and teacher in Seville and performs both locally and abroad with her dance company Puerto Flamenco.

Alan Deidun is a biology lecturer at Junior College, an environmental journalist with The Sunday Times and a council member of Nature Trust Malta who has raised awareness on numerous cases of environmental degradation. He won the Moral, and/or Environmental Leadership category.

Nineteen-year-old Nicolette Busuttil is a law student who, for the past two years, has worked with the destitute, sick and dying in Ethiopia through the Ignatian Youth Network. She clinched the award in the Humanitarian, and/or Voluntary Leadership category.

The award for Scientific, and/or Technological Development was awarded to Ing Marco Cremona, director of Sustech Consulting. As a water treatment engineer, he has worked on various projects involving sustainable water use and waste treatment and recycling.

Professional swimmer Angela Galea, 24, holds national records, various medals and has represented Malta in international competitions. She is also a medical doctor and a dancer. She walked away with the award for Personal Improvement and Accomplishment.

All these award winners will be nominated as Malta’s entries for the international JCI competition for The Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World.