Malta Enterprise has moved its corporate headquarters from San Gwann to the former Institute of Healthcare premises in St Luke’s Hospital, which have been completely refitted to enable the corporation to offer significantly upgraded services and facilities to its clients.
A critical component of Malta Enterprise’s services will be provided through Business First, which will be run from the new premises in January.
In addition to the wide range of services, schemes and support that Malta Enterprise already offers to assist business enterprises, Business First will also provide more than 50 services from various government departments and entities under one roof, thereby making life simpler for businesses by avoiding unnecessary running around.
While Business First will assist all commercial enterprises, irrespective of their size and operations, it will be particularly beneficial for start-up companies that often have to overcome the additional burden of trying to ascertain what is required for the setting up of a business.
As well as providing the necessary information in this respect, Business First will also provide professional guidance and assistance to prospective entrepreneurs who apply for these services.
Together with the restructuring exercise carried out within the organisation in recent months and the corporate rebranding just announced by the corporation, the move to its new premises should put Malta Enterprise in a stronger position to reap the benefits of its work and convey a much better image to its clients.
As part of its corporate rebranding, Malta Enterprise has overhauled its visual identity, adopting a modern rendition of the eight-pointed Maltese cross. The symbol, which is of tremendous importance to the recognition of and association with Malta around the globe, communicates a fresh and outward-looking approach that will help the corporation reach out to potential investors as well as help Maltese exporters and businesses to internationalise.
The initiatives being taken are aimed at complementing the work of Malta Enterprises work and enhancing the way it interacts with its clients, be they Maltese or international businesses of all sizes, shapes and form.
Operating in arguably the most challenging of times, where global foreign direct investment has waned by around 15 per cent, Malta Enterprise has strived to ensure that Malta will enjoy another healthy year in terms of FDI, particularly compared to its counterparts in Europe.
The efforts are paying off, as this year Malta Enterprise has already approved 35 projects with a forecast investment of almost €150 million and envisaged to generate 700 new jobs, with 2011 consequently set to be the best of recent years for investment opportunities.