Mark Mallia has been appointed head of secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister, the government announced Wednesday.

Mallia is a graduate in law and business management at the University of Malta, and served as deputy commander of the Armed Forces of Malta.

He later led Identity Malta and was was appointed CEO at Transport Malta in February, days after he had been named as CEO of the Foundation for Medical Services. Mallia’s appointment means that he has shifted across four roles in less than a year.

Mallia, who will be relinquishing the Transport Malta position, will be replacing Glenn Micallef, who has resigned from the OPM, where he had been employed since 2020.

Mallia, who has the rank of a colonel, had served as aide-de-camp to Robert Abela’s father, George, between 2009 and 2013, when Abela senior was President of the Republic. He had been promoted to colonel soon after the Labour Party won the 2013 election.

That appointment had created controversy and following an investigation, the Ombudsman had revealed that Mallia, who was made a Major in 2011, had received three promotions in the space of three months. He was first appointed Lieutenant Colonel in September 2013, then given the rank of Colonel just a fortnight later, and finally named AFM’s Deputy Commander in December of the same year.

In a post on Facebook on Wednesday morning, Micallef said the termination of his employment at the OPM had been "planned".

"PM, as always planned, I will terminate my experience as head of your secretariat satisfied with our work for Malta, grateful for the opportunity and trust that you showed - and which you continued showing me - and, above all, personally satisfied with my work," he said.

Micallef could be one of the people being considered for the post of European Commissioner. Prime Minister Robert Abela had initially selected Chris Fearne, but the Labour Partty deputy leader had withdrawn his candidacy after he was charged with criminal offences in the wake of the magisterial inquiry into the now-rescinded hospitals' deal. Fearne also resigned as minister but is still deputy leader of the PL.

On Wednesday, the OPM published a letter in which the prime minister thanked Micallef for his professionalism, loyalty and integrity, and says he looked forward "to continue working for and serving the country".

Micallef's resignation comes less than a month after the MEP elections which saw Labour's advantage over the PN drop substantially.

Micallef was part of the team which led the Labour Party's election campaigns both in 2022 and 2024.

His resignation follows that of Labour Party deputy leader for party affairs, Daniel Micallef, in the week that followed the election.