I first met Natalie Briffa Farrugia at a Women's Day lunch last April, hosted by the Xara Group at Dar Tal-Providenza. Discreet and elegant, she handed me her business card with quiet grace. I hadn't realised I was speaking to the Chairperson of the Vassallo Group - one of Malta's largest private employers, with ventures spanning care, education, property, hospitality, student accommodation, and construction.
Her path is anything but conventional. Before joining the family firm, Natalie spent time in Ethiopia and Guatemala doing missionary work. "I was free then," she reflects. "I could go for long periods. Now I still go, but for shorter stretches." Her commitment to service remains unwavering - she continues to be an active member of the Living Waters Mission Team, an outreach group within the Cenacolo Community in Malta. This team is dedicated to alleviating dire living conditions in underprivileged communities by supporting water projects, evangelisation, and catechetical programmes. "It's important to have a higher scope in life. Volunteering one's time and talents is the best thing we can do with our lives," Natalie adds.
Natalie holds degrees in Psychology, Education, and Gerontology & Geriatrics. She led CareMalta as CEO, Malta's largest operator of long-term care services, and chaired the European Association of Housing and Services for the Ageing. Today, she steers the Vassallo Group with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and governance - embedding ESG principles into its future.
She is married to Ivan, and they have two teenage daughters, Miriana and Emma. The eldest of five siblings, all active in the family business, Natalie embodies a people-centred ethos. "I really wanted to be a teacher," she confesses. However, as the eldest, it was impossible to ignore her father's plea to join the family firm. Still, she believes experience should come from outside the family business, and she followed her own advice by working as a civil servant for several years.
Sport and wellbeing are central to Natalie's life. A marathon runner and lover of the open sea, she finds balance in motion. "You have to stay grounded," she believes.
She speaks candidly about motherhood and leadership. "I became CEO of CareMalta when I was seven months pregnant at 33. I had to prove myself. Members of the family work harder than anyone else - we have to set the example."
On women and guilt, she is disarmingly honest. "In Africa, women are full-time mothers and full-time workers. Here, when we're at home, we feel guilty for not being at work. When we're at work, we feel guilty for not being at home. We mustn't pass this guilt to the next generation. I've learned to tune into myself and let go of the guilt."
Her advice to young women? "Give them faith," she says without hesitation. "Faith sustains us." In a world often driven by metrics and margins, it is rare to encounter a leader whose compass is calibrated to compassion, conviction, and quiet strength. Natalie embodies a rare blend of executive acumen and spiritual depth. Her journey is marked not only by professional milestones but by a steadfast commitment to service, family, and faith.
This interview is not a profile in power - it is a portrait of purpose. Natalie speaks not in slogans but in truths. She shares her thoughts on leadership, motherhood, and life with candour and clarity. What emerges is a story not just of success, but of soulfulness - a reminder that the most enduring legacies are built not only with vision, but with heart.
Although living in the world of business and wealth, Natalie still considers faith the greatest gift in her life, and this is what she most wants to pass on to her children. Her emphasis on faith is unwavering.
"I believe that faith can see you through anything. As to prayer, it is food for the soul. Let me quote Alfred Lord Tennyson: 'More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.' Without faith and prayer, in times of great difficulty - and we all have them sooner or later - life can become unbearable. Prayer helps us to survive, for it brings us hope."
Her early years in the Civil Service shaped her ethos. During her teaching career, she was an active ambassador for inclusive education, which in the 1990s was in its early days. She recalls that during one scholastic year, she had three learning support educators (LSEs) in her class. Placing students with disabilities in mainstream settings was just being launched at that time. She welcomed the concept with open arms, and the parents of those students still acknowledge the impact she made on their children's schooling years.
"Little did I know that so many years later, our family business would venture into the field of disability, offering respite services through Hila - Homes for Independent and Limitless Abilities - as part of the CareMalta Group. It was a joy for me to welcome our first respite clients in 2016, at Casa Apap Bologna, Mosta, and meet some of the students I used to teach, now as young adults." Establishing trust in this scenario was critical.
On working in a male-dominated sphere, Natalie is pragmatic. "Yes, a patriarchal system still exists. We have to keep navigating through it." Although women's representation in boardrooms is increasing globally, it remains significantly lower. "Women bring diverse perspectives, challenging issues and leading to more robust discussion. Women have to continue to create pathways in senior leadership positions and support one another. Representation in the boardroom is of utmost importance. That is where change can happen."
As the Vassallo Group celebrates its 80th year, Natalie speaks fondly of the group's role in society today. "It is not just a business; it is a family, a community, and a force for positive change. Beyond being a market leader in the sectors it operates in, most importantly it is a trusted partner and employer, recognised for its prudence and unwavering commitment to the Maltese economy."
From construction to care, hospitality to student accommodation, property management to education, Vassallo Group is a community of 2,096 individuals from 55 countries. "We are today an international extended family, where each and every individual matters." Together with her siblings, who share the same aspirations and values, Natalie looks forward to the next decade of the group. "We will continue to build with purpose, innovate with heart, and ensure that our legacy stands strong for generations to come."
Natalie Briffa Farrugia's story is one of resilience and responsibility, but also of tenderness and trust. From the classroom to the boardroom, from missionary journeys to corporate governance, she has carried faith as her compass and service as her anchor. Her leadership is not defined by titles or metrics, but by the lives touched - the elderly cared for, the children supported, the families strengthened. In her words and deeds, she reminds us that true legacy is not measured in profit, but in purpose.