Taking care of the people providing for the care of computers
Industriousness, adaptability, determination and language skills. These are some of the characteristics of the Maltese workforce in information technology that has made the fortune of many a company in this field over the years, not least at GFI, a...
Industriousness, adaptability, determination and language skills. These are some of the characteristics of the Maltese workforce in information technology that has made the fortune of many a company in this field over the years, not least at GFI, a software solutions provider born in Malta that has offices around the world and serves software to major international clients.
San Ġwann-based GFI has recently appointed Angelica Micallef Trigona as worldwide director of human resources. She joined the company in 1999 as marketing manager and in her new role she will be responsible for a 200-strong workforce spread out across GFI's offices in various countries.
"The Maltese tend to be blessed with industriousness and an eagerness and ability to learn fast and to do well," she explained to i-Tech in an interview after her appointment. "To this, I would add adaptability and determination as well as the capability to conduct business in English - which is essential for any organisation with a global outlook."
For the time being GFI aims to consolidate its global HR team and continue building on its goal to have standard HR practices and policies across offices, while of course allowing for regional differences in legislation. The prime objectives for 2008 include, among others, the continual enhancement of communication across all levels, teams and regions, and the provision of training.
How is it possible to effectively manage 200 people spread around the world?
"While much can be achieved over the phone, by e-mail and online (and this is key to managing all aspects of operations), face-to-face contact is essential and therefore travel is a vital part of my role. I regularly visit our UK and US offices, in Staines and Cary, NC respectively, though I am based in GFI's Malta office. Added to this, I head a global HR team, with a newly-appointed supervisor handling day-to-day HR functions here, an HR manager at our US office, and an HR coordinator." GFI's offices in Malta, the UK and the US each consist of multi-cultural teams. With its EMEA sales and tech support focus, for instance, the UK-based team is made up of various nationalities, with employees speaking different languages to serve the company's customers in the region/s they are responsible for.
The Maltese office also comprises a mix of nationalities in software development, security research, and marketing and sales order processing teams.
"Working with a company like ours that is international not just in its scope but also in its team members' nationalities adds a special flavour to one's working day, allowing exposure to different cultures, approaches and perspectives, and providing an exciting slant to information sharing.
"Having said that, unless there is a linguistic requirement that is a prerequisite of a role, for example, one does not set out to employ someone of a particular nationality - selection naturally has to be based on skills set, experience and so on. Employing a resident of the country where an office is based is always going to be simpler and generally more economically attractive, but again this factor is not a deterrent in making decisions and taking steps that best suit our business needs."
Having started up in Malta, the Maltese workforce at the company has played an important role throughout the years.
"The input of the Maltese contingent has had a major part to play in this, and still does to date," stressed Ms Micallef Trigona. "Any organisation's success, however, cannot be linked to just one segment or group of employees - it is all about teamwork, with each department and region needing the efforts and input of the others in order to make headway. All our teams, led by a worldwide management team that is headed by our CEO, work as part of a cohesive company-wide effort, pulling together to achieve the same corporate goals."
Over these last nine years GFI has witnessed huge growth, penetrating into the international cut-throat market for network and security software. At the same time the whole Maltese ICT industry experienced strong growth and the promise of SmartCity@Malta continues to press forward Malta's credentials in this sector.
"When I joined in April 1999, GFI was one of the sole internationally-oriented ICT companies on the island that developed its own software for export. It was one of the very few places to work if you wanted to make headway in software development and related disciplines," recalled Ms Micallef Trigona.
But whatever their focus, there are now many other ICT companies based here. This growth in career opportunity coupled with the country's focus on this area has led to many more job seekers investing in this field. Whereas in the past most recruits were largely self-taught, now several candidates and employees hold ICT degrees, diplomas and/or certification. Of course, those with a passion for an in-depth knowledge of the subject remain highly desirable whether or not they possess a formal education in this sphere.
"At the same time, while there is now a larger pool of ICT professionals in Malta, there are also many more employers seeking to recruit from that pool. This is not just ICT operators themselves but also a plethora of businesses that in recent years have come to rely on ICT to a greater degree in order to run their operations and therefore need specialised staff."
Indeed the advent of SmartCity@Malta has raised the issue of whether Malta has the necessary supply of ICT skills to serve the thousands of job opportunities to be created in the next few years. This does not seem to worry GFI the least.
"We are looking forward to having more information about Smart City. While the present need for more ICT recruits is obviously likely to heighten all the more with this initiative, we believe it will be good for the island in that it will bring more technologists here," concluded GFI's worldwide director of human resources.
San Ġwann-based GFI has recently appointed Angelica Micallef Trigona as worldwide director of human resources. She joined the company in 1999 as marketing manager and in her new role she will be responsible for a 200-strong workforce spread out across GFI's offices in various countries.
"The Maltese tend to be blessed with industriousness and an eagerness and ability to learn fast and to do well," she explained to i-Tech in an interview after her appointment. "To this, I would add adaptability and determination as well as the capability to conduct business in English - which is essential for any organisation with a global outlook."
For the time being GFI aims to consolidate its global HR team and continue building on its goal to have standard HR practices and policies across offices, while of course allowing for regional differences in legislation. The prime objectives for 2008 include, among others, the continual enhancement of communication across all levels, teams and regions, and the provision of training.
How is it possible to effectively manage 200 people spread around the world?
"While much can be achieved over the phone, by e-mail and online (and this is key to managing all aspects of operations), face-to-face contact is essential and therefore travel is a vital part of my role. I regularly visit our UK and US offices, in Staines and Cary, NC respectively, though I am based in GFI's Malta office. Added to this, I head a global HR team, with a newly-appointed supervisor handling day-to-day HR functions here, an HR manager at our US office, and an HR coordinator." GFI's offices in Malta, the UK and the US each consist of multi-cultural teams. With its EMEA sales and tech support focus, for instance, the UK-based team is made up of various nationalities, with employees speaking different languages to serve the company's customers in the region/s they are responsible for.
The Maltese office also comprises a mix of nationalities in software development, security research, and marketing and sales order processing teams.
"Working with a company like ours that is international not just in its scope but also in its team members' nationalities adds a special flavour to one's working day, allowing exposure to different cultures, approaches and perspectives, and providing an exciting slant to information sharing.
"Having said that, unless there is a linguistic requirement that is a prerequisite of a role, for example, one does not set out to employ someone of a particular nationality - selection naturally has to be based on skills set, experience and so on. Employing a resident of the country where an office is based is always going to be simpler and generally more economically attractive, but again this factor is not a deterrent in making decisions and taking steps that best suit our business needs."
Having started up in Malta, the Maltese workforce at the company has played an important role throughout the years.
"The input of the Maltese contingent has had a major part to play in this, and still does to date," stressed Ms Micallef Trigona. "Any organisation's success, however, cannot be linked to just one segment or group of employees - it is all about teamwork, with each department and region needing the efforts and input of the others in order to make headway. All our teams, led by a worldwide management team that is headed by our CEO, work as part of a cohesive company-wide effort, pulling together to achieve the same corporate goals."
Over these last nine years GFI has witnessed huge growth, penetrating into the international cut-throat market for network and security software. At the same time the whole Maltese ICT industry experienced strong growth and the promise of SmartCity@Malta continues to press forward Malta's credentials in this sector.
"When I joined in April 1999, GFI was one of the sole internationally-oriented ICT companies on the island that developed its own software for export. It was one of the very few places to work if you wanted to make headway in software development and related disciplines," recalled Ms Micallef Trigona.
But whatever their focus, there are now many other ICT companies based here. This growth in career opportunity coupled with the country's focus on this area has led to many more job seekers investing in this field. Whereas in the past most recruits were largely self-taught, now several candidates and employees hold ICT degrees, diplomas and/or certification. Of course, those with a passion for an in-depth knowledge of the subject remain highly desirable whether or not they possess a formal education in this sphere.
"At the same time, while there is now a larger pool of ICT professionals in Malta, there are also many more employers seeking to recruit from that pool. This is not just ICT operators themselves but also a plethora of businesses that in recent years have come to rely on ICT to a greater degree in order to run their operations and therefore need specialised staff."
Indeed the advent of SmartCity@Malta has raised the issue of whether Malta has the necessary supply of ICT skills to serve the thousands of job opportunities to be created in the next few years. This does not seem to worry GFI the least.
"We are looking forward to having more information about Smart City. While the present need for more ICT recruits is obviously likely to heighten all the more with this initiative, we believe it will be good for the island in that it will bring more technologists here," concluded GFI's worldwide director of human resources.