Farsons appoints CEO designate

Norman Aquilina, chief commercial officer at Farsons Group, will assume the role of CEO designate as of July 1.

Mr Aquilina will be working closely with the present CEO, Louis A Farrugia, and with the board of directors, with a view of eventually taking over as chief executive.

Besides his duties for the commercial function of SFC plc, Mr Aquilina, 46, will also be responsible for the implementation of the approved strategic direction for the Group, leading the senior management of the Group and the day-to-day operations of the business.

He joined the Farsons Group as managing director of Quintano Foods, the food importation business he used to run and which the Group acquired in 2004. In 2007, he was appointed CEO and has since successfully introduced and led a number of projects and initiatives as a result of the liberalisation of the carbonated soft drinks market and the setting up of Farsons' Logistics Centre.

Mr Aquilina served as senior vice president of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and is chairman of the Fast Moving Consumer Goods Trade Section within the Chamber. He is a former board member of the Malta External Trade Corporation and is a member of the EU's Enterprise Policy Group.

A graduate in international trade, Mr Aquilina holds a diploma in business management. He furthered his studies at various management schools and is an alumni of the Salzburg Seminar. He was also one of the first award winners of the Strickland Foundation following the presentation of a study on the economic and social impact on Malta following EU accession.

He is married to Sharon, née Mercieca, and they have two children, Bettina and Timothy.