Norman Aquilina appointed Farsons CEO designate

Farsons group chief commercial officer Norman Aquilina has been named chief executive officer designate from July 1.

Mr Aquilina, 46, will be working closely with current chief executive officer Louis Farrugia and with the board, with a view to assuming the responsibilities of CEO.

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

The father of two joined Farsons group as managing director of Quintano Foods, the food importation business which he ran and which the group acquired in 2004.

In 2007, he was appointed chief commercial officer and has since successfully introduced and led several 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 is a fomer senior vice-president of the Malta chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, and is currently the chairman of the chamber's Fast Moving Consumer Goods trade section. He is a former board member for the Malta External Trade Corporation and is a member of the EU's Enterprise policy group.

Mr Aquilina is a graduate in international trade and 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 of a study that he presented on the economic and social impact on Malta following EU accession.