Portman aiming to increase international business

Portman International is aiming to increase its international business in the next five years with a special focus on larger foreign advisory firms, very often the gateway to channel business to Malta, managing director David Marinelli said this morning.

Speaking during a visit by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the company’s refurbished and enlarged offices, completed earlier this year as part of an expansion project, he said the expansion was necessitated by the steady and consistent growth in operational activity resulting from an increased workload and the increased servicing needs of clients.

As a result of this project, new meeting areas, increased work space and dedicated training rooms have been created, allowing Portman International to provide 1300 square metres of office space fitted to the highest standards expected in modern professional working environments.

A Maltese company, owned by a Maltese family and run by a Maltese management team, Portman International was set up in London in 1986 providing small clientele with accountancy and company formation services.

The company has since expanded and after relocating its back office operation to Malta in 1997, it moved its head offices here in 2002 and eventually opened a second satellite office in Dublin to support its international client base in addition to the London office and the Malta head office.

The company services an international client base with professional, accounting, tax, fiduciary and trading support services.

“Since taking over the ownership of the company in 2002, both our headcount and our business registered a three-fold growth.

“Today, we employ 80 people – almost all Maltese – and have extended our presence internationally with offices in London and Dublin. Our client base is foreign and totally serviced from Malta,” Mr Marinelli said.