Deborah Schembri

Deborah Schembri has become the first Maltese to complete an advanced diploma in retirement provision with the UK Pensions Management Institute. She has 20 years of experience in the financial services, gaming and hospitality industries.

For the past four years she has been managing director of STM Malta Trust and Company Management Limited. STM Malta is registered as a retirement scheme administrator with the Malta Financial Services Authority and also authorised to act as trustee or co-trustee to provide fiduciary services in terms of the Trusts and Trustees Act.

In her various C-level and board member roles she had formulated new strategic directions and implemented the necessary changes. She has been instrumental in setting up and growing various companies. She is a Certified Public Accountant, holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Henley Management College and an Advanced Diploma in Retirement Provision pursued with the UK Pensions Management Institute. She is the only Maltese resident holding such a qualification in pensions.

Ms Schembri is a Fellow Member of the Malta Institute of Accountants and a Member of the Malta Institute of Taxation, Malta Institute of Management, Institute of Financial Services Practitioners and an Associate Member of the Pension Management Institute UK.

She has won Malta’s Best Knowledge Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2015 and also been nominated and voted as one of the four finalists for the Commonwealth Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2015.

“I started the ADRP qualification in October 2013 and my objective was to strengthen my pensions technical knowledge since in Malta the local pensions industry is still at its infancy, though the international pensions industry is growing. Also in Malta, to date, we do not offer any directly related pensions qualifications. Following the ADRP qualification was enjoyable, though demanding,” she said.

“Being managing director of a major operator in Malta providing pensions gives me the opportunity of growing and consolidating the international pensions market with other stakeholders and also working to develop the local pensions market.

“The island provides the ideal solution for high-net-worth individuals looking for an investment vehicle, international workers planning for retirement and global corporations seeking pension schemes for their staff.

“Also, a number of fiscal incentives aimed at local employers and their employees have been introduced to take up voluntary private pensions.”