Maltese firms seeking to venture into the German market are now able to tap the knowledge offered by a new business council which is to be officially launched on October 20.
Established six months ago by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry under the auspices of its Internationalisation Desk, the business council aims to facilitate the sharing of information and experiences, and provide networking opportunities.
Led by Salvo Grima Group’s Karl Aquilina as its chairman, the German-Maltese business council is the Malta Chamber’s third such demand-driven initiative following the establishment of others for commerce with Tunisia and Scandinavia.
“Through our internationalisation set-up, we have found that business councils are a good way to help firms venture abroad,” Malta Chamber director-general Kevin Borg told The Sunday Times. “Councils provide the ideal forum to connect Maltese business people with international companies based in Malta so that they share experiences, information and intelligence. We already have a track record of local firms doing business abroad following recommendations by international companies based here.”
Potential business opportunities for Maltese firms in Germany include franchising and investment in technology start-ups, and in the hospitality sector.
In Germany, Malta could be particularly marketed as a test-bed for products or services, Mr Borg added.
The Malta Chamber established an executive committee made up of three Maltese companies with German connections and three German business professionals to prepare the ground work. The committee comprises Matthias Fauser of Playmobil, Armin Eckermann of Fimbank, Sylvain Heydlauf, general manager of Lufthansa German Airlines, Simonds Farsons Cisk’s Michael Farrugia, and Mifsud Brothers Ltd’s Ivan Mifsud.
The council was conceived with the support of former German Ambassador Bernd Braun and continues to enjoy the backing of his successor Hubert Ziegler and Malta’s Ambassador in Berlin Karl Xuereb.
TUI Cruises chief executive officer Richard Vogel, Fimbank president Margrith Lütschg Emmenegger, and Playmobil (Malta) chief executive officer Helga Ellul will give presentations on best practice in their fields at the launch event.
To maintain momentum, the dates for three follow-up sessions will be announced at the event, each to focus on specific regions with guests from Germany.
Mr Borg pointed out everyone involved in the council was connected to German regional chambers and key business leaders and all these useful resources would be pooled to assist the local business community.