Louis Farrugia, chairman of the Farsons Group, was recently nominated Ufficiale dell’Ordine al merito della Repubblica italiana.

The honour was bestowed on Mr Farrugia by the outgoing Italian Ambassador Efisio Luigi Marras during a ceremony at the Italian Cultural Institute in Valletta.

At the distinguished gathering, the Ambassador highlighted Mr Farrugia’s altruistic and civic spirit, as demonstrated in his voluntary involvement in so many initiatives outside his direct line of business.

Among so many other appointments over time, Mr Farrugia has served as president of the Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority and more recently the national airline, Air Malta.

In business, his positive regard towards Italy culminated in the successful setting up of Liquigas (Malta) Ltd, a joint venture between Liquigas Italia and Multigas Ltd, which led to the privatisation of LPG business in Malta.

In reply, Mr Farrugia ex-pressed his deep thanks for the honour and confirmed his commitment to keep on seeking to promote closer commercial collaboration for the mutual benefit of Malta and Italy.