At a Council meeting on March 6, Martin Galea was unanimously elected president of the Malta Federation of Industry.

The full FOI council for 2007 includes: deputy president Helga Ellul; vice-presidents Adrian Bajada, Anton Borg, Ian J. Mizzi and Anthony J Tabone; and members Joe Cortis, Andy Gatesy, Martin W. Hignett, Joseph Montebello, Joe Pace, Santo S. Portera, Sergio Vella and Angelo Xuereb.

Mr Galea is the managing director of Joinwell Limited. He has been with the company for 14 years at a time when the furniture industry has undergone a complete restructuring.

A chartered accountant by profession, he completed his articles with Coopers and Lybrand, before joining the local firm. He then spent three years at Gozo Channel as financial controller before launching The Malta Independent as managing director and editor.

He has been a part-time lecturer at the University of Malta, as well as for the Malta Institute of Accountants. Mr Galea is a director of Printex Limited, a long-term council member of Din l-Art Helwa, where he is currently executive president, and a former president of the local Rugby Union.

In November 1995, Mr Galea was elected to the FOI council and was re-elected FOI council member in 1996 and 1997. He was subsequently elected vice-president in 1998 and 1999, during which he was appointed director of Young Enterprise Malta, representing the federation.

In 2002, Mr Galea was re-elected to the council as a member and, after holding the post of vice-president for two years, became deputy president of the federation in 2005.

He served the FOI for a number of years on various strategic committees and is now the federation's nominated representative on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), as well as a member of the board of trustees of the Malta Business Foundation.