The Malta Gaming Authority Board has appointed Heathcliff Farrugia as Chief Executive Officer.

He succeeds Joseph Cuschieri who earlier this month was appointed CEO of the Malta Financial Services Authority.

Mr Farrugia holds a masters degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of Leicester, UK, and is specialised in business management, operational efficiencies, strategic planning, and regulation.

He has held various senior executive positions both within the private and the public sector.

In 2014, Mr Farrugia joined the Gaming Authority in the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO), and was pivotal in the transformation process which the authority underwent, the Authority said.

He held this position for two years until his appointment as Chief Regulatory Officer in 2016. In this role he was responsible for all the regulatory activities of the Authority with specific focus on Regulatory Supervision, Authorisations, Compliance and Player Support.

At the same time, he was also a member of the Supervisory Council, and co-chaired the Fit & Proper Committee, entrusted with the assessment of  individuals and companies applying for a MGA licence.

Mr Farrugia was a board member of the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), where he is now a member and is also a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).

Prior to joining the MGA, Mr Farrugia held various positions within Vodafone Malta and Vodafone Italy.