Workshop on the Evolving Regulatory Blueprint for Investment Firms

Chief Officer Supervision, MFSA

Christopher P. Buttigieg

Prof. Buttigieg has more than twenty five years of professional experience in financial regulation and supervision. He is the Chief Officer – Supervision, responsible for the Supervision Directorate, the Chair of the MFSA’s Regulatory Committee and the AMLCFT Committee and a member of the Authority’s Executive Committee.  He is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of the supervisory and regulatory strategy across all the sectors under the MFSA’s remit. Between October 2020 and September 2021, Prof Buttigieg fulfilled the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Financial Services Authority. Throughout his career at the MFSA, Prof Buttigieg was responsible for managing various functions and teams. He was also responsible for the implementation of several European Directives and Regulations and the development of new regulatory frameworks at national level. Prof Buttigieg is a member of the Board of Supervisors of the European Securities and Markets Authority and European Banking Authority.  He was the Chair of the ESMA Data Standing Committee (until December 2022) and a member of the EBA Task force on proportionality (2025). He is currently the Chair of the ESMA Proportionality and Coordination Committee and a member of the ESMA Management Board. Prof Buttigieg has a commerce degree (B.Com 1998), an accountancy degree (B.Accty. Hons. 2000) and a financial services law degree (M.A. Fin. Ser. 2003) from the University of Malta, as well as a European Union Law degree (M.A. EU Law and Soc 2005) and a doctoral degree in law (PhD 2014) from the University of Sussex (UK). His Doctoral thesis deals with the governance of EU securities regulation and supervision. Prof Buttigieg is an Associate Professor in the Banking, Finance and Investments Department of the University of Malta. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier, Germany, and a visiting lecturer at the same institution. He is an active researcher and has published various papers in reputable journals, including the Columbia Journal of European Law, the European Company and Financial Law Review, the ERA Forum, the Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, the Journal of Business Law and the Law and Financial Markets Review. His latest publications deals with centralisation of supervision of CASPs under the EU Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation. He is also the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Financial Supervisors Academy, which seeks to bridge academia with financial supervision.

Head of Resolution, MFSA

Christian Buttigieg

Christian Buttigieg was appointed Head of Resolution on 1 September 2022, leading a multidisciplinary and dynamic team. He joined the Resolution Unit in January 2017 as a senior manager and has been an integral part of the process to set up the necessary structures of the function. Mr Buttigieg actively participated in negotiations to finalise the second iteration of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, which regulates the resolution process in the EU and is also the MFSA representative on the Single Resolution Board’s Plenary Committee. Mr Buttigieg joined the Central Bank of Malta in 2005 after obtaining a B.Com (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Malta. At the Central Bank, Mr Buttigieg joined the Financial Stability Department and covered various areas for a number of years. He subsequently joined the Economics Department and was involved in economic analysis and forecasting for around four years. Subsequently, he moved again to Financial Stability within the Central Bank before joining the Resolution Unit at the MFSA. He also continued his studies and obtained a Masters in Financial Economics and a Masters of Law (Banking and Finance) from the University of London.

Head, Investment Services Supervision, MFSA

Ian Meli

Ian Meli was appointed Head of Investment Services Supervision in January 2025. Ian joined the Securities and Markets Supervision Function of the MFSA in 2011, after a short stint with a local fund administration company, and progressed through various roles within the function, eventually being promoted to Deputy Head in 2019. He  worked on various policy initiatives and conducted several high-profile investigations in the area of asset management and investment firms. He represented the MFSA in a number of fora and working groups within the European Securities and Markets Authority in the field to asset management. Ian has also been a member of the management committee of the Depositor Compensation Scheme and Investor Compensation Scheme since 2022. Ian holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Banking and Finance and a Master of Arts in Financial Services, from the University of Malta. He further specialised in financial services by completing an Advanced Diploma in Fund Administration from the University of Manchester.

Senior Manager, Investment Services Supervision, MFSA

Maria Grazia Zammit

Senior Manager, Resolution, MFSA

Mellyora Ellul

Manager, Conduct Supervision, MFSA

Joseph Micallef

Joseph Micallef is a Manager within the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA)'s Conduct Supervision Function. He holds a Master's degree in Financial Services and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Malta and gained extensive experience within the financial services industry through roles held with various private sector entities prior to joining the Authority. In his current role, he contributes to the Authority's supervisory activities, with a particular focus on promoting high standards of conduct and investor protection within the financial services sector.

Manager, Investment Services Supervision, MFSA

Anne Marie Pace

Anne Marie Pace is a Certified Public Accountant who joined the MFSA in 2022 and currently holds the position of Manager within the MFSA’s Investment Services Supervision unit, where she focuses on the supervision of investment firms. Prior to joining the MFSA, Anne Marie worked in the accounting department of a Big Four firm before moving to the finance, regulatory and compliance department of an international corporate entity. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in Accountancy and Management, and a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons.) degree from the University of Malta.

Manager, Resolution, MFSA

Francesca Cassar

Francesca Cassar is a Manager within the Depositor and Investor Compensation Schemes, which form part of the MFSA’s Resolution Function. She joined the Authority in January 2018 and has since contributed to the development and oversight of compensation scheme frameworks and related regulatory matters. In her role, Francesca advises the Depositor and Investor Compensation Scheme Management Committee on regulatory and policy matters, contributes to the drafting and implementation of legislative amendments and assists participating institutions in meeting their regulatory obligations. She has also been actively involved in several local, European and international expert working groups, including the European Forum of Deposit Insurers (EFDI) and the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI). Francesca holds a Master of Arts in Financial Services from the University of Malta.

Assistant Manager, Investment Services Supervision, MFSA

Daniel Cassar

Daniel Cassar joined the Malta Financial Services Authority in 2017. He has worked at the Ministry of Finance, an international bank, and the European Commission as a Blue Book Trainee. His work focuses on supervisory activities and regulatory compliance of MiFID firms, with particular expertise in offsite supervision.