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Mario Schembri Chairman of the Board and Non-Executive Director
Mr Schembri has extensive knowledge related to card management systems, with diverse exposure to the international card organisations including VISA International, MasterCard and DINERS Club International.
Mr Schembri has extensive knowledge relating to retail banking operations, product management and co-ordination. Up to the time of joining the Company, Mr Schembri had been in the banking industry for 26 years. He joined RS2 in 1999 as Regional Manager, Mediterranean Region and took on the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2006. Mr Schembri was appointed Chief Executive Officer in January 2008 and Chairman in January 2012.
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Radi Abd El Haj Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
Mr El Haj joined RS2 in 1997 as a Project Manager for Tier 1 European banks where he was responsible for the implementation of corporate card programs, later promoted to Customer Relationship Manager in 2002 and Head of Sales and Implementation in 2004.
In the cards and payments industry, Mr El Haj specialises in the areas of Issuing, Acquiring, Clearing and Settlement, e-Commerce and Accounting. His international experience, professional contacts in various regions and working closely with the Technical and Product Development Units within the Group, has contributed in providing RS2’s clients with a global compliant platform. Mr El Haj was appointed Chief Executive Office in January 2012.
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Dr Robert Tufigno LL.D. Non-Executive Director
Dr Tufigno, LL.D., has vast experience in company law, contract law, financial services, employment law, maritime law, sports law, telecommunications law and legislative drafting.
Dr Tufigno, who is also an Arbitrator, has practised in the fields of general commercial law, property law and litigation. He has also acted as Chairman of Malta’s Employment and Training Corporation and as Chairman of Malta’s Housing Authority, and as past Board Director of Lohombus Bank. Dr Tufigno is a Partner of GTG Advocates.
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John Elkins Non-Executive Director
Mr Elkins joined First Data in 2009 as executive vice president and Chief Marketing Officer with responsibility for global marketing, strategy, brand development, public policy and communications. In 2011 he was appointed President and Executive Management Committee member, International Regions, of First Data, holding full P & L responsibility for the business outside of the United States.
Previously, he served as a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company. Before that, he served as executive vice president and Chief Marketing Officer for Visa International. His previous Board roles include Wells Fargo Merchant Services and the UN Microfinance Advisory Board for Inclusive Financial Services.
He currently serves on the boards of FINCA International and Elateral Ltd.
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Franco Azzopardi Non-Executive Director
Mr Azzopardi, a Certified Public Accountant with a UK post-graduate MSc in Finance, spent twenty seven years working in public practice. In 2007 he decided to exit the firm he co-founded, to contribute more towards the strategic direction of boards of directors. He specialises in corporate strategy, governance, risk and finance. He is today a professional director and a registered fellow member of the UK Institute of Directors. His portfolio includes directorships on Boards, Audit Committees, and Risk and Compliance Committees of both listed and private companies in various sectors including banking, insurance, software, logistics, private equity, and professional services, among others. He is also CEO of the leading logistics company in Malta. As part of his social responsibility he also contributes towards the development of the Malta Institute of Accountants, of which he is currently a fellow member serving as President.
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Christopher Wood Non-Executive Director
Mr Wood is a member of the Barclaycard Executive committee where he is accountable for the Barclaycard corporate strategy, corporate finance, corporate affairs, payment card scheme management. Chris holds a BSc (Hons) in Business Administration from Bath University, is a chartered accountant and spent his early career with Accenture, before moving to Barclays in 2004. Before moving to Barclaycard, Chris worked for Barclays in the retail and commercial banking leading strategic change programmes and strategic investments. In 2007, Chris joined Antony Jenkins’ team, then CEO of Barclaycard, as his Chief of Staff. Since then, Chris held various roles including, Head of Barclaycard International and Managing Director, Foundation & Partnerships UK Cards. Chris has extensive experience in strategic planning and facilitating successful strategic change in various organisations.
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Prof. Raša Karapandža Non-Executive Director
Raša Karapandža is a professor of finance at ebs.edu. He serves as an academic director of Master in Finance program and head of chair of finance. He received a PhD degree in economics and finance from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. He has been a visiting research scholar at NYU and at UC Berkeley. He currently serves as a Visiting professor at nyuad.nyu.edu. Karapandža’s work has been featured in top media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel. He advised members of the US congress on the topics of regulating cryptocurrencies and other blockchain related technologies. He was elected favorite professor by the EBS business school’s student body for his teaching nine years in a row — in 2009 through 2018. At EBS Karapandža is teaching Investments, Finance, Corporate Finance, Asset Pricing and Fintech class. At NYU AD Raša is teaching a Fintech course as well as NYU Stern course on Foundation of Financial Markets.
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Dr Ivan Gatt LL.D. Company Secretary
Dr Gatt LL.D. represents clients in a broad spectrum of substantive legal areas. Having vast experience in advising companies and board committees on corporate governance, he has facilitated a variety of transactions, including securities offerings, venture capital investments and corporate acquisitions. In addition, he assists clients with annual general meeting preparation and gives advice on numerous regulatory and compliance matters. Dr Gatt has presided over the Levy Appeals Board and the Customs and Excise Tax Appeals Board of the Ministry of Finance. Dr Gatt is the Managing Partner of GTG Advocates.
