PREMIER CAPITAL - Key Persons
Adrian Mercieca joined Hili Ventures, Premier Capital's parent company, as Company Secretary and holds this position for most of its subsidiaries. He previously served as Director and Head of the Company Administration Department at Fenlex, where he was responsible for corporate, compliance, and banking matters for international clients, while also acting as Director and Company Secretary for several Maltese-registered companies. He holds an MBA from the University of Derby and an Advanced Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership from Pearson, and is also a member of the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners.
Job Titles:
- Independent Non - Executive Director
Claudine Cassar is a technology entrepreneur with more than 23 years' strategic and management experience who has delivered digital transformation projects internationally. She is the founder of Alert Communications, a long-time leading player in the Maltese technology sector, which was acquired by Deloitte in 2016. Ms Cassar was also managing director of Alert Solutions, a company she acquired in 2012. She was later Partner and Consulting Function Lead at Deloitte between 2016 and late 2020. Ms Cassar has served as director of the Malta Council for Science and Technology and of JobsPlus, and was Chair of the Institute of Education between 2016 and 2017. She is founder and current Chair of the Blossom Foundation which undertakes projects to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dorian Desira joined the Hili family business in 1997 as an accounts clerk. He was promoted to Management Accountant in 2001 and later became the financial controller for the group's IT arm and MB Services. In 2009, Dorian joined Premier Restaurants Malta as Finance Manager. He was later appointed General Manager for Malta, overseeing the McDonald's operation of nine restaurants, and eventually became the Chief Financial Officer for the Premier Capital group in May 2014. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Hili Ventures in January 2021. Mr. Desira also sits on the boards of various Hili Ventures subsidiaries. He holds a CPA warrant and is a fellow of the Malta Institute of Accountants and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Non - Executive Director
Karen Pace is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Certificate in Auditing in Malta. She has worked in the audit function within the Deloitte network in Malta, Luxembourg, and New York for 16 years. Ms Pace has also advised some of the larger players in the global asset management industry in the US and Luxembourg, while her audit experience in Malta encompassed a variety of industries, including real estate and consumer products. During her time overseas, she also qualified as a Réviseur D'Entreprises in Luxembourg and is a US-Certified Public Accountant. Today, Ms Pace holds an executive position within the financial services industry, focusing on regulatory compliance and internal audit of regulated collective investment schemes and licensed investment service providers operating in Malta. She is also a Member of the Audit Committee of Premier Capital and holds a BA Hons in Accountancy from the University of Malta.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
Massimiliano Lupica has been part of the McDonald's family for many years. He started his career as a Trainee Manager in 1990 and went on to lead restaurant teams in Rome, Bergamo and Milan as Store Manager. He has held several roles including Business Consultant, Director of Field Service for central and south Italy, and Regional Director for southern Italy leading the training, finance, operations and development teams of the region. In 2012, Mr Lupica became a McDonald's franchisee and opened three restaurants. He completed programmes at the Hamburger University at both the Chicago and London campuses, and also studied at SDA Bocconi in Milan in partnership with HU. Mr Lupica is Chairman of the Audit Committee of Premier Capital.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
Melo Hili has led Hili Ventures, Premier Capital's parent company, since its inception in 2013, having joined the family business in 1988. He started out at Motherwell Bridge, then a joint venture with Motherwell Bridge Group of Scotland, where he served as managing director for twenty years. Mr Hili was named Developmental Licensee for McDonald's in Malta in 2005 and went on to expand across Europe, obtaining licenses for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2007, Greece in 2011 and Romania in 2016. Under his stewardship, the company has diversified into new sectors including technology, hospitality and real estate.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Premier Restaurants Romania
Valentin Truta was appointed Managing Director of Premier Restaurants Romania in 2023. His journey with Hili Ventures, Premier Capital's parent company, began in 2016 when he joined as General Counsel. Before his tenure with Hili Ventures, he spent six years at McDonald's Romania, fostering extensive business expertise and establishing a strong connection with McDonald's Corporation. Mr Truta graduated from Nicolae Titulescu University in Bucharest and holds a Master's degree in Business Law. Additionally, he completed an Executive Management Programme at the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany.