Joseph Gavin has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Financial Services Authority. 

Gavin, who will be taking on the role in September, will chair the MFSA’ss Executive Committee and shall also sit on the Board of Governors of the Authority. He was selected following an open call for applications through local and international channels.

An assessment was undertaken by a specially appointed Selection Committee, chaired by an independent assessor, Professor Carlo Cottarelli, an Italian economist and former Director of the International Monetary Fund, and also members from the Board of Governors.

In his new role as MFSA CEO, Gavin will be responsible for the overall management and performance of the MFSA and the implementation of reforms and consolidation in the financial services sector. 

 Gavin acted as General Counsel within the Central Bank of Ireland between 2009 and 2015, at a time in which the Irish regulator was undergoing significant policy and structural change, and he was instrumental in guiding the Irish watchdog during a sensitive time, post-recession. 

He was more recently employed as a Partner and Head of Financial Services at an Irish law firm, providing specialist input in areas relating to regulation and enforcement in financial services.

Gavin will have a lot on his plate with key authorities working hard to get Malta off the FATF’s grey list.