Tonio Fenech

The Honourable Tonio Fenech MP
Finance Minister of Malta
In office 11 March 2008 – 10 March 2013
Preceded by	Lawrence Gonzi
Succeeded by	Edward Scicluna
Personal details
Born	5 May 1969
Political party	Partit Nazzjonalista
Spouse(s)	Claudine Ellul; 2 children
Religion	Roman Catholic

Tonio Fenech (born 5 May 1969) is a Maltese politician who has served in the government of Malta as Minister of Finance, Economy and Investment (Maltese: Ministru għall-Finanzi, l-Ekonomija u l-Investiment) from March 2008 till March 2013.^[1] He was Mayor of Birkirkara from 1998 to 2003.

Education

He received his primary education at the old St. Catherine's High School, Sliema. He subsequently received his secondary education (1979–1986) and post-secondary education (1985–1987) at St. Aloysius' College, Birkirkara. Tonio graduated in Management and Accountancy (B.Com) at the University of Malta, he then completed his B.A.(Hons.) Accountancy, in 1992. He is now a warranted Accountant and Auditor.^[2]

Career

His first work experience was gained during the summer work phase in his Sixth Form years, on the factory floor at Multi Packaging Ltd. He joined Price Waterhouse in July 1993. Tonio's initial years at Price Waterhouse, later PricewaterhouseCoopers, were in the audit practice, where he became a manager. He subsequently moved to the management consultancy practice of the firm where he became a Senior Consultant. Tonio had a number of international work experiences with the firm in Italy and Libya. His audit experiences included the Instituto per le Opere Religiose (IOR) Vatican Bank.

Politics

Fenech was elected as a Birkirkara local councillor in March 1996 to hold political office for the first time. Following the 1998 general election, Fenech was elected Mayor of Birkirkara and held this post until April 2003 when he was elected to Parliament. Tonio contested the local council elections three times. In April 2003, he was elected Member of Parliament representing the 8th electoral District, and was subsequently appointed as observer to the European Parliament between May 2003 and March 2004. He was then appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on 27 March 2004. Tonio Fenech played an important role in the Ministry of Finance, and he was one of the masterminds behind Malta's accession in the EuroZone, particularly through the achievement of the Maastricht convergence criteria. Tonio Fenech was also given responsibility for the successful termination of the contractual agreements and the termination of works at Mater Dei Hospital.

Following the March 2008 general election, he was appointed as Minister of Finance, Economy and Investment on March 12, 2008.^[1] Fenech was responsible for managing Malta's economy throughout the international economic and financial crisis. Despite these challenges, Malta's economy continued to register growth, while the jobless rate remained among the lowest in the European Union. Follow this Tonio Fenech was also responsible for undertaking significant national reforms, including the privatisation process at Malta Shipyards and a restructuring process at Air Malta.

References

1. "New Cabinet sworn in", Times of Malta, 12 March 12, 2008.
2. Profile at official website