Appointment of New Chairman of the Board
Wednesday 30 September 2020
The Trustees of The Lady Strickland Trust for St Edward’s College are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Juanito Camilleri to the Chair of the Board of Governors of St Edward’s College, with effect from the commencement of the new scholastic year on 28th September. Professor Camilleri succeeds Professor John Mark Portelli, who’s term of office comes to an end after 12 very successful years at the helm.
Professor Camilleri is Rector Emeritus of the University of Malta, he was Rector between 2006 and 2016 and is currently Chairman at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation at the University. Professor Camilleri is the non-executive Chairman of Harvest Technology plc. and serves on the Board of Directors of a number of public as well as private companies. Professor Camilleri was previously Group CEO at Melita Cable plc, having earlier been the founding CEO of Go Mobile. He commented, “Challenging times which rattle us out of our comfort zone are perfect settings for character formation and introspection – the coming months and years will undoubtedly present us all with ample life-lessons to help us appreciate what is truly important in life. Family is my axis, wine making is my passion, technology and entrepreneurship are what drive me every day, but I feel that the empowerment of future generations through education and active citizenship is a collective duty we must all embrace. I am truly privileged to be invited to join the Edwardian community at this juncture, I believe I stand to learn a lot on this journey, and will seek to put past lessons learnt to good use.”
As Headmaster of St Edward’s I have had several meetings with Professor Camilleri before he was appointed, both formal and informal. Both of us during these initial meetings were probing, questioning and dreaming. It was fundamental that we had a shared vision for education and the way forward for St Edward’s. We do.
In ‘Good to Great’, by Jim Collins, Collins states that good is the enemy of great. At St Edward’s we will not settle for ‘good’ when we know we can be ‘great’. Professor Camilleri, Board members, staff parents and students will help us achieve this vision.
Some other anecdotes that we shared during these meetings are that his favourite colour is Burgundy, Burgundy is also one of his favourite wine regions, he is also a passionate foodie. Professor Camilleri measures power in terms of one's capacity to empower others. Like myself he believes that a true educator should be a "guide on the side" not "the sage on the stage". Again, like myself, Professor Camilleri has a deep rooted belief that truth will always prevail... but not without effort.
In welcoming Professor Camilleri to St Edward’s, the Trustees are mindful that he will bring with him expertise in both the essential areas of education and industry, with particular emphasis on technology.
In referring to Professor Portelli’s contribution to the College, which went way beyond the normal demands of the role of Chairman. John Bonello, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees commented; “John’s commitment to his role as Chairman of the Board of Governors can’t be overstated. He has worked closely with the Headmaster with whom he built a very strong and effective working relationship. His dedication to the College has been extraordinary and he has earned the gratitude and respect of all the stakeholders of the College – the Headmaster and his staff, the pupils and their parents, and the Governors and the Trustees”.
The journey for all of us, the St Edward's community, continues.
