Tonio Fenech
Name: Hon. Tonio Fenech
Years active: 2003-
Party: The Nationalist Party
Roles
- Member of: Public Accounts Committee (Chairman) , Economic and Financial Affairs Committee and National Audit Office Accounts Committee
- Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance: 2004- 2008
- Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investment: 2008- 2013
Education
In 1990 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.
History
Tonio’s initial years at Price Waterhouse, later PricewaterhouseCoopers, were spent in the audit practice. 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. Some of his most interesting audit experiences included the Instituto per le Opere Religiose (IOR) Vatican Bank. Tonio was elected as a Birkirkara local councillor in March 1996 to hold public office for the first time. Following the 1998 general elections Tonio 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 from the 8th District, and was subsequently appointed as observer to the European Parliament between May 2003 and March 2004. Tonio was then appointed to Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance by the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on 27 March 2004 .Tonio Fenech played an important role under the Ministry of Finance, and he was responsible for Malta's accession in the EuroZone, particularly through the achievement of the Maastricht convergence criteria. Tonio Fenech was also given responsibility for the successful completion 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. He 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. Following this, Tonio Fenech was also responsible for undertaking significant national reforms, including the privatization process at Malta Shipyards and a restructuring process at Air Malta. Tonio Fenech has been a member of the Nationalist Party Executive Committee since April 1999. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Nationalist Party College of Councillors between October 1998 and April 1999. He served as Secretary General to the Nationalist Party College of Councillors between April 1999 and April 2003.
