Meet the E&S Group Team

Karl Schranz

An accountant by profession, Karl spent 10 years working for a reputable audit firm in various audit roles before joining JP Morgan Chase in London in 2005, specifically working in Credit Hybrid Derivatives. He then returned to Malta to head the corporate finance arm of a local audit firm. In 2009, together with Christian, he was one of the founding members of a Corporate Services Provider in Malta, leaving to set up E&S Consultancy in 2010. Karl heads E&S’ ICO and Tokenomics department, however, his competences include advising and assisting in all MFSA licensing processes, accountancy, Token structuring, iGaming, and all aspects of corporate finance.

Karl is fluent in English, Italian, Maltese.

Antonella Hili

Antonella, obtained a Master Degree in Accounting from the University of Malta in 2015, and has furthered her studies by obtaining a Professional Certificate in Taxation in 2017. She has been working with E&S Group since 2012 and presently manages the Accounts Department as Director of E&S Back Office Services Ltd. Her main areas of practice are Corporate Tax, VAT, as well as the preparation of Financial Statements for companies from various industries including aviation, gaming, shipping, manufacturing, financial and other services.

Antonella is fluent in Maltese, English and Italian.

Dr. Deborah Vella

A lawyer by profession, Deborah had graduated as Doctor of Laws in 2015, admitted to the bar in 2017 and has been working with E&S Group for the past seven years. In her prime time at E&S Deborah was part of the legal team and also headed the corporate team where she aided the building of these two departments. In 2017, she took a managerial role within E&S Group.

Working her way up the ranks, Deborah has been appointed as a member of E&S Groups’ Board of Directors and promoted to Chief Client Officer in November 2020. Whilst she will continue to be of support towards the corporate and legal team within the firm, her main focus will shift on Strategic Client Relationship Management as well as oversight of various operational functions. As the company’s CCO she will also be engaged in a business development role which involves the planning and executing of offline business development and marketing for the Group.

Dr. Christian Ellul

Christian completed his Doctorate in Law in 2005 furthering his studies with an Adv. LL.M. in International Taxation from the University of Leiden, in the Netherlands. Christian has worked as a tax advisor for a Big 4 Audit firm in Malta as well as a reputable local corporate service provider. In 2009, together with Karl Schranz, he set up another Corporate Services Provider in Malta, before leaving to set up E&S Consultancy in 2010. Christian competences include Malta direct and indirect taxation, international tax structuring, taxation of tokens, cryptocurrencies, ICOs, trusts, corporate and company law and related legal advice.

Christian is fluent in English, German and Maltese.

Dr. Jade Fenech

Jade joined E&S Group as a legal associate in 2018. Before joining E&S Group she practised with a litigation firm for two years. She holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a Masters of Advocacy from the University of Malta and was admitted to the bar in 2019. She is now reading for a Masters in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies at the University of Malta. Her primary areas of practice are corporate and commercial law, financial services and fintech.

Nicole Said

Nicole joined E&S Group in February 2016 to form part of the Administration team. Her main duties included the day-to-day overall administration of the group. She had then been promoted to head the administration team as an Executive Secretary. Over the years Nicole had contributed to the overall efficiency of the firm by ensuring administrative duties were carried out in a timely and effective manner. Working her way up Nicole was promoted to the corporate services department in 2018 where she began assisting thoroughly the corporate team. Today Nicole effectively manages and heads the corporate team bringing forward a more efficient and structured daily quality of work for our clients. Her persistence and development has resulted in Nicole being awarded with the Appreciation Award chosen by the group in 2019 and Employee of the Year in 2020.

Dr. Martina Darmanin

Martina joined E&S in October 2019 as a Legal Trainee and she was promoted to a Legal Analyst within the Legal team in July 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) Degree as well as a Master of Advocacy from the University of Malta. At E&S Group, her main areas of practice are assisting one of the directors in Shipping, Aviation and Residency Advisory matters.

She is fluent in both Maltese and English.

Amy Catania

Amy Catania joined E&S as a Legal Trainee in July 2021 and she is currently in her final year of studies to obtain the Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Malta. She aspires to further her studies and specialise in areas relating to ICT Law, including data protection, intellectual property, cryptocurrencies as well as gaming, amongst other fields of interest.

Prior to joining the team, Amy worked as a Communications Executive at the Malta Chamber of Commerce for over a year, and has gained experience in marketing and content writing. Currently, Amy also holds the position of Marketing Officer with the law student’s organisation Għaqda Studenti tal-Liġi, dealing mostly with the organisation’s sponsorships and social media content.

Kylie Fiteni

Kylie joined E&S Group in December 2020 as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Clients Officer. Her main responsibilities were assisting the Chief Clients Officer in Business Development and handling day-to-day administration. Prior to joining E&S Group, she worked in Human Resources and gained experience working in the financial industry.

In January 2022, Kylie was promoted to the Corporate team as a Corporate Analyst.

Bianca Pace

Natalia Gauci

Natalia joined E&S Group as a legal assistant in 2023. She is currently a student, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in law at the University of Malta, where she is entering her third year of studies. As a legal assistant, Natalia is committed to providing exceptional support to the legal team. With a keen interest in tax, corporate and commercial law, Natalia aspires to grow professionally in these areas. She is eager to leverage her academic foundation to contribute to the success of the firm while further developing her legal skills.

Matthew Farrugia

Matthew is a fourth-year student at the University of Malta, seeking to obtain the Bachelor of Laws degree and the master’s in advocacy during the coming year. He intends to eventually specialize in specific areas of the law relating to company law, commercial law and data protection, amongst other areas of interest. Prior to joining E&S as a Legal Assistant, Matthew worked as a Legal and Compliance Officer at a reputable Swedish gaming company with a license to provide gaming services in Malta. There, he gained valuable knowledge and experience on the role of the Gaming Regulator, marketing laws in relation to the advertising of gambling products, and the prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism.

Brittany Cutajar

Brittany joined E&S Group in 2015 as an Accounts Analyst and took on a managerial role in 2017, within the Accounts Department, overseeing a team of junior accountants and the preparation of Financial Statements for companies operating in the financial sector, manufacturing, shipping and aviation, and gaming industry amongst others. She is currently furthering her studies in accountancy and is undergoing a Master’s Degree with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Brittany is fluent in English and Maltese with a proficient understanding of Italian.

Alexandra Abela

Alexandra is an experienced payments’ professional with 10 years’ experience gained working with global companies, in both established and start-up environments. Prior to joining E&S Group, Alexandra was the Vice President of Customer Services at Credorax Bank, where she managed Global Support (US, Malta), Technical Support, Product Management, and Integration. Since joining E&S Consultancy she has been tasked with the preparation of financial statements for various clients. She is currently studying ACCA.

Aurélie Olea

Aurélie joined E&S as an Accounts Analyst. She is graduated of a French Master Degree in Accounting and Finance, equivalent to the ACCA. Prior to coming to Malta, she had been working as a Project Financial Analyst in Aeronautics and Automobile multi-national companies based in Toulouse, France. She came to Malta to improve her English and discover a new working environment.

Claire Vella

Prior to joining E&S Group, Claire has been working in the Audit Sector for 10 years. This has led to her being experienced in a diversified portfolio of local and foreign clients. She has completed all of her ACCA exams, up to the final one Taxation.

Currently she is assisting the Finance Department with the required tasks as necessary.

Charlene Buttigieg

Charlene joined E&S group in January 2023 as an Accounts Associate, within the Accounts Department. Her main duties are to maintain accounting records of a portfolio of clients and assisting in the preparation of VAT returns. She obtained an Advanced Diploma in Accounting at MCAST and ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business. She is currently continuing her studies to obtain a Master’s degree with ACCA. Prior joining to E&S Group, she occupied the role of a Client Accounts Executive where she gained valuable knowledge and experience.

Lorisanne Refalo

Lorisanne Joined E&S Group in February 2023 as an Accounts administrator. Her main duties are to Assist the Accounts department in administration, Prior to joining E&S Lorisanne was working as a junior workforce coordinator.

She is fluent in both Maltese & English.

Shirley Calleja

Shirley joined E&S Group as an accounts analyst. For the past 15 years, Shirley has lived in Canada, only to return to Malta recently. She worked in the shipping industry, where she gained experience in various fields including logistics, marketing, administration and customer relations. She studied international trade and acted as a freight consultant to both ship agents and clients alike.

Margaret Galea

Margaret joined E&S Group in November 2018 as a secretary.  Her main duties are to assist in the day-to-day administration of the group. Prior to joining E&S Group, she worked in the medical industry for over ten years as a front office administrator.

She is fluent in Maltese and English and has a good knowledge of Italian.

Alex Theuma

Alex joined E&S Group as an Office Admin in September 2023. Prior to this, she worked as an Office & HR Administrator which helped her gain experience in the organizational aspect of an executive office. Alex is eager to learn new creative skills and develop her professional ones. Her interests lie in travelling, meeting new people, and taking on new challenges. She is fluent in both English and Maltese.