Mdina Partners

Mdina Partners is a people and leadership consultancy that helps organisations strengthen the way their managers, teams and salespeople work. Its offer covers HR advisory, coaching, training and keynote speaking, and it works with clients in Malta and across Europe. The practice is based at The Brewhouse in the Central Business District of Birkirkara, in the middle of the island and a short drive from Valletta, Sliema and the airport.

The firm traces its roots to 1980 and has delivered programmes in 12 countries. For a UK reader the closest comparison is a blend of an HR consultancy, a management training provider and an executive coaching practice, all under one roof. On VisitMalta.co.uk it appears in our directory of recruitment and HR agencies in Malta, which is the right place to look if you are building a team on the island or need outside help with people matters.

Who Mdina Partners is

Steve Tarr founded Mdina Partners and chairs the firm, drawing on more than 30 years in people development and management consultancy. Alex Galea is Chief Executive Officer, with a background that runs through engineering, commercial leadership and people strategy, and Lorenzo Bianchi is Chief Operating Officer. Morgan Parnis is a partner who has founded and grown organisations in consulting, research, education, healthcare and executive development.

Three principles shape the way the firm works. Challenge On means asking difficult questions rather than taking a brief at face value. Think Ahead means helping a company prepare teams for what is coming, including the skills it will need. Build Resilience means developing teams that can keep going when business gets hard. In practice, a consultant will usually spend time understanding what is really driving a problem before recommending a programme, then combine structured frameworks with senior practitioner experience. Because every engagement is built around the client, two companies in the same sector can end up with quite different programmes.

Mdina Partners also forms part of a wider group of people-focused companies that includes Business Leaders Malta, Esprimi, Knights and 3CMalta. Clients have come from healthcare, retail, banking, iGaming, technology, pharmaceuticals and professional services, so the work will feel familiar to anyone in the iGaming sector in Malta or the wider financial services industry.

HR advisory and job evaluation

The advisory pillar offers senior HR and organisational support to boards and leadership teams. Services include HR advisory and HR transformation, interim HR cover, fractional leadership support, employer brand strategy, leadership retreats, M&A people support and job evaluation.

Interim HR is a flexible way to bring in experienced capacity during growth, absence or change. It can cover a defined project such as role structuring, organisational design or an HR transformation, rather than an open-ended appointment. Fractional leadership gives a business part-time access to people such as an HR Director, a COO or a CMO without a full-time hire, which suits smaller companies that need seniority but not a permanent salary.

Job evaluation is the structured, objective grading of roles so that pay and progression rest on clear criteria. It is closely tied to the EU Pay Transparency Directive, and Mdina Partners can run a full role-mapping and job evaluation exercise to build a defensible pay structure ahead of the new rules. For mergers and acquisitions, the M&A people support covers HR due diligence, culture alignment, change management and a 100-day HR integration plan, so that communication and workforce stability are planned before the deal closes. The service suits executive teams leading change, organisations going through a merger or acquisition, and businesses that need to bring people, teams and culture together after a transaction.

Coaching for leaders and teams

Coaching is delivered by practitioners with ICF accreditation, in one-to-one and small-group formats. The focus areas are change and growth, leadership development, resilience and wellbeing, team effectiveness, and wellbeing and performance. Executive coaching supports emerging and established leaders as they take on greater responsibility, while personal performance coaching helps people rebuild motivation or healthier boundaries after a long period of pressure.

Team effectiveness coaching is run as a facilitated group programme for leadership teams, project teams, cross-functional teams, new teams and teams going through change. The aim is better trust, clearer communication and easier handling of difficult conversations, and individuals also work on managing stress, avoiding burnout and building sustainable habits. The coach starts by understanding your goals, designs a coaching journey around them, uses reflection and practical tools, and measures progress over time. The PRISM behavioural tool is often used to help people see how their own style fits with colleagues.

Training programmes and PASSION sales training

Training is designed around the context of each organisation rather than offered off the shelf. The programme list includes the Emerging Leaders and Experienced Leaders programmes, a Management and Leadership Toolkit, communication and influence, feedback and emotional intelligence, business acumen, change and transformation, innovation and problem solving, team building workshops, corporate wellness and PRISM practitioner certification. Sessions can be held in person or online.

The best-known programme is PASSION, a consultative sales framework with seven stages: Plan and Prepare, Approach, Study, Show, Interest, Objections, and Nurture and Negotiate. It is aimed at sales professionals, business development teams, account managers, sales leaders and other client-facing staff. A programme begins with research into your sales challenges, moves through tailored training with discussion and real-world scenarios, and finishes with follow-up reviews to reinforce the learning. It is supported by Growy, an AI tool that helps participants embed new habits.

Keynote speakers and frameworks

For conferences, leadership summits and company events, the firm provides keynote speakers who tailor each talk to the audience. Themes include AI and the future of work, building resilient leaders, company purpose and values, culture, a proactive mindset, generational trends in the workplace, corporate wellness and unlocking high performance. Speakers on the roster include Katrina Grech, Daphne Grech Cumbo, Hazel Miller, Christine Gingell and Morgan Parnis.

Three frameworks sit behind much of the work. DAMACA is a diagnostic tool that identifies root organisational issues before solutions are designed. PRISM is a neuroscience-based behavioural framework for self-awareness, communication and team effectiveness, and Mdina Partners is the official PRISM distributor for Malta, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. PASSION, described above, covers the sales conversation.

The team and offices

Beyond the leadership, the consulting team includes Lara Farrugia, Director of People Advisory and a warranted psychologist, and Katrina Grech, Director of People Development and Coaching, who also heads the Italy office. Learning and coaching colleagues include Hazel Miller, Daphne Grech Cumbo, Nicolette Hills, Marc Berghoff, Stephanie Galea and Olivia Rossi, while Christine Gingell advises on brand and employer branding.

The main office is at The Brewhouse on Mdina Road in the Central Business District, Birkirkara, and regional offices operate in Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. Other directory listings close to the Brewhouse include 3a Malta, accountants and Argus Insurance Company (Europe) Limited. If you are travelling over to meet the team, our pages on flights to Malta from the UK and where to stay in Malta will help you plan the trip.

How to start working with Mdina Partners

The usual first step is a no-obligation discovery call with a senior practitioner, where you describe the challenge and the firm tells you whether and how it can help. The firm aims to respond within one business day. Fees depend on the scope, format and level of customisation, and the work is defined clearly after that first conversation. An initial deposit is required for every engagement, and longer programmes are typically paid in monthly instalments.

Many training programmes qualify for IIS funding of up to 70 percent, depending on eligibility, and Mdina Partners can handle the whole application for you. Hotel stays for visiting executives are covered in our guide to hotels in Malta. To open a conversation, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the business.