During this week’s EU startup summit, while the Prime Minister of Malta made his way through high-tech expo stands and camera flashes, declining that day to address the press, it was George Gregory, the newly appointed CEO of Malta Enterprise, who was tasked to step forward in his place. It clearly reflected growing trust in Gregory’s ability to represent the country’s economic vision on the public stage. Gregory, who brings over three decades of private-sector experience to Malta’s economic development agency, is more than just another civil servant. He’s already proving to be an asset to the nation’s economic strategy: diplomatic, unflappable, and unusually candid.
“Moving from the private sector to the public sector wasn’t an easy task,” Gregory said to, reflecting on his career leap. “But it’s been a wonderful experience.” If he’s still adjusting, it doesn’t show. His manner is polished but approachable, a combination that positions him well in the complex space where business meets government.
Startup strategy beyond venture capital
Startups are particularly close to Gregory’s portfolio. “We’ve already disbursed around €9 million in startup funding,” he notes. But the ambition doesn’t stop at early-stage investment. Malta’s government-backed venture capital fund is now complemented by 24 accredited independent VCs. “That’s a very interesting step,” he says, with evident enthusiasm. “It means we’re moving beyond grants and hand-holding; we’re building a genuine ecosystem.”
The push isn’t just inward-looking. Malta Enterprise is actively courting international founders, with nearly half of new startups now coming from outside the EU. “We’re seeing a very diverse range of sectors and countries represented,” Gregory explains. “The key challenge is not just attracting them, but retaining them. Malta and the EU more broadly, needs to focus on that.”
Of course, innovation without talent is like a car without fuel. Gregory is clear-eyed about the education gap, especially as tech accelerates. “We have to move away from our traditional type of learning,” he says. “I have young kids myself, and I can see areas where we need to improve—globally, not just locally.”
Beyond schools, Malta Enterprise is funding skilling and reskilling initiatives through its schemes like ‘Get Qualified’. The aviation industry, Gregory notes, has been a particular success story. “But we need more. We need to invest in retraining across the board.”
“In sync” with the iGaming sector
The iGaming industry, a stable and mature sector in Malta, has so far required little direct support from Malta Enterprise. But Gregory knows better than to ignore it. “It’s a well-developed sector,” he says. “But we’re in constant communication to ensure that whatever economic moves we make are in sync with the sector.”
He calls it “a success story” and suggests it could serve as a model for other verticals. The comment may seem diplomatic, but there’s a clear message: Malta’s growth story won’t come from a single sector. It’s time to diversify intelligently.
At the summit, Gregory didn’t simply attend panels or press conferences. He accompanied the Prime Minister, spoke with journalists, and gathered insights from founders and investors. In one hallway conversation, he took questions the country’s leader opted not to answer, a rare instance of a CEO stepping into the media firing line on behalf of a head of government.
Gregory lays out his approach to the economy with a pragmatism shaped by boardroom discipline. “There are three key sectors where we operate,” he explains. “Startups, the local SME community which is a big cohort of our economy and large corporations and foreign direct investment.”
Although broad, this is grounded in one clear goal: sustainable economic prosperity. Malta Enterpris is expected to play both incubator and accelerator, guiding enterprises at every scale through Malta’s evolving regulatory and economic terrain.
But he also brings a sense of urgency, shaped by the geopolitical instability unfolding across Europe. “We’re in uncertain times,” he says. “But when there are risks, there are opportunities.” It’s a familiar phrase in investment sector, but less often voiced with conviction in public service.
Innovation on the move
If one word dominated Gregory’s conversation with SiGMA, it was “innovation”. Gregory sees it not only as inevitable, but as essential. “Innovation is moving fast, probably faster than most people ever expected,” he says. “We need to be in tune with it, make sure we’re attracting the right kind of innovation to Malta, and understand what it will mean for the economy.”
Artificial intelligence, fintech, and emerging technologies from global startups are already reshaping business sectors. And Gregory makes no attempt to contain his ambitions to the national stage. “These technologies won’t just impact the Maltese economy,” he says. “They’re reshaping the European and global economy. We need to embrace them, understand where the risks are, but also where the advantages lie.”
This thinking aligns with Malta’s recently unveiled Vision 2050 framework, which sets out a roadmap linking economic growth with quality of life and long-term sustainability. Innovation is not an afterthought; it’s embedded in policy. And Malta Enterprise is being positioned as the connector between government vision and commercial execution.
Gregory’s private-sector background becomes most evident. “We’re constantly in touch with industry,” he says of Malta Enterprise’s outreach. “We meet operators, stakeholders, NGOs, anyone who gives us a pulse of what’s happening. That’s how we stay nimble.”
He believes Malta’s speed of reaction has been one of its greatest strengths. And he’s determined to protect that agility, even as bureaucracy and global headwinds loom.
What Gregory brings to Malta Enterprise is discipline combined with flair, a sense of timing, and the ability to convert vision into execution. And this is certainly what Malta needs now.
In times of geopolitical uncertainty, countries require more than policies, they need more people who understand how things work, and how to make them work better. George Gregory has emerged as a key voice in Malta’s business-policy sector.
