Meet Andrew, Financial Controller at AX Hotels Qawra and winner of this year’s prestigious Chairman’s Award for Senior Management. With nearly 17 years at AX Group, Andrew’s journey has been one of steady growth, dedication and shared success. From his early days at the Suncrest Hotel to leading the financial operations of a diverse hospitality portfolio, Andrew has consistently shown what it means to lead with purpose and passion.

Andrew’s story with AX Group began when he was still dating his now wife, Christina – since then, they tied the knot, raised two children, welcomed two dogs into the family and built a life filled with milestones, many of which have been celebrated alongside his journey with AX Group.

He started as Assistant Financial Controller at the Suncrest Hotel, back when the scope was simpler and the operation was smaller. But as AX Group evolved, so did Andrew’s role. Today, he oversees the finances for AX Qawra Properties, which includes the flagship AX ODYCY Hotel, AX Sunny Coast, and a number of restaurants, bars and lidos. It’s a role that keeps him on his toes with a mix of reporting, budgeting, forecasting and supporting leadership with strategic insight.

For Andrew, one of the most fulfilling projects to date has been the pre-opening of AX ODYCY, a high-pressure period that demanded long hours, strong collaboration and a true team effort. He recalls the incredible energy and unity as colleagues stepped beyond their roles, working side by side to bring the project to life. “It wasn’t just about finishing the job,” he says, “it was about creating something meaningful together.”

Winning the Chairman’s Award this year was both humbling and uplifting, especially after also being nominated the previous year. But beyond the recognition, what means most to Andrew is being a trusted mentor to others. Helping colleagues grow, offering guidance and knowing he can make a difference in someone’s development, is what he finds most rewarding.

In his role, no two days are the same and that’s part of the appeal. From reviewing reports to aligning on budgets and managing tight deadlines during audit season, the pace is fast but fulfilling. He thrives on the challenge and values how his work contributes to the Group’s wider success.

Asked about AX Group’s culture, Andrew describes it as fast-paced and dynamic, but grounded in support and strong relationships. It’s a place where people from all walks of life work together with shared purpose, where growth is encouraged, and where there’s always time for a laugh, a lunch break chat, or a post-work drink.

His advice to anyone starting out in finance? Stay curious. Ask questions. Understand the story behind the numbers, not just the figures themselves. And above all, build relationships, because finance doesn’t operate in a vacuum, and neither should you.

Andrew’s journey is a testament to what’s possible with hard work, a supportive team and a mindset for growth. Looking to take the next step in your career? Explore open roles with AX Group at https://axcareersmalta.com/career/

We grew up with big names like Oprah Winfrey, Stephen King, Christina Aguilera, Mark Wahlberg, and numerous others, including the notorious Albert Einstein, being mentioned among us and looked up at with great admiration. People that had the greatest successes! But guess what? None of them came out of their comfort zones. It happens that most of the time, those that have been most successful are the ones that faced the most adversity and the ones that managed to conquer those adversities with great determination and resilience. Unfortunately, people don’t realize this, as they cannot imagine the journey they would have had to go through to get to where they are today. People judge from where they stand because that is what they know. Which leads me to say that the more we go through in life, the wider our perspective becomes, if we are open to learn from them and allow them to change us for the better.

People that have been through hardship and have succeeded in life are the ones that just walked right through it. Felt every inch of that pain, took it all in, and managed to break it all down to the smallest fraction in order to process it all properly to be able to give it a new dynamic and a new shape to themselves. It is THAT that makes us become bigger people. To me, pushing those boundaries is what it is all about. It is only when we dare to challenge the norm will we discover the real inner strength that we have, and where it can take us. Restricting our mind and body will only restrict our possibilities.

What all this means is that if we are afraid to go out of our comfort zone, that’s exactly where we shall stay, leading us to an average life with a surely average result. Don’t expect anything great to come out of that. I was brought up with the philosophy of ‘no pain, no gain,’ and now that I’m all grown up, I realize how true that expression is. How can we expect extraordinary results if we don’t go the extra mile or two?!

I can comfortably say that I have been living out of my comfort zone now for the last twelve years. When I look back, I realize what a different person I was back then. I see a totally different version of myself. Still the same characteristics but much more dynamic, confident, bold, and fearless. Through my hardship, I have acquired skills that I would have never managed to accomplish had I not been through those difficult moments of adversity. Don’t wait for something major to happen in order to get to the depths of your true potential. Try with baby steps as a start. On a simple note, dare yourself to do something you have never done before and explore what that will lead you to with an open mind or dare yourself to do things differently rather than use the same tried and tested methods. Learning new things, meeting new people, seeing new places, and trying new experiences. What’s most important, however, is the next step after that. To see where that has led you. Stop to observe. Literally watch yourself as though you are watching from a different angle. See how applying a new way has led you to a better outcome or not and how that might have opened new horizons in different areas. Once you have identified that, it will help you witness growths as small or big as they are, that will give you the right dose of courage to take it further and dig deeper.

This continued process will lead you to completely different avenues than you once knew. It will give you a deeper understanding that there is so much more than what we are used to. It will give you perspective. Once you accomplish that, the roads for growth are endless. You realize that you can literally apply this to anything. The more you apply it, the more confident you become and the bolder your thinking process becomes. You have surely heard this saying before “we are what we have been through” and it is so right. Our mind is a machine and for that, I must add that it is the most powerful tool that we have. The more we feed it, the more it works but it can also work in the negative if we feed it negativity. On the contrary, if we feed it possibilities, it will give us numerous alternatives to allow us to reach our goals. The more we give it feedback, the more accurate the new alternatives/solutions to our challenges will be. Just like a muscle, it will become leaner and stronger. Don’t be afraid, allow yourself time to explore. I promise you it will lead you to roads you have never been through before, sceneries you have never seen before and scents you have never dared to smell. Build on it and shape yourself into the human being you want yourself to become. Please, enjoy the process. Don’t sabotage yourself. Do not panic or stress. It might give you some anxiety and insecurity, just be prepared and don’t let it overtake. Just acknowledge it and be conscious of it so you make your fears smaller than they really are. Be patient and remain optimistic, no matter the struggle. If your feet won’t allow you to make those steps for a few days or so, don’t worry, it is perfectly normal; we are humans after all not programmable robots yet, thank the lord. Just breathe it out and let yourself be BUT keep your mind focused because one day your mind will take you there. It will be waiting for the right opportunity. Just keep it in the back burner until it is ready. Then just trust yourself and go with it. Allow the flow to lead you the way.

If you are like me, I would want to know if I am on the right track or not. How will you know? Very simple… if you are not familiar with the ground you stand on and it makes you feel uncomfortable, you are on the right track. Congratulations, you are starting to exit your comfort zone 🙂 In theory, the more uncomfortable you are the more you are out of your comfort zone. However, always remain true to yourself. Is there still you in there? We don’t want to become somebody else, remember that. We love how we are; we just want to become fitter and stronger, so that doesn’t mean losing our souls. Remain loyal to who you are, in the process. Losing yourself will only lead you to confusion in the long term and to lose the whole plot.

Expand your awareness into the world of possibility. It is right there where your possibilities start to become visible, and your journey starts to be truly explored. Once you reach this stage, you have altered your state of mind for life. This, ladies and gents, is the greatest gift you can give to yourself in this one life that we have been given. You will never look back after that.

It’s safe to say that 2021 is not turning out to be the year we had hoped for. After a tumultuous 2020, we were all determined to make this year a success. We had plans in place, ideas to improve our hospitality offerings, a new restaurant and menu concepts to launch, exciting marketing strategies to go … the works. We were ready to re-open our doors with open arms and treat our guests to even more unforgettable experiences in true AX Hotels fashion.

However, despite definite strides forward, the COVID-19 situation continues to play havoc with our industry. It seems that we’ll need to hold onto our plans for a brighter tomorrow, for a little while longer at least.

This entire experience can feel very disheartening. Believe me, I know. I’ve worked my entire professional life in the industry. It’s an industry I am extremely passionate about, an industry I’ve invested years in trying to improve and move forward for the benefit of this country I love so dearly. Our tourism sector remains the lifeblood of Malta and people from all over the world have come to know and love our little island for our big hearts and warm hospitality. It pains me to see this industry I care so much about grounded to a halt.

But I refuse to give up.

In our current situation, it certainly feels as if life is a boxing match. We are in a fight with this pandemic and the match is far from over. However, as every champion boxer knows, you only become stronger when you fall down and learn to pick yourself up again, round after round, no matter how many times it takes.

At this moment in time, I know there are parents juggling home-schooling, work meetings, and countless other work and life situations in between. I admire our front of house staff who continue to rise to the occasion to make sure our guests are still receiving first-class service; our maintenance teams who are keeping our properties in ship-shape condition; as well as our kitchen and catering teams who are working around the clock to deliver amazing dine-at-home experiences for our customers.

At AX Hotels, we have weathered good times and bad, ups and downs, and everything in between before. I have learned from experience to never give up. With hard work, determination, and vision we can face any challenges that come our way.

Claire Zammit Xuereb

Group Director AX Hotels