A Year in Review – Some Reflections from our Directors

2020 has come and gone and we are at the beginning of a new year. With this in mind we interviewed the CSB Group Directors, Michael J. Zammit - Group CEO, Tony Zammit - Group Chairman, Roger A. Strickland Jr. - Director, and Jean-Claude Cardona - Operations and Finance Director about 2020 - the year that has passed, and 2021- the year that has yet to be seen.

When asked about what the biggest challenges CSB Group faced in 2020, all directors were in agreement with Michael’s views that since the pandemic came with no pre-warning the business was put in a strange scenario. The Group had to adapt to the circumstances, and the move away from the regular office environment to a remote working environment was definitely a challenge even if this concept was not new to our team. Jean-Claude also mentioned that maintaining the momentum from the previous year in being able to keep securing new business was also a demanding feat. Having to forgo the face-to-face interactions that would have been experienced at the many planned 2020 expos and events was especially a struggle for Roger.

Working from home allows us to continue, going back to our workplace will allow us to move forward.

Despite the uncertainties that the company faced, Michael confirmed that business continued with the least interruptions. Roger stated that the pandemic allowed us to get closer to our clients using new virtual means and the time and resources that would have been otherwise used on travelling served as an opportunity to look at our procedures and improve on them. “Having the team dedicated more to these aspects gave us more time to think about how to better serve our clients” Roger remarked.

One of the greatest highlights or accomplishments singled out by the CSB Group leaders was that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 we were able to retain the same momentum previously experienced in 2019.

Michael was also happy to share that one of the biggest accomplishments to him was the fact that there was no need to make any of our team members redundant. On the contrary, we increased our headcount. Roger, who also leads our iGaming team, singled out that our iGaming services were able to continue to bring in new work and conclude the engagement for clients and still be able to reach out to them. To Jean-Claude being able to increase turnover in 2020 for our corporate services was definitely a standout accomplishment. Other highlights of the year 2020 also included the launch of our new website, the introduction of a new CRM and the upgrading of our Main Software platform.

When asked about what 2020 taught them, each Director had this to say:

“It’s all about agility and responding immediately to the market conditions. At CSB it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, however, it is learning and adapting to how to dance in the rain, which has made us a stronger and wiser Team.” - Michael

“Resilience is probably the most appropriate word to use as our business had to adapt quickly to a changing environment. 2020 has taught me that we always need to be prepared for the worst and proactively look towards new opportunities on a regular basis. We learnt that we need to keep closer to our customers in order to better support and understand them and strive to maintain our excellent relationships.” - Roger

“The Importance of Focus. There is so much that can be achieved when everyone is focused on one main objective and there is a lot of power and synergy that results from this.” - Jean-Claude

Our Directors, managers and staff at CSB Group are excited for 2021, where their focus will remain on continued growth, client retention and developing our relationships with existing clients further. During the interview the Directors unanimously agreed that the Group will maintain its strategic approach aimed at growing our business through new service offerings and that when it is safe to do so, to get back on the road to visit and showcase at expos and international events.

To conclude, CSB Group’s Chairman Tony M. Zammit had something to say that perfectly encapsulates the vision that each member of the CSB Group family follows:

“My motto has always been honesty is the best policy, and this is the approach we take in our Group, while ensuring we always excel in what we do, for us to be amongst the leaders in our various areas of business.”

With a current headcount of 90+, with the right Attitude, Passion, Focus, Determination and Professionalism, our Directors strongly feel we are in a better position to reach our goals and dreams and make 2021 a remarkable year for CSB Group.