Bridge – Who We Are

Our Vision

Bridge’s vision is to bring to the table a different and more practical approach to consultancy.  Our team of consultants act as the independent eye that questions assumptions and critically assesses facts to guide our clients in making sound and sustainable decisions, comply with regulatory obligations, manage risk, overcome challenges and enhance value.  In doing this, Bridge Advice leverages on a group of experts who are not only knowledgeable in their respective fields but have also been practitioners themselves, hence bringing direct experience to the table.  We shall strive to build very small teams of consultants, always led by a senior member to ensure a top drawer service at all times of the consultancy engagement.

Our Approach

At Bridge we do not believe in a one-size fits all approach. We tailor our services to fit our clients’ objectives. Our goal is to add value to our clients and to actively assist them to solve the complex issues they encounter.  When servicing our clients our emphasis is to build a long-term strategic partnership with them based on collaboration and mutual trust. Our commitment to our clients is to provide them with practical and useful solutions.

How we work

At Bridge we strongly advocate that the subject matter expert in the field is the person delivering the work. This is a commitment we make to our clients which is reflected in the quality of our work.  We also work closely with our clients’ teams, from board directors and senior management to compliance, risk and operational staff members. Through this approach we can devise smart solutions which we implement together with our clients.

Our People

Our biggest asset is our people. Behind Bridge is a team of subject matter experts who came together after building a career in the financial services industry. The strength of our team comes from our deep roots in the business, therefore, our consultants experienced first-hand the challenges which our clients are going through. Our team is small but comprises veterans in their area of expertise.

Roderick Psaila – Managing Director

Roderick joined the Central Bank of Malta back in 1990 where he had an 18-year career, holding various positions in Banking, Statistics and Financial Stability, including a short period working at the ECB in Frankfurt. In 2008, Roderick moved to the industry where he steered the licensing and setting up of three banks in Malta, both as consultant and also as the leading Executive. He held various positions in banks in Malta, the latest being CEO and Director at AgriBank till September 2018. In October 2018, Roderick started a new project as founder and CEO of Laskaris Finance, which managed the application of a banking license and also the setting up process of the proposed bank. He left Laskaris at the end of 2020 to start Bridge Advice and holds the position of Managing Director. Roderick is qualified in Banking and Economics.

Anthea Piscopo – Consultant

Anthea is a qualified lawyer admitted to the Maltese Bar Superior Courts of Malta in 2015. Since then Anthea has worked in the financial services industry; specialising in company law, as well as banking and financial services regulation. She has worked on both the legal advisory side at a law firm and corporate service provider based in Malta, and also as in-house council, attributing to her vast experience in several legal issues. In 2018 she joined a local bank where she focused heavily on compliance and all things related to governance, AML/CFT and data protection. In 2021 Anthea joined Bridge Advice as a consultant.

Subject Matter Experts

Bridge Advice gathers its strength from alliance with subject matter experts who contribute to specific ad-hoc projects which fall in the field of one or more of the below experts.

Keith Huber – Risk Management

Keith graduated from the University of York with an MSc with distinction in Finance. He is currently an independent risk management advisor and regularly joins the Bridge Team as subject matter expert on risk management. He started his career at the Central Bank of Malta as an economist in 2006 and moved on to occupy senior risk management roles in the banking sector. He joined MeDirect Bank plc in 2010 and headed the risk architecture team and a member of the Bank’s ALCO until 2015. He then joined Markham Rae, a London-based fund manager as COO for the Maltese entities and led the risk team in Malta. Since 2018 Keith has regularly been appointed and approved as CRO for several MFSA licensed AIFMs. Keith also lectured on topics in financial derivatives and risk management at the University of Malta between 2009 and 2016.

Michael Field – Payments & Digitalisation

Michael is a highly skilled professional with over 30 plus years in the payments, banking and financial services industry. He has a proven track record in executive management positions including, advisory and consultancy assignments from new starts ups, restructuring programs to designing operating models. Some of his many noteworthy accomplishments include setting up one of the UK’s leading niche credit card providers and heading one of Malta’s leading merchant payment processors. At Bridge, Michael’s unique blend of commercial, regulatory, operational and technology skills help us to work pragmatically and proactively between key stakeholders to design and execute the right solution.

Michele Magro – Legal & Regulatory

Michele is a freelance legal and compliance advisor, specialising in regulatory policy in relation to gambling and financial crime. Michele provides services relating to licensing of gambling business, government relations, compliance and commercial law. He spent over 8 years at the Malta Gaming Authority as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Counsel – International Affairs and Policy. Michele was the Chairman of the Supervisory Council and of the Technical Standards Committee, as well as the MGA’s delegate to the European Commission’s Expert Group on gambling services, and one of the authors behind the 2018 Gaming Law overhaul in Malta. He later joined the MFSA as a Technical Advisor within the Office of the CEO. Michele was a key part of the team responsible for the international assessment of both the MGA and MFSA’s implementation of AML/CFT standards.

Paulo Machado Fernandes – Finance & Treasury

Paulo began his professional career in the banking sector in 1984, working in the areas of Finance and International Capital Markets at Bank of Lisbon & South Africa, in Johannesburg. In January 1985, he moved to Banif Banco Internacional do Funchal, SA in Portugal, and was instrumental in the integration of the Treasury and Financial Markets Departments. In 1997, he joined the Santander Group in Portugal, to perform similar functions in the Financial Markets and Asset Management. In 2007, Paulo joined Banif Financial Group, to be part of the team responsible in setting up the Banif Bank in Malta. At Banif Bank he held various senior management roles including Head of Treasury and Chief Financial Markets and Investments Officer and was later appointed Executive Director joining the Board of Directors. In 2016, after the sale of Banif Bank and rebranding to BNF Bank, Paulo was invited to remain as the Financial Advisor to the CEO to relaunch the Bank as a local bank, as well as a center for non-EU countries.

Antonio Ferraro – Standards & Quality Assurance

Antonio has over 25 years of experience in management, certification and standardization. He has performed control checks and certifications for both public and private entities. Over the years, he has participated in working groups for the drafting of Standards and in various European research projects. Antonio has acted as CEO in a number of consultancy companies, and from 2008 to 2018 he was director of an Italian national body of the Standardization Research Center. From 2000 to 2005 he was a Professor at Palermo University on Environmental and Quality Management Systems.