ABOUT US

Mr Oliver Scicluna is the Chief Executive Officer of Aġenzija Sapport. He was born on 14th July 1986 with Spina Bifida, a condition that affects mobility amongst others.​

Oliver received his primary education at the Kalkara Primary School and continued his secondary education at De La Salle College, furthering his post-secondary education at MCAST, and tertiary education at the University of Malta and University of Chester. He has graduated in informatics, youth studies and public administration.

Oliver has led a number of voluntary organisations including Breaking Limits, an organisation that was an activist in the disability sector.

In 2014, Oliver started serving within the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) as a Chairperson and eventually as Commissioner after having worked and advocated for stronger structures and legislations for the rights of persons with disability.

Within his role as Commissioner, Oliver set up the Malta Business Disability Forum, a platform that brings together the business sector and disability organisations, the Association for Local Councils and the Commissioner for Mental Health, creating a platform for open and constructive dialogue between all parties.

Oliver also served on various Boards within different entities including Transport Malta, Valletta18, NCPE, Jobs+, Malta Community Chest Fund, FITA, and Public Broadcasting Services.

He was also co-opted in Maltese Parliament and served as a Member of Parliament from January 2021 until February 2022.​

Glenda Curmi is the Director of Client Multi-Disciplinary Support within Aġenzija Sapport. She is a Social Worker by profession and recently obtained a Master of Science in Management. Starting off her career within the Foster Care Team in 2005, she led the service of the High Support Services and managed a number of other services for over nine years, including the Siblings Community Home, Residential Services, and Health Services. Glenda also worked for over six years within a shelter for victims of domestic violence and worked within the Court Services, including the Supervised Access Visits.

In 2019, Glenda joined Aġenzija Sapport as a manager and managed the Community Team and the Social Work team. She is now Director for Client Multi-Disciplinary Support including the Community Services, Independent Community Living (ICL), Occupational Therapy, Way to Work, Family Unit and the Sharing Lives Team. She works actively towards inclusion in the community of persons with disability and highly believes that where there is a will there is a way.

Melanie was involved in the setting up, structuring, and operations of the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing (PSDAA), created for the first time in Malta in 2013. During the same year, she was also appointed as a council member of the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Melanie was also involved in designing structures such as the Proġett Soċjetà Ġusta, the Focal Point Office, Kumitat Soċjetà Ġusta which is a (a consultative mechanism for the disability sector) and in formulating the basis for Malta’s first National Disability Strategy. She was also involved in the planning and decision-making of Aġenzija Sapport to become an autonomous agency in 2016.

Melanie was involved in creating Proġett Soċjetà Ġusta and the Malta’s National Database for persons with disability, with the ultimate aim of performing needs mapping and synchronising service availability and delivery accordingly. Some of the other ventures which she was involved in include her involvement in the creation of a training initiative aimed at persons involved in the sectors responsible for persons with disability and elderly persons, offering differentiated, targeted training modules framed within the goals of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020.

Melanie has also been involved and spearheaded various innovative services within the disability sector including the Agency’s Skills Space Day Centre in Sliema, the first national Helpline for persons with disability, the Sapport Consultative Committee and Narċis.

Maria Cynthia deBono is the Director for Supported Independent Living within Aġenzija Sapport. She is a physiotherapist by profession, graduated from the University of Malta in 2007 and worked in different hospital and residential settings for service users of all ages until 2019, including Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital, CDAU, Mater Dei Hospital and Saint Vincent de Paul.

She read for a Master’s Degree in Disability Studies at the University of Malta and graduated in 2015.

In 2019, Maria Cynthia joined Aġenzija Sapport as Day Services Manager. She also worked on various collaborations with different entities to provide opportunities for service users to gain new skills and be involved in the community as active citizens. As of 2023, she heads the Supported Independent Living Service as its Director. This directorate incorporates residential services, non-governmental organisations services, the Sonia Tanti Independent Living Centre, the Access to Communication & Technology Unit, Sign Language Interpretation Services, as well as the Professional Advisory Prevention Team.

Maria Cynthia has been an active board member of the Empowerment Scheme since 2015 and has been appointed Chairperson of the same board in 2022. She was also appointed a board member of the Inter-Ministerial Inter-Disciplinary Board for Persons with Disability (IIPBD) in 2020, a position she still holds.

Considering herself as a highly-motivated individual, she remains eager to acquire new knowledge and share it with others. She is a strong believer that the person with disability is the expert knower and professionals should be enablers in the lives of persons with disability.

Chiara joined the Agency in 2016. She has 20 years of human resources, administration and research experience within the Malta Public Administration and prior to joining Aġenzija Sapport she headed the HR Management Directorate within the Ministry for Social Policy for six years. Her work experience includes recruitment, training, performance management, employee relations, equality and employee well-being. She also held positions related to social policy research and regulation.

Chiara is a warranted occupational psychologist by profession and holds a Bachelor Degree in Psychology with Honours from the University of Malta and an MSc in Occupational Psychology from Birkbeck College, University of London.

Ms Alison Attard is an accountant by profession, holding an international qualification through the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants and an MBA from Heriot Watt University. She holds a Certified Public Accountant warrant.
Her career and experience in the finance sector has evolved over the past thirty years through employment both in the public and private sector. Prior to joining Aġenzija Sapport, she held the post of Head of Business Support in the public sector, responsible for finance, human resources and organisational development, information technology, procurement, communications and corporate services.

Ms Attard was previously engaged with another public entity for fourteen years where she progressed through various ranks in the Administrative and Financial departments, holding the post of a Commercial Manager on two major local construction public contracts and was later appointed as the Financial Controller, primarily responsible for the Finance and Procurement Unit as well as the funding and contractual issues associated with Malta’s Health Capital Projects.

Ms. Attard sat on numerous interviewing and adjudication boards and committees and of commercial companies and Audit Committees.

She is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants and the Malta Institute of Accountants.

​Matthew Zarb is the Director of Administration & EU Funds within Aġenzija Sapport.

Following his International Baccalaureate at the United World College of the Adriatic (Italy), Matthew went on to successfully read Law at the University of Malta. His career began as the Project Coordinator with NCPE (the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality) with projects entitled ‘Strengthening Equality Beyond Legislation’ and ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Practice’. After, he took on the role of Manager within the Funds and Programmes Division with a specific focus on Erasmus+ funding.

By 2016 he took on the role of Senior Manager within the Ministry for Education and Employment and assisted in the implementation of the INVEST project – a project that sought to spearhead the ‘My Journey’ programme, which saw the mainstreaming of VET within secondary education. By 2018 Matthew had been appointed Assistant Director within the same department, before he attained the position of Director within Aġenzija Sapport, where he sees to the Agencies’ needs in relation to Administration and EU funding.

Matthew has been an active scout with St Aloysius Scout Group since 2007 and has held many an active role in NGOs and student organisations such as AIESEC. He maintains a positive and can-do attitude that lends itself to the forward-looking strategy of Aġenzija Sapport.​ ​