GamingMalta will once again be a supporting entity at the HR Connect as part of the upcoming NEXT.iosummit, bringing HR leaders, recruiters and company decision makers together to examine the talent structures and conditions that support Malta’s gaming ecosystem.
GamingMalta will once again be a supporting entity at the HR Connect as part of the upcoming NEXT.io summit. The event, which brings together HR leaders, recruiters, people teams, and company decision makers, focuses on the heart of the gaming industry by placing people and talent at the centre of the conversation. During the event, leaders from the sector will be discussing the structures behind growth, from recruitment and workforce development to leadership, company culture, skills and wellbeing.
For GamingMalta, people have always been one of the main drivers of the sector. A strong jurisdiction needs regulation and international credibility. However, it also needs an infrastructure that can attract the right people, develop skills, and create workplaces where talent can flourish.
“Our Make it in Malta campaign is not only a message to businesses looking for the right jurisdiction. It is also about the people who build those businesses. When a company chooses Malta, the people behind it are also choosing where to live, where to raise families, where their children go to school, where they build friendships, and where they become part of a community. That is why our work goes beyond attracting operators and organisations,” says Ivan Filletti, CEO of GamingMalta.
HR Connect sets the agenda across the practical questions that companies face when they recruit and grow, with a special focus on the relationship between recruiters and HR. The sessions tackle issues that go beyond the hiring process itself, asking how gaming companies can support people properly, align them with the business, and give them reasons to grow with the organisation. The programme also looks at HR in a growing, technology-driven sector.
“Supporting initiatives like HR Connect is important for GamingMalta, because our role does not stop at promoting Malta as a destination for gaming companies. We also work relentlessly to support the ecosystem that allows those companies to remain competitive, and talent is a crucial part of that ecosystem,” Ivan elaborates.
One of the strongest themes that emerge from this year’s agenda is the shift in how HR is understood. Hiring people into gaming is one part of the task, but helping them succeed after they join is just as important. The agenda also reflects the role of HR inside fast-growing technology companies that are looking for specialist talent. The logic behind this is simple: Malta’s offer becomes stronger when the companies operating here are offered both jurisdictional strength and a serious approach to talent development.
“We are working continuously to ensure that the talent pipeline supporting the gaming sector keeps growing in a sustainable way. That means supporting training, encouraging professional development, and helping to create the infrastructure that allows people to enter the industry, progress within it, and keep building their skills over time. The ecosystem needs to continue investing in people consistently,” Ivan insists.
The leadership dimension is equally central. HR Connect looks at what happens when HR and C-level leadership are aligned. Senior leadership sets the tone for how people are treated inside an organisation, and HR can guide that work.
“The nature of the sector is such that gaming companies often need to act quickly. They scale teams, adapt to regulation, respond to customer behaviour, and adopt technology at a faster pace than many other industries. However, speed without good management creates weak spots. A company may hire fast and still struggle if people do not understand their roles, managers are unsupported, or teams grow without the right structure around them. This is where supporting events like HR Connect reveal their importance,” Ivan continues.
HR Connect also turns attention towards HR professionals themselves, putting a spotlight on the work carried out by people who lead difficult conversations, absorb organisational strain, and identify potential in others. It also addresses emotional labour, burnout, identity, boundaries, values, and self-care.
“HR teams often deal with the conversations others avoid. They support employees through uncertainty, advise leadership during change, manage sensitive issues, and keep company culture from becoming an empty phrase. If the sector wants stronger people functions, it also has to support the professionals doing that work.”
It is now accepted that the economies of the future will be led by high-tech industries like gaming. Through MaltaVision 2050, Malta has responded to this global direction by identifying gaming as one of the main sectors that will be driving the national economy in the years to come, together with the talent needed to sustain them.
“GamingMalta’s goal is to advance both the sector itself and the talent that builds it. Gaming in its widest sense will shape future economies by creating high-value jobs with sought-after skills that travel across industries. MaltaVision 2050 recognises that the country’s competitiveness will depend on sectors that can innovate, attract talent, and generate long-term value. Gaming is already part of that future, and we have the experience and ambition to keep strengthening this position,” says Ivan.
Events like HR Connect offer another stepping stone to this ambition, supporting a workforce that can keep learning, adapting, and building from Malta.
“The next chapter of Malta’s gaming sector will still rely on regulation and infrastructure, which will help us maintain international credibility. But those strengths need people behind them, and HR Connect gives this important aspect of the industry the attention it deserves,” Ivan concludes.
HR Connect is part of the Next.io summit agenda. It takes place on Wednesday, May 27 between 11.35am and 4pm at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta. The full agenda is available at https://next.io/summits/valletta/#agenda.
