Caroline Van Marcke was appointed Izola Bank chairperson earlier this year, succeeding her mother Magdalena De Roeck. Since 2014 she has been the CEO and executive director of the Van Marcke Group. Here, she discusses Izola Bank’s growth, values and ambitions. The Van Marcke Group is a family-owned operation. What qualities does this element translate into? The Van Marcke Group, the parent of Izola Bank plc, was founded by my grandfather almost 100 years ago. His legacy continues today down the generations and I feel my role is to keep that sense of family connection and togetherness. We also have a strong history with Malta. In 1976, my father won a concession in Jordan but then when civil unrest struck that country, he realised it was time to explore an alternative. He saw that Malta’s pace and culture matched that of the group and that it was a good fit. So, he set up operations in Malta in the late 1970s, focusing on the manufacture of office furniture. In the early 1990s, the group was looking to establish a financial treasury centre. At the time Malta was moving from manufacturing to financial services – and so our needs also matched the country’s. Izola Bank was granted a...