Former GO chief executive Deepak Padmanabhan to helm SmartCity Malta

SmartCity Malta appoints new CEO for technology and business park, says it will become a community for people to live, work and play in

New SmartCity Malta CEO Deepak Padmanabhan
New SmartCity Malta CEO Deepak Padmanabhan

Dubai Holding has reiterated its commitment to SmartCity Malta, maintaining that it is now entering the next phase of its development, and would become a central hub of innovation.

The global investment holding company today announced that it had appointed Deepak Padmanabhan as Chief Executive Officer of SmartCity.

SmartCity is a long-term collaboration between the government of Malta and Dubai Holding, and is planned to be a 360,000 square metre business and technology park.

The chairman of SmartCity and chief real estate officer of Dubai Holding, Khalid Al Malik, said that the project would become “a vibrant community where people will live, work and play”. He said that Padmanabhan was one of the company’s most accomplished executives, and he would be in charge of development.

“Mr Padmanabhan brings a wealth of expertise, including experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategy and business development, transformation and long-term value creation,” Al Malik said, adding that the new CEO was respected throughout Malta’s business community and had led telecommunications company GO plc for more than a decade.

Dubai Holding said that Malta’s economy had significantly matured since SmartCity had been first announced. The plans for the project have evolved according to the needs of local businesses.

The company mentioned significant investments in the infrastructure and development of the south of Malta as one of the areas where SmartCity had made progress, saying that it had transformed a “formerly derelict area into an attractive destination for knowledge-based businesses.”

The project would “create the ideal infrastructure, support systems, environment and lifestyle for the people working in the industry,” it asserted.

Chairman of SmartCity and CEO of Dubai Holding Khalid Al Malik
Chairman of SmartCity and CEO of Dubai Holding Khalid Al Malik