Next up in our Member Spotlight series we have the talented Luis Rios! Grand Central caught up with Luis recently to discuss his decision to relocate to Malta, his tech role and best advice for those wanting to live and work abroad. 

Grand Central: What do you do for a living?

Luis: I’m the Deputy CTO for Tradeview Europe.

Grand Central: Thank you, and can you tell me a bit about your company? 

Luis: Yes, so Tradeview Europe is a financial services firm here in Malta. We offer financial services in different types of asset classes for residents of Europe.

Grand Central: I can imagine being a CTO must be a bit heavy and time-consuming! What would you say is probably your best go-to productivity hack to help you on a busy day? 

Luis: Having a checklist definitely helps. There’s also a tool that I use called Backlog which is basically like a ticketing system for issues or it can be used for to-do lists, like a tasking software. So that’s been the best resource to keep me on track. 

Grand Central: Great, will look into that! And what would you say is a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? 

Luis: Well, every day there’s new challenges and there’s new things to do so every day I feel like we’re accomplishing new things. So, whether it’s helping a customer, fixing an internal issue or working on new projects, each one is a win. It helps us get closer to our goal of providing the best financial services for our customers.

Grand Central: And how did you find yourself living and working in Malta?

Luis: Malta is just an amazing place. I was very fortunate to be recruited by the financial firm to come to Malta. Previous to that, I didn’t know Malta existed but I’m really happy to be here. I was able to discover this beautiful country, and for me, it’s just a paradise in Europe.

I love the place. Every day is a vacation and I look forward to waking up every day in Malta! 

Grand Central: That sounds nice, where were you living before?

Luis: In Los Angeles, California. 

Grand Central: Amazing! I’ve heard it’s nice over there.

Luis: Yes, Los Angeles is an amazing place, but the weather is very similar to Malta so for me, it’s just going from great weather to great weather. 

Grand Central: Great, and what do you like to do in your spare time? 

Luis: I love running on the promenade from St Julian’s to Gzira. I also love playing poker!

Grand Central: And how did you end up finding Grand Central?

Luis: I found out about Grand Central from my firm, they had already solicited the services here a few months before I relocated. It’s such a lovely place.  

Grand Central: Awesome, and what would you say is your favorite thing about the place?

Luis: For me it’s the full package, from the individuals that are here, the service, the rooftop and the amenities. When you come here, you feel like you’re coming to your home. At the same time, you have a professional setting, but then you feel as cozy as if you were in your house. You just have a great overall feeling and environment to do your work in.  

Grand Central: That is really nice to hear! And what would you say has probably been one of your highlights whilst being at Grand Central? 

Luis: Oh, the barbecues! It’s been fantastic to be able to interact with other people on the island other individuals that are working here. I like finding out about other business owners’ experience of Malta and just in general how people spend their time on this beautiful island.

Grand Central: Amazing. And what would you say are the top two reasons you’d recommend Grand Central?

Luis: Number one is the environment. So, it’s just a really great, nice positive environment for anyone that wants to work here. Then second, you have all the amenities you need to run your business and it’s professionally run by someone that has experience in managed offices. So, you have the professional aspect here, you have all the support that you need for your business plus you have an amazing environment to run your business.

Grand Central: Great answer! If there was anything that you could change or add to the place, what would it be? 

Luis: I think we pretty much have everything here so anything else would be just a bonus! 

Grand Central: And do you have any words of advice for people that want to relocate and work abroad? 

Luis: Just do it! If you see an opportunity, don’t be afraid to take it. Worst case scenario, you can always just go back to where you came from. Best case scenario, you have an amazing experience of a new place.

Grand Central: Awesome, thank you for your time!