Mr. Kevin Vella is an economist by profession and presently the Director General of the Economic Policy Department, a position occupied since 2023. Mr. Vella graduated in economics from the University of Malta in 1999 and completed his studies at post-graduate level at the University of Warwick in 2003 where he obtained his MSc in Economics. He also studied public policy at the University of Malta. He joined the Economic Policy Department in 1999, was promoted to senior economist in 2006 and occupied the post of director (economic strategy) in 2011. Amongst his academic achievements Mr. Vella participated and graduated in the Financial Programming and Policies Programme of the IMF Institute in 2007.

Mr. Vella currently represents Malta at the Economic and Financial Committee as an alternate member and has previously represented Malta in the Economic Policy Committee. Mr Vella is also an alternate director on the Board of the European Stability Mechanism. He is a member of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, a tri-partite institution overseeing economic and social development in Malta. Mr. Vella was also previously a member of Financial Perspectives Malta Group responsible for EU Budget negotiations, a member of the Creative Economy Working Group and also the Valletta 2018 Evaluation and Monitoring Committee.

Mr. Vella is also a visiting lecturer at the Department of Economics at the University of Malta. He previously lectured in economics at the Department and has been lecturing economics at the Institute of Public Administration since 2004. He is also presently the Treasurer and Board Member of the Equal Partners Foundation, an NGO representing the interests of persons with special needs.

Mr. Vella’s research interests range from public finances, econometric forecasting, business cycles, labour market conditions, capital flows and capital account liberalisation, corporate finance, tourism, the creative economy and the economics of design. He has also been instrumental in the formulation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act in Malta which introduced fiscal rules and updated the fiscal frameworks in Malta to bring the budgetary process in line with EU Directives.