John A. Gauci-Maistre was born in Sliema in 1947, the son of the late Judge Agostino Gauci-Maistre and Winnifred Mifsud. He attended the St. Aloysius College in Malta and after completing his studies he swiftly moved into a business career in the U.K. During his employment in London with Southwell & Tyrrel he became acquainted with managerial and accounting aspects of business. After a few years in the U.K. he moved back to Malta and immediately became a business partner in the management of Penta Hotel in Paceville. This experience further ingrained in him an entrepreneurial spirit that he soon used in the setting up of companies that are not only household names in Malta in their respective industry but are synonymous with Gauci-Maistre.