Mr Joseph Chetcuti was born in 1964. He studied at St Paul's Missionary College and graduated from the University of Malta, in Public Administration.

Mr Chetcuti joined the Public Service in 1986.  He was appointed as Customs Assistant in the Department of Customs. He was promoted to Customs Officer in 1993, to Inspector of Customs in 2007 and to Senior Inspector of Customs in 2013.

In 2014, he was appointed Director (Excise) and two years later, as Director General (Customs). He introduced a comprehensive change programme, premised on a business strategy whose aim was to strike a balance between a customer-centric approach and a secure supply chain.

Mr Chetcuti participated in various meetings which the World Customs Organisation (WCO) organised for Heads of Customs Authorities. He also attended numerous EU Customs Union events, some of which were hosted by Malta. A particular milestone was the organisation of the High-Level Seminar for Tax and Customs Administrations, held in Malta in 2017.

Under his stewardship and through his strategic vision, Mr Chetcuti did not only increase the level of public awareness on the objectives and operations of the Department of Customs but successfully steered it toward the achievement of numerous positive results and success stories. He instilled, in the people he managed, a sense of belonging, a willingness to change and most importantly, a new feeling of self-worth and pride.

Mr Chetcuti served on the National Maritime Security Committee, the Aviation Security Committee, the Sanctions Monitoring Board, the Steering Committee for the Office of the Commissioner for Revenue and the National Coordinating Committee on Combatting Money-Laundering and Funding of Terrorism.

In 2022, Mr Chetcuti was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing. Amongst his marked achievements were the amendments to the Blood Transfusion Policy in September 2022, which amendments placed all potential blood donors, whichever their sexual orientation, on equal footing; the introduction of the National Aorta Screening Programme in October 2022, and the introduction of a Holistic Needs Assessment Clinic for cancer patients in November 2022.

Cancer treatment was boosted further when in November 2022, Hospice Malta benefited from the Government Assistance Programme for the provision of services related to palliative care. Additionally, in September 2023, ambulatory chemotherapy pumps were introduced, thereby affording patients the comfort of receiving the service in their own home.

In May 2023, Mr Chetcuti piloted the introduction of the '1579' Mental Health Helpline, followed by a Service Agreement entered into with the Richmond Foundation in December 2023, and with the objective of enhancing cooperation in Mental Health Services.

Mr Chetcuti is married to Jacqueline and is the father of Clara and Julia.