The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC) hosted its 26th Annual Caribbean Conference of Accountants at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad from June 26 to 28. This year’s conference was hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago (ICATT). The conference theme, “Beyond the Wall,” invited members of the regional accountancy profession to explore ways to advance their careers and drive business value. Specifically, the theme drew attention to the myriad of critical issues that face accounting professionals in today’s business environment.
The Honourable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, delivered the keynote address entitled, “Beyond the Wall” at the official opening of the conference on Friday, June 27.
The Prime Minister stated that the accountancy profession was critical to the development of the Caribbean. He noted that the goal of development was improvement in the lives of people and a key factor in realizing this objective was the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness in the deployment of financial resources in enterprise, public and private sectors. This, he stated, was impossible to achieve without the guiding, monitoring, reporting and clarifying roles that accountants play.
The slate of speakers for the conference included experts from the region and international, who examined a wide range of issues directly and indirectly linked to the practices of management accounting and business.
The speakers included Fermin del Valle, President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) who addressed the topic, “On the Wall: Is the Global Accounting Profession Really Making Strides; Richard Aitken-Davies, President of ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), who presented on the topic, “International Financial Reporting – What Does It Mean to Caribbean Business?” and Ron Colucci, Chairman of Certified General Accountants (CGA) in Canada, whose presentation focused on the theme, “Glass Walls: In Search of Transparency.”
A panel discussion entitled, “Impact of Global Events on Caribbean Economies” was led by Ewart Williams, Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and Trevor Brathwaite, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. Banking CEOs, Richard Young of Scotia Bank (Trinidad and Tobago), Suresh Sookoo of RBTT Financial Group (Trinidad & Tobago) as well as Peter Ganteaume, Group CEO of Guardian Holdings comprised the panel on, “Financial Services in the Caribbean – Consolidation and Foreign Ownership.”
CEO of Paymaster (Jamaica) Limited and President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AMCHAM), Audrey Marks, joined Bernard Dulal-Whiteway, CEO of Neal and Massy Holdings (Trinidad & Tobago) and Ralph “Bizzy” Williams, CEO of Williams Industries (Barbados) in a panel discussion on, “Caribbean Perspectives on Business” on Saturday, June 28.
Delegates were entertained by Paul Keens–Douglas, well-known comedian and author, who had delegates in stitches during his presentation on the topic, ‘Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead’ and Brian Charles Lara, Former West Indies Cricketer, delivered a motivational presentation on the topic, Over the Wall: Strategies for Survival and Success.
The conference attracted some 600 delegates including accounting and finance professionals, business leaders and other participants from the region. “This is both an exciting time for our members, and a challenging time,” states ICAC President Angela Lee Loy. “As a profession, we need to take into consideration how we evolve in order to address the changing technical, managerial, organisational issues that confront us today. We also need to build our capabilities so that we are ready to take advantage of opportunities that abound, and as our conference theme suggested, prepare to move beyond the challenges and beyond the wall.”
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean is the internationally recognised body for the accountancy profession in the Caribbean, which boasts over 3,000 members from across the region. The Institute, through its national institutes in the region, seeks to regulate the profession and promote the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct, through thought leadership, research and continuing professional development.
For further information, please contact:
Misha Lobban The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean
6 Lockett Ave, Kingston 4
Jamaica, W.I.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (876) 922-3223; Fax: (876) 948-6610
