Archibald Campbell anticipates Carib Conference
Published:Monday | May 30, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
If Archibald Campbell is in an upbeat mood these days, you can't blame him.
The president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) is keenly looking forward to the 29th Annual Caribbean Conference of Accountants that Jamaica will be hosting from June 23- 25 at New Kingston's Jamaica Pegasus hotel. Over, 1,000 delegates are expected for the conference, the yearly meeting-of-the-minds of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean, an over 4,000-member-strong organisation, of which Jamaica is the largest chapter. Jamaica last hosted the event in 2003 at the Ritz Carlton in Montego Bay. As successful as that was, the move to the Corporate Area is to get more of the members out.
"We believe Kingston is the business capital of Jamaica, it has more entertainment," he explained. He also pointed out that some members would find it easier to attend sessions as they don't need to stay at the hotel. The conference will look to sensitise participants on the new accounting standards as the region looks forward. The theme is 'From Third to First - Going The Distance'.
"Implied in that is we can move from third world to First World like Singapore," he said. "We want to show how businesses have developed. Accounting is part of the strategic management of any organisation." Campbell, ICAJ president since 2009, pointed to the evolution of the duties accountants are expected to do in companies.
Duties
"In accounting, you used to just record investments. Now you have to determine the classification of the investments from the beginning. We've moved from just recording to determining how things are to be done." He said the conference would also look at managing talent within the sector, helping employers get the most out of each person. Another area of focus will be the intangible assets of presenters include Mark Gold, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants president 2010 - 2011; Henri Ghesquiere, author of Singapore's Success - Engineering Economic Growth; and Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, pro vice-chancellor and principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus. Areas to be discussed include opportunities in technology, making small and medium enterprises more competitive and managing intellectual property. The hope is that participants will see the profession in a different light, something the wider society is also adapting to.
"I think some people still see accounting as bookkeeping. But I recognise that many firms are recognising the difference. Our image as just persons sitting in a corner, peering over thick glasses is dying." He said part of the ICAJ's initiatives to spread the word comes from greater involvement in school events (like job fairs), as well as participating in initiatives of related organisations, including the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC). He cited that more of the ICAJ's members were being incorporated into various boards, so their input is being heard. He admitted their work is not always in the news, but "it's not just about numbers". When asked how one gauges the success of an event like this, he urged patience.
"It's not just a one-off event, it's something (you look for) over time. It's not the 100-metre sprint where you see the result in less than 10 seconds," he cautioned. "It's one you build on and slowly see change." He pointed to improvement in areas such as good corporate governance ("these things are the language of accounts") and the now-widespread utilisation of the International Financial Reporting Standards. Such approaches to the profession have come out of previous conferences.
Unforgettable package
The ICAJ has promised an "unforgettable" package that will not only be strong in technical and a vast amount of information, but will also offer the crème de la crème of entertainment. Without giving away all the details, there is also a spunky entertainment side to the event, a move, he said, is aimed to "further trying to kill the image that we are persons who only sit in the back room". Among the activities is a music-filled jam at the historic Fort Charles in Port Royal on the final day of the conference.