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Accountants laud colleagues

Published:Sunday | December 11, 2011 | 12:00 AM
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Pete Smith (left) and Davia Brown listen keenly to Alok Jain. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
The petite Vinessa Maxwell shows off her little black dress.
Gene Douglas is glowing in red.
Retirees honoured at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica annual awards dinner (from left) Hilton Blenman, Donald Reynolds and Kelvin Roberts.
George Willie (second left) lymes with South African students (from left) Nomandla Gumede, Paseka Lawrence Maretlwa and William Levan Byrd.
President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica, Vintoria Bernard, presents the Distinguished Member Award to Richard Downer at the annual awards dinner, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Thursday night, December 1.
Here is Misha Lobban in cool blue.
Cheryl Gardner (left) and Maxine Chin flash bright smiles at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) Annual Awards Dinner.
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Chartered accountants swapped their calculators and pens for tailored suits and fancy dresses on Thursday, December 1.

The stars of the profession came out to The Jamaica Pegasus hotel for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) annual awards dinner. Think accounting and you may not picture a ballroom of merrymaking and jokes aplenty. But that's what unfolded as members let their hair down and celebrated their colleagues, from the retirees to the newest batch of professionals who have been accepted in the last year.

Guest speaker was George Willie, managing partner of Bert Smith & Co, one of the top black accounting firms in the US. Willie, native of Yallahs, St Thomas (and who still has relatives there), charged his fellow CPAs that they had to embrace the changing dynamics of the industry, citing that technology was impacting their services and how they deliver them. "We must keep up with the times," he urged. He encouraged them to focus on future growth and development, developing future accountants. He also opined that they needed to be in the high schools, teaching the youth about the practice. He finally admonished everyone to use the resources and skills to the benefit of others. A highlight of the dinner is the Distinguished Member Award. This year, the Distinguished Member Award went to Richard Downer, a former ICAJ vice-president.

Entertainment was provided by the excellent Skool Band while two singers, at contrasting stages of their careers, thrilled the gathering. Dalton Harris, Digicel Rising Stars winner for 2010, showed why he's a bright young talent, getting rousing applause; while veteran crooner Boris Gardiner closed the show with his typical cool style that has made him a fan favourite for decades.