Ladies and Gentlemen, I am truly honoured to be here this evening, accepting the 2015 ICAJ Distinguished Member Award. I accept it humbly on behalf of GraceKennedy and the team at GraceKennedy, as without the support of the company and the team members, I would not be here receiving it. I am particularly honoured to be receiving it on the 50th Anniversary of the ICAJ. Congratulations to you on such a significant milestone!

I must confess that when the media announced that I was receiving this award, I received many congratulatory calls and emails. The most prevailing sentiment was, “I never knew you were an Accountant!” That comment was coming mostly from the younger generation. I didn’t really want to go down the road of asking them what they meant by that, even though I think I have an idea.

Many might not think so, but being an Accounting is a pretty cool profession! Did you know that Mick Jagger is an accountant? For those of you who don’t know, Mick Jagger is the lead vocalist and co-founder of the legendary band, the Rolling Stones. Kenny G, who is also an entertainer, is an accountant as well! So we are in good company!

Accounting – My Passion

Accounting has always been my passion. I used to dream of signing a balance sheet of a large public company from I was 16 years old. Being here tonight is living proof that with hard work, long hours, dedication, perseverance, passion and a good education, dreams can come true.

My journey started as a 16 year-old St Georges’ College student, who, thanks to Jasper Burnett of Touche, Ross, Thorburn, got the opportunity to work summer jobs in the Audit Department there. Working in the field at that early age gave me a real appreciation for the profession, and taught me that accounting is not just about numbers. That’s a misconception many people have. Perhaps that was how it started, but accounting has evolved so much!

Mentors

I studied this noble profession after leaving High School, doing both my Bachelors and Masters at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. I am so proud to be a graduate of this world class institution that taught me so much about Accounts, and also so much about life.

ICAJ

I remember the profound words of one my lecturers Mr Hardy Henry, who would always say, “I don’t bowl pace, I bowl googly.” Uriel Salmon, one of my other lecturers used to have the saying of the day – “The only profession where you start at the top is a gravedigger.” One day I was nodding off in a lecture and he said to me, “If you want your dreams to come true, wake up, young man!”

Public Service

Along my professional journey, I have been blessed to work with some of the brightest and best minds in the business, people of integrity and great values. During my time at D&G, for example, OK Melhado was an inspiration. Peter Moss-Solomon, Raf Diaz, Fay McIntosh, and GK Board Director Everton McDonald, who was a senior partner on GK’s audit for many years when I was Group CFO, are only some of the respected Accountants I have had the honour of working with at GraceKennedy.

As I reflect on the accounting profession, I realize the tremendous value and the importance of accounting and accountants, and the importance of the principles of fairness, justice, equity, and truth, which are central to our work. As Wikipedia put it, ‘The discipline of accounting insists that transparency is achievable. Fairness has an important role in the practice of accounting’. I would say that Accounting has become a strategic, navigational tool. We really would be lost without it.

I want to acknowledge and thank the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica for being that body that insists on the education and licensing of professional accountants, and for encouraging and awarding those who have held true to the tenets of accounting. I was admitted to membership in March of 1993, and was transferred to fellowship status in 2003. I want to again congratulate the ICAJ on its 50th anniversary and for giving me this award, which is a motivating factor for all of us in the industry to be the best at what we do, while being fair, truthful and transparent.

Voluntary Service

I don’t usually speak about myself and what I have done, but I want to show how strongly I feel about national service, by telling you that this call led me to a two year stint away from Corporate life, to do public service in 2007. I am really happy I did it and I seriously encourage everyone in this room to serve in whatever way we can. We each can play a part, but as a strong ICAJ Unit, we can have a stronger voice and greater impact. As author Helen Keller says, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

I have great concern for how government agencies and statutory bodies are being run, especially as it relates to Corporate Governance, the selection of Boards, Audit and Compensation Committees, Internal Controls and timely and accurate reporting.

How can we change that? And change Jamaica? I have a formula that I would like to suggest.

Tribute to Family

The math is simple, ladies and gentlemen. There are approximately 400 of us in this room tonight. According to the ICAJ, there are 1200 of us registered across Jamaica. Can you imagine how good it would be for Jamaica, if each of us could find a way to make a meaningful contribution to our nation? If each of us decided to give one hour of free national service to a statutory body or government agency, can you imagine the impact that could have on the nation? The end result would be better management, better control, better governance.

Let us insist as the ICAJ, PSOJ, ICC – whichever organization we belong to – let’s send the signal to the government, that we want to help bring about change by volunteering our services on the Boards of government entities, free of cost! That way we can play our part in bringing about the change that we want to see. I salute some of us who have done that – Dennis Chung, Eric Crawford, Brian Denning, for example.

I close tonight with one more Helen Keller quote, that “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.”

Yes, I love my work. But I love my family more, and I want to acknowledge them tonight – my wife and my children. They have been the wind beneath my wings. They have been a tower of support for me throughout my life in every aspect and I want to thank them for that.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to be an Accountant and truly honoured to be recognized by my peers. Some say that is the highest honour one can receive. I accept this award tonight with gratitude and humility, and with the promise that I will continue to work hard to bring attention to the importance of this profession to this nation we all love so much.

Thank you. God Bless You All and God Bless Jamaica, Land We Love.