“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.”

- Russian-born American Writer Ayn Rand.

On January 18, 1965, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica was formally constituted, with the following persons being signatories to the first Bye-Laws of the Institute numbering, 1-96.

• Jack D. Ashenheim (deceased)
• G. Trevor Brown
• S.N. Bryan (deceased)
• Denis P. Goldson · Paul S. Goldson (deceased)
• R.C. Harty (deceased)
• Peter Harty
• Edgar C. Jones
• Jim Lord (deceased)
• Alvin R. McClure · Hon. Gerald Mair (deceased)
• Allan R. Marsh (deceased)
• C. Vincent May (deceased)
• John W. Miley (deceased)
• Clinton Nunes (deceased)
• Philmore H. Ogle
• Peter Puddle
• E. Carroll Thorburn
• William Thwaites (deceased)
• Randolph Williams

These individuals became the early initiators of the lobby for the formation of the Institute. They dreamed of a vibrant national profession, with its own regulation and code of ethics as prior to 1965, there was no single body to articulate the views of the profession.

After four years of discussion and divided views, they arrived at a consensus for the formation of a national body, achieving what other international organisation are still striving to do today.

The Institute was formally established as a result of a merger between two of the independent societies that existed at the time. These were the Jamaica District Society of the Association of Certified and Corporate Accountants (now the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) comprising locally qualified Chartered Accountants and the Society of Chartered Accountants in Jamaica, representing qualified Accountants who, at the time, were primarily expatriates from the United Kingdom or North America.

One of the founding fathers from the Jamaica District Society took the lead in drafting the Public Accountancy Act and for submitting it to the then Minister of Commerce & Industry, the Honourable Robert Lightbourne in 1962. The draft proposal formed the nucleus of the Public Accountancy Act as it exist today and paved the way for the incorporation of the Institute on its establishment on January 18, 1965.

At the first meeting of Council in February 1965, in recognition of their pivotal role in the formation of the Institute, William Thwaites was elected President and Philmore Ogle, Vice President. The other members of Council, were Jack D. Ashenheim, G. Trevor Brown, Denis P. Goldson, C. Vincent May, Alvin McClure, E. Carroll Thorburn, E.C. Clunes, Allan R. Marsh, R.C. Harty and John W. Miley.

Today, 40 years later, through the vision and lobbying efforts of our Founding Fathers, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica has stood the test of times and is now recognised as one of the best-organised and most vibrant Accountancy bodies in the region.