Raymond Campbell: Ready for accountants confab

Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor

The 29th Caribbean Conference of Accountants will kick off in Kingston on June 23 under the auspices of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Jamaica (ICAJ) and a veteran in the field of accounting, Raymond Campbell, is chair of the conference's planning commutes. With 21 years' experience in the financial services sector, he has held managerial positions in the securities and banking industries. His professional skills are in the areas of strategic planning, business analysis, securities and banking operations and corporate financing strategies.

Outlook caught up with Campbell to gauge his feelings as the conference nears.

Barbara Ellington (BE): You have had a distinguished career in your chosen field so far, what has been your most memorable assignment to date?

Raymond Campbell (RC): I have worked on many memorable assignments that have been personally and professionally developmental. The features of all of these jobs is that at the client has achieved their strategic goal and that I and my team would have added value.

BE: Is the field of accounting still a very lucrative/attractive prospect for aspirants today?

RC: The field of accounting and the broader field of finance are very attractive fields for aspiring individuals. Accounting is the language of finance and thus a strong knowledge of accounting and its sub specialities is a critical tool for persons wishing to enter corporate finance.

BE: As the conference approaches, what have you most enjoyed in leading the planning committee?

RC: Working with colleagues and fellow professionals is always a rewarding and developmental experience. I have been blessed to have an experienced and diverse team of professionals to plan the conference. In addition to the conference planning committee, we have a series of sub-committees that have helped with the organising and planning the conference.

BE: How much time do you need to execute it seamlessly?

RC: Planning a conference such as this took many hours over the last year to execute. We have not done a calculation but it is thousands of man-hours by members of ICAJ and the secretariat.

BE: Is this the first time you have chaired such a committee and would you do it again?

RC: No. My first opportunity to chair a major conference was the World Institute of Bankers Conference here in Kingston. Chairing a conference like this is a major commitment of time and in both instances was a purely voluntary effort. Having done it twice, I would think it would be fantastic to give someone else the opportunity to serve in this capacity with me playing a purely advisory role.

BE: How do chartered accountants in Jamaica and the Caribbean compare with their counterparts in the first/developed countries?

RC: Regional chartered accountants, in my view, compare favourably with chartered accountants in developed countries when measured like for like. By that, I mean, we all qualify with the same internationally recognised qualifications. On an individual basis, we are then required to hone our skills through continuous professional education and work experience.

BE: If we are not close to First-World standards, what more should we be doing?

RC: I believe that as professionals, we need to be acutely aware of the limits of our capabilities. Excellence comes through specialisation and in many cases our professionals do not have the opportunity to build and mould these specialist skills. If we accept work for which we are not capable of delivering, we create the risk of damaging the image of the profession. And the client must be careful not to ask specialist and non-specialist alike to bid on the same work. As clients, they risk contracting for services that the professional is unable to deliver.

By way of example, all doctors are qualified to perform medicine but the heart surgeon receives specialist training and through this training and building of skills through coaching by the more experienced surgeon is able to perform heart surgery and we, as patients, would not risk heart surgery being performed by a competent general practitioner.

BE: Your message for the conference draws some interesting athletic parallels, would you describe the ICAJ's journey to its ultimate goal as a sprint or a marathon?

RC: The conference is less about ICAJ's journey and more about how ICAJ can be a change agent in Jamaica's journey. Our country's journey is a marathon, but we can with focus and teamwork build in one generation a society where our all of our citizens are able to enjoy a First-World quality of life.

BE: What would you like to have achieved come June 25?

RC: I would like to be have achieved a successful conference. I would define success as being where delegates (both private and public sectors) leave inspired and determined to change the economic trajectory of their countries so that in one generation, we are a region of First-World countries.

BE: What would you say to a student in high school who is desirous of one day being in your shoes?

RC: This is a tough question because I believe that young people today have a much harder time than even 30 years ago. Despite technological advances, society is less forgiving and more competitive than ever. This means young people need to work harder at maintaining a consistently good academic record and developing their social networks.

Few if any teenagers know who among the people they meet at school, in competition, at church or when out having fun might be their future colleagues, employers or business associates and in the age of Facebook and Twitter pictures and posts stay on record forever.

BE: How do you relax?

RC: I try although without much opportunity in the past year to play golf. I enjoy watching movies, and spend as much time as I can reading and renewing my faith.

barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com