The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean (ICAEC) has presented Mr. Frank Vernon Myers with an award recognizing his Outstanding Contribution and Continued Support for the Accounting Profession in Saint Lucia and the Eastern Caribbean.
The award was presented at the closing cocktail for Accountants’ Week which was celebrated throughout the Eastern Caribbean from Nov 21st – 27th 2021, with a series of events for members of the ICAEC. Non-members were also invited.
Frank has been involved in the progression of the accounting profession since 1992 when he was elected president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saint Lucia (ICASL). He forged a new direction for the profession in Saint Lucia, with members of the Institute being seen as distinct from unqualified accountants. In 1996, the separation of qualified accountants became law when one of the key amendments to the 1985 Act governing the Institute was the restriction of the title “Chartered Accountant” (of St. Lucia) to members of the Institute only, and the restriction to public practice to Chartered Accountants only. His efforts in this initiative was instrumental in the accountancy profession being rightly accorded the same standing and respect as the traditional professions in the island (medicine, law and engineering).
Frank was also integral in the launching of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean (ICAEC), which subsumed the ICASL and the other Institutes then established in the sub-region, and in September 2004 was elected as the first Secretary of that body. In July 2006, he was elected president of ICAEC, a position he held up to 2015. Under his presidency, the ICAEC commenced the implementation of the Institute’s Operations and Quality Assurance manual, a project that was funded by the World Bank and facilitated by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). From 2013 to 2015, Frank simultaneously held the position of President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC). Prior to that, while he was ICAEC’s director on the Board of ICAC, he was Secretary (2009 and 2010) and Vice President (2011 and 2012) of ICAC.
As a professional, Frank was the Resident Partner in Saint Lucia for KPMG Eastern Caribbean from 1992 up to March 2017. During his time, he employed and guided many chartered accountants who are in commerce today. He retired from public practice in September 2017 and currently operates a consulting firm in his name and is still an active member of the Institute.
The ICAEC was grateful for the opportunity to honor Frank with this award, in this first joint OECS regional celebration of Accountants’ Week.