One of the main aims of the conference is to provide continuous professional development covering a wide variety of subjects of interest to local accountants. This year, the sessions included topics such as accounting updates, local and international taxation, and regulatory developments, and many were fully booked, suggesting that the conference was successful in covering the issues that matter most to the profession.

The Society’s annual dinner took place at the end of the two-day conference and was attended by the Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst and other distinguished guests. Intended to celebrate a successful year for the members, the sold-out event was supported by Jersey’s largest accountancy firms including KPMG, EY, Deloitte and BDO, along with many of the major financial services firms on the island.

Comedian Reginald D. Hunter provided the entertainment and ensured that there was as much laughter as chatter during the evening.

Commenting on the conference, Chris Stuart, JSCCA President, said: “This year’s JSCCA CPD Conference was a huge success with hundreds of people attending. I’d like to thank everyone who helped organize the event and the conference sponsors for their fantastic support.

“The great thing about the conference is that it provides an opportunity for accountants in Jersey to develop their expertise through learning and also to spend time catching up with friends and meeting new people in an informal atmosphere. I think the conference succeeded on both counts, which stands us all in good stead for a successful 2016.”

Among the evening’s highlights was the presentation by the President to the students who achieved the highest marks in their final institute exams.

Clodagh Mullins from Deloitte achieved the highest marks in the ACCA exams and Manu Lopez from EY achieved the highest marks in the ICAS exams. After presenting the awards to Clodagh and Manu, Mr Stuart said: “Accountancy in Jersey is renowned for its high levels of expertise and professionalism. Clodagh and Manu have shown through the dedication to learning that is needed to achieve the highest marks in their exams that they both embody these qualities and are laying strong foundations for extremely rewarding careers.”

Mr Stuart also focused on the future of accountancy in Jersey during his speech, highlighting the work the society does to attract young people to the profession, which includes the award of an annual bursary.

After the event, he said: “Accountancy is a vibrant profession in Jersey and it is our duty as a society to sustain this by helping young people understand the rewards and variety that accountancy offers as a career. One way in which we do this is to award a bursary of up to £5000 per year of academic study to help with a Jersey student’s university studies and I’d like to congratulate Caolan Feeney for winning the award in 2015 and also the two runners up, Joshua Benest and Alex Lennox who were each awarded £2,500 per year.”