SOME 20 members of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Guyana Chapter received awards for their years of service, dedication and accomplishments on Tuesday at the Georgetown Club.

Individuals with 10 and more years of service, hardworking volunteers and members who attained IIA certification were recognised at the event which saw four past IIA presidents and the current president, Goorwantie Kaladeen, receiving awards.

Kaladeen re-established the organisation’s aim to improve its standards.

“We at a local level plan to keep in line in promoting IIA international standards and all other factors expected of us,” Kaladeen said, adding: “We will continue to increase our membership, promoting the internal auditing profession and will work on getting our members certified.”

Board Chair of IIA Guyana Chapter, John Seeram, said the organisation has a responsibility to develop the internal auditing profession in Guyana.

This, he said could be done through capacity-building, further enabling auditors to properly carry out their duties.

“Transparency and accountability are two terminologies widely used today. Our auditors today have to determine the extent of entities confirming to those terminologies,” Seeram told the gathering.

“To do so, our auditors have to be well trained and this is where the IIA has a major role to play in promoting and continuing education.”

Throughout the years, the body has conducted in-house trainings, seminars and workshops with the help of qualified local and international presenters.

Seeram said the individuals awarded were well deserving of recognition for the investment of their time and energies into the development of the profession.

The eight individuals who received awards for longstanding membership are John Seeram, 27 years; Quincy Borne, 17 years; Dudley Kirton, 17 years; Dorette Trotman, 14 years; and Goorwantie Kaladeen, Ramesh Dookhoo, Deodat Indar and Ramesh Seebarran, all for 10 years of service.

One of the awardees, Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Board Director, Ramesh Dookho, said he was happy to receive the award.

“I am proud to have served the chapter and to have helped create the chapter and indeed this is a proud moment for me,” he said.

Dookhoo noted that through the works of the local chapter, IIA exams can now be written in Guyana, as opposed to having to travel to Trinidad.

“So many years ago in 2000, this chapter was started with the help of many of us in the room here today and I think this is a celebration of where the chapter was, and its nothing [compared] to where it is now,” he said.

He also related that there was still a need for persons to become more aware of the difference in duties between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG) and the IIA.

“It’s recognised here but it is not as recognised as it should be, because people still believe that accountants are the ones that do internal auditing,” Dookhoo said, adding: “[But] it’s happening naturally, people are learning more and more about the profession through this chapter and hopefully in the years to come, the certification will become the recognised profession of certification in Guyana.”

Also receiving awards were Jaigopaul Ram, Mohamed Karimullah, Joanne Chan-Niles, Mandie Mickle, Arun Dabie, Devanand Lalgie, Chateram Ramdihal, Quaison Christian, Colin Thompson, Adam Bharrat and Jaishree Lam.

The IIA Guyana Chapter, which started out with 15 members, now has close to 100 members. On May 28, 2018, it will be awarding organisations for their support over the years.