The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica was established in 1965.

Before that, the management of accountancy in the country was the sole concern of three overseas bodies:

• The Society of Chartered Accountants,
• The Jamaica District Society of the Association of Certified and Corporate Accountants (now the ACCA), and
• The Association of Accountants of Jamaica.

Prior to Jamaica's proclamation of independence in 1962, there existed within the ranks of the association of locally qualified practitioners, a group known as "The Young Turks" - Alvin McClure, Philmore Ogle, Carroll Thorburn and Vernon Chang Alloy. A group opposed to the idea of approaching independence "…with a profession not only dependent, but divided, and having no local authority to impose discipline".

And so began the journey towards the formation of just such a body, an arduous climb since consensus was hard to find. Was the way forward best in favour of the English model or Public Accountancy?

A paper: "The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica 1965 - 2000" chronicles the foot works that led to a draft submission to the Ministry of Trade and Industry on the eve of Independence in 1962 and negotiations beyond.

However as the lobby intensified and the wall of diverse opinions crumbled, in 1965, the unincorporated Institute of Chartered Accountants began.