According to a Government press release, Mr. Arnold Ainsley has been appointed Accountant General in the Treasury Department of the Government. This appointment will go into effect on January 24 for a period of two years.
As Accountant General, Mr. Ainsley will oversee the design, development and implementation of improvements to the Government’s accounting system to ensure proper accounts are maintained, and advise the Financial Secretary on Government’s investment opportunities to ensure maximum financial returns are achieved, among other responsibilities.
According to the release, the “Acting Financial Secretary, Mr. Jeremiah Frett said he is pleased to have Mr. Ainsley join the Public Service as Accountant General to utilise his skillset for the further improvement of the functions and activities of the Treasury Department. Mr. Frett said that his extensive experience in the financial sector, as well as with the International Monetary Fund’s Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) will serve as a benefit in his position as Accountant General.”
Mr. Ainsley has a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica and an MBA in Finance from the Manchester Business School in the United Kingdom.
He is affiliated with the Certified General Accountants, Canada (CGA); Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom (FCCA); and Chartered Professional Accountants, Canada (CPA). He is also a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and is said to have extensive experience in public financial management.
Mr. Ainsley’s prior experience includes working as a consultant at the Treasury Department, which the Government says makes him familiar with the operations of the Treasury Department and the statutes that govern it. It is also noted in the release that Mr. Ainsley was instrumental in completing the 2017 financial statements and is advanced in the completion of the 2018 and 2019 statements.