Bermuda has five new chartered accountants (CA) whose achievements were recently celebrated by the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club.

Wanda Dale Mello, Craig Henry Green, Kimberlee Langford, Leslie Lazar and Dana Lodge recently passed the rigorous uniform final examination which is considered to be one of the toughest exams for any profession.

Prior to writing the examination, students are required to complete a university degree and a demanding post university professional study programme as well as training with a firm of chartered accountants engaged in public practice.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda president Robert Blee said the new CA's would be joining a diverse group of accountants employed in public practice, Government and industry.

He said those in public practice report on financial statements and also advise on wide variety of financial matters, including accounting, management information systems, business and personal financial planning, mergers, acquisitions, insolvency and business valuations.

Mr Blee also said more than half of the local chartered accountants are employed in various financial and management positions in industry and Government and those in exempt companies, tourism, banking, insurance, and captive management companies, bring the same professional attitude and integrity which characterise them in public practice.

The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), together with the provincial and territorial institutes of chartered accountants, represents a membership of more than 66,000 CA's and 8,500 students in Bermuda and Canada.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda (ICAB) has been affiliated with the CICA since 1973 and since that time has assisted a number of Bermudians to qualify as chartered accountants.