Paulette Dunn-Smith, who for a short time ran state training agency HEART Trust/NTA but quit after allegations of conflict of interest, is now attached to a consultancy in the same line of business.

The firm Dunn, Pierre, Barnett and Associates Ltd (DPBA) and its training arm, the Caribbean Career and Professional Development Institute (CARPDI), was officially launched Tuesday in Kingston.

Dunn-Smith is DPBA’s executive director. Her partners in the business are Clover Barnett as chief strategist, and Justine Pierre, director of business development, said a news release issued after the launch of the company.

Barnett also worked with HEART Trust/NTA but resigned at the same time as Dunn-Smith after reports alleged that the two were connected to a Grenadian company called Caribbean TVET Consultants Limited, which provides the same type of services as HEART Trust/NTA.

Training programmes

DPBA became a registered company on January 14, 2010, and opened for business on March 1. Courses will be delivered from the Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited’s training facility at Eureka Road in Kingston.

The forensic auditing course will begin October.

“There is a pressing need to develop a whole cadre of competent forensic auditors in Jamaica, individuals who will dig deep to unearth facts supported by evidence before certain decisions are made,” said Dunn-Smith.

DPBA has named as programme partners the Caribbean Forensic Institute in Trinidad, the Canadian Securities Institute, the Foran Financial Institute-also in Canada- and Holistic Risk Solutions in the United Kingdom.

Dunn-Smith was named executive director of HEART Trust/NTA in 2009. She served five months in the job.