From a sleepy small town to the bright lights of the city, a passion for maths and the drive to seek out challenges and opportunities has delivered Trish Ilicic a successful career in the financial services sector. We sat down with Trish to uncover what motivates her, what she’s most proud of, and what advice she’d share with those just starting their careers.
Trish, you’re the Business Services Partner leading our Gladstone team. Can you take us through what your role entails?
As a Partner, I’m responsible for supporting the needs of our clients, wherever they are in the world, as well as supporting and mentoring my staff, building relationships, and working alongside other professionals. The partners and I also do a lot of work to support the local community.
What drew you to a career in the financial services industry?
I first ‘worked’ helping my mum out at the small local post office agency in our small town, but my first paid job was at the local deli.
My mum wanted me to be a nurse like my sister—but that was never going to be me. In high school I was very into maths and science. I was never going to be someone that just sat in a room crunching numbers, but I liked that I could use numbers and utilise those skills and knowledge to help people. Even the part time jobs I held were always customer orientated—I worked at a bank, for my university, and in retail.
When I met my husband Mick, I was living in a small town with very limited opportunities. Mick and I were married in 1997, and it was with his support that I moved away so I could study and begin my career. Mick was in the defence force at the time so we moved regularly whilst I was establishing my career. The positive about that was that each time we moved I was motivated to always apply for a position above where I was. This allowed me to progress quicker than I would have, had I stayed in the same job with limited promotion opportunities.
Mick has always encouraged me to reach further, instilled in me the faith in my own abilities, and encouraged me to never doubt what I am capable of.
Can you share some of the milestones in your career that led to your role as Partner at Ulton?
Due to my limited opportunities and resources growing up, my career started later than most. I began my studies in my mid-20’s. Despite moving regularly (every 2-3 years) I managed to work my way up and gained experience in a lot of diverse fields and places.
Hubbie and I decided to move to Queensland in February 2014 and chose Gladstone as we could recognise the opportunities this town and region held. At the time I was working for a large accounting firm in Adelaide and had progressed as far as I could go without becoming a partner.
Ulton were looking for a partner to take over the running of the Gladstone office, and I knew I was ready for the next challenge. We gave each other a 12 month trial period where I worked as a manager, before I became partner in 2015.
What are some of the challenges you’ve overcome in your career?
Moving frequently with my husband’s defence career created opportunities, but it also presented challenges in that it was difficult to become ingrained in any one company and work my way up. There was also stigma around the fact that it was always likely we would move again in the near future.
Unfortunately at that time employers were also not backwards in coming forwards. I remember being notified that I was not accepted for a position because “at my age it was likely I would have children soon”. It was very much a male-dominated industry at the time (at least in high-level positions).
I was happy to not only accept any opportunity to keep building my experience, but again with my husband’s support, I continued to apply for the positions I knew I wanted to pursue, regardless of potential moves.
What are some of the key projects or accomplishments you’ve been a part of at Ulton?
I am proud that I have been a part of building the Ulton brand in the Gladstone region.
I recently assisted in the sale of a family-owned business that had been started from scratch and run for over 50 years. Not only did they manage to negotiate a deal with a buyer they knew would appreciate and respect the business they had built, we also negotiated that the client retain a small part of the ownership to have as a legacy to hand down to their children.
Is there a particular project or achievement that you are most proud of?
I feel every day I help someone is an accomplishment—no matter how big or small—as everything is big to that particular client. If I were to pick a particular project it would be assisting a long term client in saving their cattle property for the family. The property was a long held family owned cattle property dating back to the 1800’s. There are currently 4 generations living on the property so it would have been devastating for them to lose their way of life and history.
What advice would you give to young professionals who are just starting their careers?
Be open to learn new things but also be confident in what you know. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and own them. If you don’t succeed, you learn.
Utilise mentors. Be present with them as much as you can and learn from them. Be inquisitive.
From my own experiences, I would say to give everyone an opportunity to be empowered; they will surprise you. Grasp every opportunity. Don’t let anyone put you in a box or stereotype you. Don’t just focus on technical skills but balance this out with soft skills—people skills will be invaluable.
Who have been your mentors or role models throughout your career, and what have you learned from them?
I’m not only learning from looking up at those before me, but also those that work alongside me and for me. You can learn lessons from everyone.
I would have to say though my mum and dad, and my husband Mick, have been my greatest supporters and encouragers. Their advice has been invaluable: from my parents, I learned “you can do anything”, and from my husband, “you can try anything”. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t followed their advice.
What do you enjoy most about what you do? What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Knowing I can help make someone’s life that little bit better today.
Success looks different for different people so I love discovering what that looks like for my clients and helping them achieve it. I love it when faced with a particularly difficult challenge that we can solve and achieve a great outcome for the client and team. We are problem solvers and that never gets old when this is achieved.
How do you measure and celebrate success?
Success to me is still having the same clients for over 20 years, who have been with me from the start of my career and moved with me on my journey.
How do you foresee the industry changing in the next 5-10 years?
AI for sure. We have seen that slowly creeping in. However I believe that whilst it may create efficiencies in processing, I feel that there are more and more complexities in life now that will always require out-of-the-box thinking and that human touch.
What are your goals for the future? Are there any new skills or areas of knowledge that you want to expand on?
Given the nature of the industry we are always upskilling, be it keeping up with legislation, industry or technology changes.
As for new skills, I would like to develop new skills outside of work to get that work-life balance so that both areas of my life are fulfilling. I have made a list of 100 things I want to achieve outside of my comfort zone—learning to play African drums and trekking the Camino trail in Spain are on the list.
I’m also eager to help others in the community who are struggling because they don’t have the skills or resources to help themselves. I’m considering volunteering on a Board of a Not-For-Profit so I can share my skills with others in need. I’d also like to use my skills and knowledge to start an NFP organisation to aid veterans in dealing with DVA and provide advice around taxes and managing their money. Supporting the local community and giving back is important to me.