People and Culture News

Welcome to your People and Culture update.👋 Meet our newest team members, Hannah Curran, Kiandra Sobczak, Clare Telfer, Hannah Quinn, Bella Day and Claire Vale and learn more about them as they share three interesting facts about themselves.

Plus, check out the article below and discover how we invest in our future leaders.

We also have some current vacancies, so check out the exciting career opportunities at Ulton Careers. 🌟

Are you new here?

Welcome to the team...

Hannah Curran People & Culture Manager, Bundaberg Office Values: Family, Health, Respect of Individual, Adaptable to Change, Lifelong Learning	Do you have any pets, if so, what’s their name? I adopted a 9-year-old kelpie/lab 6 months ago and I am obsessed with him. We're running buddies, and his enthusiastic pulling significantly increases my pace. Are you a sports fan? Who are your favourite teams? Huge sports fan, I played AFL for ten years but at heart I am League girl – Broncos, Cowboys, Dolphins … I am a Queenslander! Do you have any phobias? Cotton balls, the texture sends shivers down my spine. Oh, and sharks.
Kiandra Sobczak Client Service Assistant, Bundaberg Office Values: Family, Honesty, Quality, Accountable, Maintaining balance	Are you a coffee or tea person, and what is your favourite order? Since becoming a mother, I am a sucker for a large caramel latte on full cream (in case anyone decides to make me a coffee 😉). What was your favourite subject in school? My favourite subject in school was business. Some may think I am silly when I say creating a business plan and building websites is exciting! Are you a morning person or a night owl, and why? Definitely a night owl, as I’m more alert and productive at nighttime and it’s a good time to reflect. Mornings are for sleeping in!
Clare Telfer Senior Accountant, Brisbane Office Values: Fairness, Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Family	What’s the best book you’ve read recently? Lola in the Mirror. Are you a morning person or a night owl, and why? Definitely morning. I can get half my day done before everyone even wakes up. What’s your favourite season, and why? Summer because I hate the cold and I love Christmas.
Hannah Quinn Dealer and Research Assistant, Bundaberg Office Values: Customer, Lifelong Learning, Maintaining balance, Teamwork/Team Player, Achievement	What’s your favourite season, and why? I love summer, perfect for the beach days getting some sun!🌞 Do you have any pets, if so, what’s their name? I have a 12 year old family Staffy called Jake named after Jake The Dog from Adventure Time (my younger siblings and I used to love that show 😂). What’s your favourite food? Fettuccine boscaiola for sure! Best pasta dish 😋.
Bella Day Support Assistant, Bundaberg Office Values: Recognition, Passion, Honesty, Commitment, Loyalty	Do you have any pets, if so, what’s their name? I have a few pets, I’ve got two dogs, Ruby (husky/labrador), Jet (labrador), a cat (George), two budgies and four chickens. Are you a morning person or night owl? Night owl, mornings are my worst enemy. Do you have any vacations planned? I will hopefully be going to Vanuatu on a cruise with the family sometime next year!
Claire Vale Receptionist / Client Services Assistant, Brisbane Office Values: Honesty, Health, Family, Lifelong Learning, Empowerment	What's the best place you've travelled to? Definitely the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium. It was incredible! What's the best book you've read recently? The whole 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' series. Do you have any vacations planned, if so where to? I do! My fiancé and I are getting married in New Zealand in December.

To all our new starters, we hope you settle in nicely and wish you every success in your new role. If you’re an “old hand” and see these new faces around the office, introduce yourself and make them feel at home.

Movers and Shakers!

Recent position changes:

Amber Mizzi | People and Culture Administrator | Corporate Services, Bundaberg

Amanda Soley | Accountant | Business Advisory and Insights, Bundaberg

Imogen Runge | Client Services Assistant | Business Advisory and Insights, Bundaberg

Kelsey Redshaw | Marketing Assistant and Events Coordinator | Corporate Services, Bundaberg

Recent Certificate Achievements:

Kate Napper | Accountant | Business Services, Bundaberg. Kate, congratulations on completing your Chartered Accountant studies. We look forward to celebrating your final sign-off!

Ulton Invests in Future Leaders with Dale Carnegie

Ulton is committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
As part of this commitment, we recently hosted a 2-day Dale Carnegie Emerging Leaders Program at Bargara Surf Club. Anne-Marie Sage ran this immersive program, designed to equip our talented team with the essential leadership skills needed to drive innovation and success.

Emerging Leaders 2-day Program

The Dale Carnegie program offered our emerging leaders a unique opportunity to enhance their leadership skills, build confidence, foster positive relationships and drive innovation.

Across the first day, participants engaged in interactive exercises, group discussions, and individual reflection.

"This program was a game-changer," said Anita Pollock "Setting and sharing our 18–24 month goals was a powerful exercise. It not only helped us reflect on our future aspirations but also highlighted all the different ambitions within our team”

Day one ended with a catered dinner at Mark McLean's house, where the emerging leaders connected with the Partners and enjoyed each other's company.

Day two had the Emerging Leaders exploring what makes a high-performing team and how to give and receive feedback.

"The blind spot activity was particularly insightful," noted Adam Bargenquast. "It helped me gain a new perspective on how others perceive me”.

The program concluded with participants feeling inspired and motivated. As one participant shared in anonymous feedback, "My experience was inspiring... I am hungry to learn more about how I can further develop my leadership skills."

Continued Learning and Development

To foster ongoing growth and development, we have established an Emerging Leaders MS Teams page. This platform provides a hub for participants to connect, share insights, and access additional resources.

Additionally, two accountability webinars will be held with Dale Carnegie to support participants in applying their learnings, with the first webinar being held on 5 December. The Emerging Leaders cohort will continue working on their SMART goals and supporting each other through regular coaching sessions. The cohort will attend another 2-day program in October 2025.

Ulton team members interested in joining the Emerging Leaders cohort will have the opportunity to apply in 2025.

Congratulations to our Emerging Leaders:

Adam Bargenquast

Amanda Soley

Amber Mizzi

Anita Pollock

Casey Wagner

Chris Napper

Connor Silcox

Fiona Lawson
Jacqui Selby
Kaitlyn Smith

Kelvin Pimm

Louise Atkinson

Mary Donovan

Natasha Cook

Nathan Short

Ninke van der Schyff

Renee Cullen

Saba Siddiqui

Stacey Harrison

"I enjoyed being taken out of my comfort zone and learning skills that will last a lifetime and help me with work relationships and furthering my career into a management role."

"My experience was inspiring, Anne-Marie's vibrant energy kept me engaged in the training. I am hungry to learn more about how I can further develop my leadership skills."

"Self-reflection helps understand the basics of leadership. To understand other people, you have to understand yourself."

"The absolute BEST training! I loved every second of it."

"This is really amazing program that has opened my eyes to becoming better for myself and the team."

"It was out of my comfort zone but definitely worth it. The shared experience with my peers added to my learning and gave a much better understanding of the content and each other. Definitely recommend."

Wanted: Awesome people

We’re currently looking for talented, skilled and enthusiastic people to become part of the next chapter in Ulton’s success in the following roles:

Senior Accountant | Business Services | Brisbane, Bundaberg, Fraser Coast or Remote
Intermediate Accountant | Business Services | Bundaberg
Client Service Officer | Wealth Management | Bundaberg
Business Advisory Accountant | Business Insights and Advisory | Bundaberg

Remember, internal applications are most welcome.

If you are interested personally or have an excellent recommendation, please contact me, Hannah, at hcurran@ulton.net

And don’t forget to check our Team Handbook for more information about our Team Member Referral Bonus policy. You may be eligible for a $7,500 bonus.

To share a specific job advertisement, go to:
1. https://ulton.elmotalent.com.au/careers/careers/jobs
2. Scroll to our vacancies (bottom of page)
3. Click on the job you wish to share
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Facebook or LinkedIn share buttons (see picture below)

For the complete list of career opportunities, go to: https://ulton.elmotalent.com.au/careers/careers/jobs

Advisory

Business Services

Forensic Accounting & Audit

Superannuation

Administration Services

Ulton ranks 51st on the Financial Review Top 100 Accounting Firms List 2025

Written by Ulton Team

28 Nov 2025

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