A valued member of Ulton's Bundaberg office, Jacqui Selby distinguishes herself through her technical prowess and tenacious spirit.
Jacqui began her journey at Ulton in 2014, joining the Wealth Management team in her first role as a qualified accountant. Six months later, she felt drawn to a new direction — Business Insights.
“I always wanted to go into more of a CFO management accounting role. So that was what really attracted me to moving into the Insights team. I was also very interested in analysing and delivering clients’ results,” said Jacqui.
After a few discussions with Wealth Management Partner Kylie Wright and Business Advisory Partner Jason Krenske, Jacqui transitioned to the Business Insights team, where she has been since July 2015.
During a standard working week, Jacqui balances ongoing client work and CFO duties with her project-based tasks. These tasks often involve system reviews, dashboard creation, and data analysis and visualisation.
Excelling in a role like Jacqui's requires both technical and lateral thinking — two attributes that come naturally to her.
“I’ve always had an out-of-the-box way of thinking and I've always had a personality that drives me to solve problems. I have a tendency to take something which seems large and complicated and break it down into smaller pieces so I can understand it,” she said.
Her role also demands a unique kind of resilience — the ability to dig in rather than retreat when facing challenges. And Jacqui has this in spades.
With a reputation as the first person to arrive into the office each day, Jacqui’s commitment to her work is palpable. Unsurprisingly, this isn’t an approach exclusively reserved for Power BI and Excel spreadsheets; it’s the way she approaches much of life.
For instance, Jacqui commits to daily physical activity, usually opting for a gym session or a 10km run.
“I’ve been interested in running since I was a child, but what’s kept me running as an adult is that I want to live a long life; I want to get the best quality out of the life I live,” she said.
“I have family members who have battled poor health right from a very young age. I don't want to continue reinventing the wheel of my ancestors. I want to show that through leading a healthy lifestyle, you can actually fight health issues and illness.”
“You're not really pinned by anything in life — genetics or non genetics,” said Jacqui.
Whether it's maintaining her fitness, cooking a meal, or tackling household chores, Jacqui finds the process as rewarding as the outcome.
“I find it empowering to take care of simple tasks myself. That simple task can be anything from cutting veggies for dinner, to replacing blinds, to changing a broken light,” she said.
“You're not reliant or dependent on anything to see that result. And it is a pure manual result from something you've done — you can take something broken and make it pretty again. That's probably what drives me and what I find most rewarding about being able to take care of things myself,” she said.
And Jacqui takes care of a lot.
Juggling her demanding role, raising four daughters, managing her household, and fitting in daily exercise — not to mention studying for her Chartered Accounting qualification — Jacqui is always on the go.
“It's not easy and I won't ever say it is. But it's rewarding and it’s enjoyable. Of course, sometimes it can be frustrating when things don’t run smoothly,” she said.
“But when I take a step back and think about everything I’ve done, especially in the last three to four years independently, I am proud. I am proud that I’ve done it all by myself and I’ve been able to do it by myself,” she continued.
With much to be proud of, Jacqui also has a lot to look forward to. In the coming years, she plans to visit Western Australia, the only part of the country she hasn't yet explored, and Tasmania, which always feels like home to her.
One of her most exciting upcoming milestones is achieving her chartered accountant qualification in mid-2024, coinciding with her 10-year anniversary at Ulton.
The Ulton team can’t wait to celebrate her achievements. As for Jacqui, she looks forward to enjoying a little more free time.
“Studying has been a slog, but I do really enjoy it. I am definitely looking forward to finishing up though, progressing my career, and getting a bit more balance in my life,” she said.