Accounting and relationships

JESS Duggan began her accounting career in public practice more than 11 years ago working for SFG Spencers while still in the first year of her accounting degree.

She graduated from Deakin University in 2015 with a High Distinction.

Upon reflection, and despite graduating only nine years ago, Jess still found university to be very male-dominated – so she found it a pleasant surprise to start working for a firm that had a number of female professionals.

Jess was very excited to be given the opportunity to continue her accounting career with Meegan Dunne and Brent Irvin when SFG Spencers became M & B Accountants, and she qualified as a CPA in 2016.

It has been really refreshing for Jess working in a small business (a team of five at the time) that had a majority female staff. She has continued to progress in her career, now working as a senior accountant and building strong relationships with her clients.

“I love being able to work as part of a small team that allows me to branch out and obtain so many new skills, not only as an accountant but also other business skills, whether it be assisting with marketing for our firm, planning networking events for clients or even assisting other team members in whatever they may require,” she said.

As a public practice accountant, Jess prides herself on holding client relationships as her central focus and putting her clients first.

She believes M & B Accountants has found a perfect blend of personalised service and ongoing customer care to ensure clients have access to the advice and support they expect.

She also loves that M & B Accountants treats their clients as family – they take the time to listen to their clients, understand their needs and concerns, and work with them to achieve their outcomes.

One of the proudest moments for Jess was becoming a mum in 2022, now revelling in her role as a mother to two gorgeous little boys.

One challenge this has brought is managing to juggle a professional career and being there for her boys, as her husband is often working out of town.

“I am incredibly grateful to be working for a firm that is understanding of this struggle and supportive of me being there for my kids, whether it be battling the constant daycare sicknesses, or being able to attend Mother’s Day events with my little boys,” Jess said.

One thing Jess has found particularly important in her career is finding other like-minded business women to be able to support her, as she believes that having strong business women who are there for each other makes all the difference.

“Having found Ballarat Business Women networking group has been a pleasant surprise in my career,” she said.

“It not only helped me further my career, but also myself as a person. I have loved attending their networking events and hearing from women across so many industries and all their inspiring stories.”

Jess looks forward to many more years in the industry and the future business relationships she will build.