Learning about money started as a personal gap Roshni couldn’t ignore.
Growing up in India, she says financial knowledge, especially for women, wasn’t always easy to access. And even after she started working, Roshni admitted she felt behind.
“Even when I started earning my own money, I realised I didn’t really know how to manage it,” she says.
“I had put a car on my vision board,” she says. “And later, I managed to buy one with my own money. Even though it was second-hand, it was something I achieved myself.”
Now an editor within ANZ’s economics and research team, Roshni is immersed in conversations about markets and the broader economic environment every day. It’s sharpened her knowledge but also highlighted how privileged that access can be.
That contrast pushed her to act.
Over the past two years, Roshni has volunteered her time hosting MoneyMinded sessions across India to students, workers and community groups. From university classrooms to regional scholarship programs, every audience has brought a different experience.
“No two sessions are ever the same,” Roshni says. “You have to adapt the way you communicate depending on who you’re speaking to.”
Curiosity & planning
For students, conversations are often driven by curiosity and future planning, according to Roshni. For lower-income participants, the focus is usually on stretching money further, saving consistently and understanding available support programs.
“The engagement can be incredible,” Roshni says. “People are genuinely invested because these skills directly impact their everyday lives.”
One activity in particular remains with her, the vision board exercise, where participants map out their goals for the next five, 10 or 15 years.
Roshni still has the vision board she made during her first MoneyMinded training session.
“I had put a car on my board,” she says. “And later, I managed to buy one with my own money. Even though it was second-hand, it was something I achieved myself.”
## CAR PICTURE HERE ##
Roshni says the exercise often unlocks powerful conversations, especially with participants from underprivileged backgrounds.
“They dream big,” she says. “A house in their village. A wedding for their daughter. A better future for their family. Sometimes people have never written those dreams down before.”
ANZ’s Volunteer Leave Policy supports permanent, regular, and fixed-term employees with at least one day of paid volunteer leave each year, enabling our people to give back to their communities.
In 2025, ANZ and Suncorp Bank employees contributed a combined 96,183 volunteering hours — equivalent to more than 11,764 working days and an estimated $A4.5 million in community value across the regions in which we operate.
ANZ Asia Pacific (APAC) employees can also participate in skilled volunteering, including delivering MoneyMinded, ANZ’s flagship financial education program. Established in 2002, MoneyMinded builds people’s knowledge, confidence, and skills to make informed financial decisions, with trained ANZ volunteers delivering workshops across the markets ANZ operate in.
Read more: ANZ 2025 ESG Report
Roshni says volunteering has also strengthened her own skills, particularly in communication, facilitation and confidence.
Her role at ANZ, where she works closely with economists and strategists, has helped deepen her understanding of financial concepts. But Roshni believes her personal experience learning about money later in life is what makes her sessions relatable.
“I’m not presenting as an expert,” she says. “I’m someone who had to learn these things myself.”
One of her most memorable sessions involved scholarship students from rural communities in India. Unlike some audiences attending as part of mandatory workplace training, these students were deeply engaged and eager to learn, according to Roshni.
“They were asking thoughtful questions and genuinely wanted to take something away from the session,” she says. “That kind of energy makes you want to give your absolute best.”
Roshni says the program’s impact goes beyond budgeting or saving techniques. It gives people permission to think differently about their future.
“MoneyMinded helps people believe a better future is possible,” she says.
Roshni credits the support of her manager and team at ANZ for enabling her to continue volunteering, including making time for weekday sessions when needed.
That support reflects what makes the program special, she says: connecting employee skills with communities where they can make a real difference.
“The sessions are often delivered to people who truly benefit from them,” she says. “That’s what makes this work meaningful.”
Brianne Mills is a Community Partnerships Manager at ANZ.