ANZ Names First 20 Business Banker Academy Graduates to Relationship Roles

ANZ has appointed the first 20 graduates of its Business & Private Bank Banker Academy to Associate Relationship Manager roles, the bank said in a Mirage News report. The cohort was drawn from existing ANZ employees and completed a four-week residential program run with Melbourne Business School.

Inside the ANZ Banker Academy's First Cohort

The first intake was selected from high-performing employees already working at ANZ. Participants completed an intensive four-week residential program delivered in partnership with Melbourne Business School, according to the bank's own announcement.

ANZ Business & Private Bank Group Executive Tammy Medard said the Academy was an investment in building the next generation of business bankers. "We have ambitious growth plans for Business & Private Bank and a key part of that is investing in exceptional bankers who will deliver an outstanding customer experience," she said.

Marc Eassey, an ANZ Assistant Manager and one of the first graduates, said the program had strengthened his banking capability. "The Banker Academy has accelerated my development and given me the confidence, practical skills and commercial understanding to take the next step in my career," he said.

Medard said ANZ has been a founding member of Melbourne Business School since 1987. "As a founding member of Melbourne Business School since 1987, it is fitting we are now partnering together to develop the next generation of bankers," she said.

Melbourne Business School Dean Professor Jenny George said the partnership combines the school's applied learning expertise with ANZ's understanding of relationship banking. The program is designed to create internal pathways into relationship banking roles and support ANZ's plan to increase banker numbers by up to 50 per cent by 2030, with the Academy programs to be scaled up across 2027.

ANZ's Branch and Profit Figures

ANZ reported first-half cash profit of A$3.78 billion for the six months to 31 March 2026, surpassing the A$3.69 billion analyst consensus, according to akta.pro company records. Return on tangible equity improved to 11.6%, and cost-saving guidance was upgraded to around 5% for FY2026. The same records show ANZ extended Saturday trading to 27 branches across Australia from 27 June 2026, including 14 in Victoria, six in NSW, two each in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, and one in the ACT.

Earlier ANZ Workforce and Strategy Moves

In October 2026, ANZ announced changes to divisional reporting aligned with its 2030 strategy, reclassifying home loans and reducing Group Centre costs from 13% to 9%, with prior period numbers restated, Mirage News reported. QA Financial reported the same month that ANZ was considering consolidating software testing under a single external partner as part of a proposed technology restructure affecting over 400 roles. ANZ, Griffith University and Google Cloud also held their second Cybercrime Hackathon in Brisbane on 19-20 October, Mirage News reported.

When ANZ's Next Intake Opens

The next intake of the Business & Private Bank Banker Academy is expected to open before the end of 2026 and will focus on an entry-level cohort.