Nicolette Mashile is on a mission to make financial literacy accessible, engaging, and practical for all South Africans. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from UNISA, alongside certifications in debt management, regulatory compliance, and financial planning. As the founder of Financial Fitness Bunnies, she utilises media, corporate programmes, and interactive tools to empower individuals to make informed financial decisions. From TV, radio, and social media content to children’s programmes like Coco the Money Bunny, board games, and university initiatives, her work turns financial education into an experience that’s fun, relatable, and impactful. Her passion for teaching financial literacy was sparked by personal experience—a costly home-buying attempt revealed gaps in her own knowledge, inspiring her to ensure others avoid similar pitfalls. Guided by her father’s advice to “collect information and share it with the less fortunate,” Nicolette has dedicated her career to mentoring, teaching, and creating platforms for applied financial knowledge. Her achievements include authoring the best-seller What’s Your Move?, building a platform with over 1 million social media followers, representing African voices at the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers initiative and Google Africa Leaders Summit, and serving on the FSCA Consumer Advisory Board. For Nicolette, the greatest reward is witnessing knowledge transform into empowerment—turning insight into tangible financial freedom in real life. Through her work, she continues to inspire South Africans to take control of their finances and unlock opportunity, making a significant impact on the financial well-being of her fellow citizens.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning, Moonstone Business School of Excellence (*in progress)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration, University of South Africa
- National Certificate in Debt Management, University of Pretoria
- National Diploma in Sports Management, eta College
- Regulatory Examination 5 (RE5) administered by Moonstone
- BA Honours in Communications, University of South Africa
- BA Human and Social Studies, University of South Africa
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Best-Selling Author of What’s Your Move? — a book that has sold over 20,000 copies and continues to be used in financial literacy programmes.
- Founder of Financial Fitness Bunnies — one of South Africa’s most engaged financial education platforms with over 1 million social media followers.
- Creator of Coco the Money Bunny — a children’s financial literacy character and book series that makes money lessons fun and accessible. Developer of “Save or Spend” — a financial literacy board game teaching kids and families budgeting and money decision-making.
- Television & Media Work — presenter on Daily Thetha (SABC 1) and co-host of Sanlam Moola Money, South Africa’s first financial literacy game show.
- Corporate Financial Wellness Programmes — delivered impactful financial wellness sessions with brands like Old Mutual, Standard Bank, Sanlam, and Anglo American, reaching thousands of South Africans.
- University Outreach — led a 2024 initiative with Old Mutual to bring financial education to over 40 universities across South Africa.
- Selected and invited by the Gates Foundation to serve as a Goalkeeper in New York, representing African financial education voices on a global stage.
- Selected by Google to partner as a voice at the Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.
- Awards & Recognition — including YouTube Black Voices (2021), Social Media Agency of the Year (SASMA), and a Gold PRISM Award for Podcast of the Year. Board & Leadership — appointed to the FSCA Consumer Advisory Board, actively shaping consumer financial education in South Africa.
