Ross Reekie is a meaningful work expert, keynote speaker, and moderator who has spent more than twenty years exploring the intersection of careers, culture, and leadership. As the founder of Rise, Australia’s first consultancy dedicated exclusively to meaningful work, he has interviewed everyone from interns to CEOs to understand how people find purpose, navigate change, and build fulfilling careers. After experiencing burnout while running his consultancy and researching a PhD in meaningful work, Ross embarked on the Fun Jobs Project — a bold experiment that saw him take on roles including opera extra at the Vienna State Opera, ski instructor in the Austrian Alps, and comedian in a quest to rediscover what makes work energising and worthwhile.
That journey led Ross to a powerful insight: meaningful work thrives when fuelled by “Serious Fun” — the combination of curiosity, playfulness, and courage that creates energy, connection, and clarity. Today, he helps leaders and teams tackle burnout, disengagement, retention challenges, and culture fatigue by treating Serious Fun as a genuine leadership skill rather than a workplace perk. Through high-energy keynotes, interactive workshops, and expert moderation, Ross combines research, humour, storytelling, and audience participation to help people reconnect with purpose and create workplaces where both people and performance thrive. A TEDx speaker and respected media commentator, his insights have been featured by outlets including ABC, FM4, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Business Insider.