{{short description|Australian politician and policy activist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable<br>Lord Mayor | name = Nicholas Reece | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Nicholas Reece.jpg | caption = | office = 105th Lord Mayor of Melbourne | deputy = Roshena Campbell <small>(November 2024–present)</small> | term_start = 2 July 2024 | term_end = | predecessor = Sally Capp | successor = | office2 = Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne | term_start2 = 10 November 2020 | term_end2 = 2 July 2024 | predecessor2 = Arron Wood | successor2 = Roshena Campbell | office3 = Councillor of the City of Melbourne | term_start3 = November 2016 | term_end3 = 10 November 2020 | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1974}} | birth_place = London, United Kingdom | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = Labor<ref>{{cite web |title=Backroom Baz: Liberal Party candidate Angela Newhouse pops up at UK election |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/backroom-baz-liberal-party-candidate-angela-newhouse-pops-up-at-uk-election/news-story/6474ee7e8bd414882754b297f9627ea1 |website=Herald Sun |publisher=Sunday Herald Sun |access-date=8 July 2024 |date=7 July 2024 |quote=Reece is of course life long Labor man, having been a former adviser to Steve Bracks and Julia Gillard and being Mayor is his first big step to the front and centre of the political stage}}</ref> | other_party = Team Sally Capp (2016−2024) }}
'''Nicholas Reece''' (born 1974) is an Australian politician and policy activist who has served as the lord mayor of the City of Melbourne since 2024. He is a senior executive at the University of Melbourne and a principal fellow at the Melbourne School of Government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://government.unimelb.edu.au/staff/nicholas-reece|title=Mr Nicholas Reece|last=Lawry|first=Rhys|date=2019-04-09|website=Melbourne School of Government|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref> He is the chair of the board of directors at the Movember Foundation,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://au.movember.com/about/governance|title=Movember Australia|website=Movember Australia|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref> and a commentator at Sky News Australia.
He previously held a number of roles in politics, including as secretary and campaign director of the Victorian Labor Party<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/brumby-gets-his-man-with-gillards-help-20090909-fhlq.html|title=Brumby gets his man, with Gillard's help|last=Rood|first=Paul Austin and David|date=2009-09-09|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref> and as the director of strategy to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2012/06/13/nick-reece-ups-sticks-from-pmo-heads-to-melbourne-uni/|title=PM loses key strategist, as mood shifts to hope|date=2012-06-13|website=Crikey|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref> Reece's early career included time working as a lawyer at Maurice Blackburn and as a journalist at the ''Australian Financial Review''.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.afr.com/news/politics/reformer-fit-for-combat-20100619-ivbrg|title=Reformer fit for combat|date=2010-06-18|website=Australian Financial Review|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref>
==Political career== ===Labor Party=== Until 2012, Reece held a number of roles as a ministerial staffer and Australian Labor Party executive, including:
* State Secretary and Campaign Director of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Labor Party<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/chief-brumby-adviser-lands-new-labor-role-20090914-fnvo.html|title=Chief Brumby adviser lands new Labor role|last=Rood|first=David|date=2009-09-14|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref> * Senior Adviser to Prime Minister Julia Gillard (Director of Strategy) * Senior Adviser to Premier John Brumby (Deputy Chief of Staff, Head of Policy)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-15/brumbys-policy-adviser-to-head-election-campaign/1429498|title=Brumby's policy adviser to head election campaign|date=2009-09-15|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> * Senior Adviser to Premier Steve Bracks (Press Secretary, Senior Economic Adviser)<ref name="auto2"/> * Adviser, Policy Unit, Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd, 2007<ref name="auto2"/>
===Melbourne City Council=== In 2016, Reece was elected as a councillor to the Melbourne City Council as a member of Team Doyle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/our-profile/lord-mayor-and-councillors/Pages/councillor-nicholas-reece.aspx|title=Councillor Nicholas Reece - City of Melbourne|website=www.melbourne.vic.gov.au|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-17}}</ref> Reece joined Team Sally Capp for the 2020 election, and he was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor.
On 2 July 2024, following the resignation of Sally Capp, Reece was sworn in as 105th Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nicholas Reece sworn in as new Lord Mayor |url=https://news.melbourne.vic.gov.au/media-releases/nicholas-reece-sworn-in-as-new-lord-mayor/ |website=Melbourne News |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=4 July 2024 |language=en-AU |date=2 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Aubrey |first1=Cara Waters, Sophie |title=New lord mayor to target 'completely unacceptable' safety issues, cleanliness |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/new-lord-mayor-to-target-completely-unacceptable-cleanliness-levels-safety-20240628-p5jpli.html |access-date=4 July 2024 |work=The Age |date=2 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref> In the 2024 Melbourne City Council election, Reece retained his position as Lord Mayor, winning 23.36% of primary votes cast and winning 61.49% of the two-candidate-preferred vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Melbourne City Council election |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/2024-local-council-elections/melbourne-city-council|publisher=VEC}}</ref>
==Media career== Reece is a political commentator on Sky News and was the host of ''Politics HQ'' between 2017 and 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6038347871001|title=We're heading for a 'hung parliament'|website=Sky News Australia|date=18 May 2019 |language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref> Reece also writes a regular column for ''The Age''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/by/nicholas-reece-gk2dh1|title=Nicholas Reece|website=The Age|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}</ref>
In 2015, Reece appeared<ref>{{Citation|title="Public sentiment had turned very strongly"|date=2015-06-05|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/killing-season/2015-06-05/reece-public-sentiment-had-turned/6547244|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> in the award-winning documentary ''The Killing Season'', which recounted the leadership struggles between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard between 2010 and 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/killing-season/episode-1/|title=Episode 1 - The Killing Season|website=www.abc.net.au|date=23 June 2015 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>
== Personal life == Reece was born in London in 1974.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/2024/03/28/news/australia/proud-greek-by-wedlock-nicholas-reece-to-become-melbournes-new-lord-mayor/ | title='Proud' Greek by wedlock Nicholas Reece, to become Melbourne's new Lord Mayor | date=28 March 2024 }}</ref>
Reece is a supporter of the Carlton Football Club, resides in Carlton, is married to Felicity and has three daughters.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Placella |first1=Laura |title=Lord Mayor Nick Reece announces bid to keep city's top job |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/lord-mayor-nick-reece-announces-bid-to-keep-citys-top-job/news-story/9d2b9ac211189e5f7487d3b0533ca832 |website=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp |access-date=24 May 2025}}</ref> His wife is Greek.<ref>{{cite web |title=Message from the Lord Mayor of Melbourne |url=https://www.antipodesfestival.com.au/2026/01/05/lord-mayor/ |website=Antipodes Festival |access-date=24 February 2026}}</ref>
In 2004, he was one of the original 'mo-bros' who got together to raise funds for the Movember Foundation. Since then, Movember has raised almost $1 billion for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://us.movember.com/media-room/movember-101|title=Movember United States|website=Movember United States|language=en|access-date=2019-07-17}}</ref> Reece has served as a Non-Executive Director on the Movember Foundation Board of Directors since the establishment of the Board in 2007.<ref name="auto"/>
Reece was a founding director for the street newspaper The Big Issue, a role he served in for 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Placella |first1=Laura |title=Nicholas Reece set to become Melbourne's 105th Lord Mayor |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/nicholas-reece-set-to-become-melbournes-105th-lord-mayor/news-story/e4f6ee3e983f537d5a6747e72c8dcf62 |website=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp |access-date=24 May 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Australian capital city mayors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reece, Nicholas}} Category:Victoria (state) local councillors Category:University of Melbourne people Category:Sky News Australia reporters and presenters Category:Fairfax Media Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Mayors and lord mayors of Melbourne Category:21st-century mayors of places in Australia Category:Politicians from London