Nicholas Reece has been officially sworn in as the 105th Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
A City of Melbourne councillor since 2016, and the Deputy Lord Mayor since 2020, Reece has long been a part of public life in the city.
He has worked in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors as a councillor, lawyer, journalist, public servant, and university leader.
“All my life I have sought to be actively engaged in public service to help others – and it is the honour of my life to serve the city that I love,” Reece said today.
“Melbourne is the best and fairest city in the world. It is also the biggest and fastest-growing capital city in Australia.
“I will be hitting the ground running to deliver the services and infrastructure our community needs and deserves.”
Reece is the deputy lead of the council’s financial portfolio and lead of the planning portfolio, and helped bring the council back to surplus after the pandemic.
“Melbourne has gone through some difficult times as the most locked down city in the world. While the city is bouncing back, I know there are people and businesses who are still doing it tough,” he said.
“I won’t shy away from the challenges – I will be a Lord Mayor for every Melburnian.”
Reece is also the former chairman of global men’s health charity Movember, and for a decade was a director for the street newspaper The Big Issue.
He is also an executive at the University of Melbourne and principal fellow at the Melbourne School of Government.
City of Melbourne CEO Alison Leighton described him as a “passionate supporter” of the city and thanked outgoing Lord Mayor Sally Capp.
Reece will remain in the position until council elections take place in October.