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ROSS'S BIO
TWO DECADES OF MEANINGFUL WORK
Ross has spent over twenty years working at the intersection of careers, culture, and leadership. He is the founder of Rise, Australia's first consultancy focused exclusively on creating meaningful work. Over the course of his career, he has interviewed various people — from interns to CEOs — about how they find meaning, navigate change, and make work work for them.
From Burnout to the Fun Jobs Project
Despite two decades of expertise in meaningful work, Ross hit a wall. While running a consulting business and researching a PhD in meaningful work, his own work lost its spark. He burned out. Rather than push through, he did something radical. He went on a mission to reset his relationship with work — by doing the most fun jobs he could think of. Opera extra at the Vienna State Opera, ski instructor in the Austrian Alps, comedian, and more. It became the Fun Jobs Project: a live research experiment to rediscover what makes work meaningful, energising, and fun — and a public mission that has since captured audiences around the world. Through the Fun Jobs Project, Ross discovered that what he already knew in theory about meaningful work came alive through one critical ingredient: Serious Fun — the combination of playful exploration, curiosity, and bold courage that reignites energy, connection, and clarity.
Serious Fun: A Leadership Skill
Serious fun isn't a nice-to-have — it's the skill we need most for reconnecting to work. Ross positions it as a genuine leadership skill — one that sparks meaningful work and contagious energy in teams and organisations. His keynotes, workshops, and moderation work all centre on this idea: that when serious fun leads, serious performance follows. You don't have to quit your job and ski, sing, or stand on stage to feel good at work. Serious Fun is a skill we can all learn. Ross works with leaders and teams on the real challenges behind the buzzwords — burnout, disengagement, retention, and culture fatigue — and helps them reignite what matters through meaning, purpose, and the courage to bring fun back into the room.
On Stage
Ross delivers high-energy, deeply interactive keynotes that combine live science experiments, real-life stories, humour, raw honesty, and serious audience participation — from ski lessons to live photo shoots. His sessions are known for shifting the energy in the room and leaving audiences reconnected with their purpose and buzzing with renewed optimism. As a moderator, Ross brings trademark warmth, subject expertise, and serious fun to conferences. He works with organisers and speakers in advance to craft a seamless narrative arc across the entire event — turning a collection of sessions into one connected story.
In the Media
Ross is a TEDx speaker and a regular media commentator and subject matter expert. His work and insights have been featured in outlets including FM4, the ABC, Sydney Morning Herald, and Business Insider.
Official Press Photos & Headshots
Everything your design team needs to create stunning visuals. Use these professional assets for event banners, marketing collateral, and speaker announcements to build excitement and put a face to the keynote. All three pictures below are vailable as a ZIP download, featuring both transparent cut-outs and white-background versions.
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