According to Stephen Hawking, intelligence is the ability to adapt to change, which ultimately increases the chance of survival. Such is the world of science and evolutionary theory and, for Steve Wood – CEO of Tennis Australia – an important part of his personal philosophy. A contemporary of Pat Cash, Wood learned the art of survival as a young tennis player representing Victoria and then Louisiana State University in America.

In a great surrealist moment, the opening credit of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel states that “from the standpoint of pure reason there is no explanation”. Such is the strange world of Buñuel’s drawing room drama, first screened in Melbourne at the 13th Melbourne Film Festival in 1964. At the time, Natalie Miller was the Festival’s Publicity Director. It was a position she held for 16 years.

Mark Rubbo has many stories to tell. As the Managing Director of Readings – and founder of the Readings Foundation – Rubbo has quietly, and at times, controversially, created a legacy that has literature and literacy at its core.

Matt Irwin is one of Melbourne’s most popular photographers. He is also an impressive entrepreneur. On a hot day in Melbourne, Irwin discusses life, art and his next big adventure: the release of his first book of photographs, Melbourne: A Love Affair.

The challenges for the CEO of Federation Square are many, but Kate Brennan has an uncanny knack for success.