May 28, 2026 — 7:35pmIn a shock move, Kooyong Tennis Club has lost its chief executive after only 17 months.Ian Robson, a former chief executive of Essendon Football Club, had been at the helm of the esteemed tennis establishment since January 2025.Robson’s resignation was announced on Thursday afternoon by Kooyong president Steve Wood in a letter to the members of what is widely thought of as one of Australia’s most prestigious tennis clubs.Ian Robson when he was in his role as Essendon chief executive. Photo: Justin McManusRobson is leaving the organisation this week.“I wish to advise that Chief Executive Officer Ian Robson has informed the Board of his resignation from Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club,” the letter to members from Wood, seen by The Age, read.“Ian will be finishing up this week. He has led the Club through an important period of operational strengthening, Member‑focused service improvements, and renewed stability across all areas of the Club.“His contribution has helped lay strong foundations for the Club’s future, including transitioning to an in-house model for key Member services, strengthening the capability of the management team, and shaping the Club’s strategic direction.“On behalf of the Board, I thank Ian for his commitment to the Club and for the professionalism he has brought to the role.“The Board has asked me to step in to assist the management team while a formal search for Kooyong’s next CEO is undertaken.”Kooyong has faced headaches in recent years including the club’s finances coming under scrutiny in 2023 when it was forced to call in independent auditors to investigate millions of dollars in losses from its dining operations.The audit found poor financial management and reporting were to blame for the substantial losses from its dining arm.Robson has had an extensive career in sports management, holding roles including chief executive of Rowing Australia, the Melbourne Victory soccer club, Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club.CBD called Kooyong to find out what had prompted his sudden departure, but was told the club was a private organisation and had no comment. Robson was also contacted for comment.Fashion queen goes out on a highAs queen of the sartorial set Caroline Ralphsmith prepares to exit the Melbourne Fashion Festival, the departing chief executive leaves big shoes to fill – as anyone who has seen her extravagant “statement” platform heels would know.Ralphsmith’s near four-year tenure at the MFF was celebrated with an intimate shindig at new inner-city hot spot The Florence this week – you can’t accuse the MFF bods of not being on top of the new trends in town!Caroline Ralphsmith is looking at life after the Melbourne Fashion Festival.Getty ImagesThe experienced executive leader announced in April that with the festival in a strong position she felt it was time for her to hand over the reins. She has already stepped down as chief executive and will officially leave the organisation at the end of June.“Whenever you do one of these major events, it’s always intense because there’s an immovable deadline and there’s always the pressure, at least I find pressure, to do something fresh and new and represent Melbourne in the best possible creative way,” she told CBD.“So working on how you continue to evolve is stressful and then getting it all done, there were 158 [festival] events over two weeks this year. It’s a lot. I have loved the creative side, I’ve loved building the team, I’ve loved seeing all of this lovely growth [in the festival], but that comes with a lot of effort.”Ralphsmith is yet to give much thought to her next move. Her priority is an overseas getaway with family for what will be a belated 30th wedding anniversary celebration, before some local short breaks.“I would love it [her next step] to be adjacent to or in fashion, creative or major events,” she said.“Having worked at the VRC, Fed Square, and the Fashion Festival, all of this means I’ve got this real passion about the elements of Melbourne. I’m so proud of what Melbourne has become over the last 20 to 30 years and hope that it’s something that I can continue to contribute to.”Board member Alexandra Smart is acting chief executive of the festival while the search for a creative director and executive director is under way.AI fears meet AIFew areas have been as alarmed by the rise of AI as the arts and cultural sectors, where the explosive rise of the technology that powers OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude has set off alarm bells about jobs and copyright protection.So to say we were amused to learn the federal Department of the Arts was using AI to summarise submissions from major arts and cultural organisations containing concerns about AI would be an understatement.Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke.