Sir Ray Avery Photo: Supplied
Sir Ray Avery is the founder and CEO of award-winning development agency Medicine Mondiale.
The "born survivor" had a rough start in life - he was brought up in orphanages and foster homes and for a while lived under a railway bridge.
Avery says his real education really began through contact with two periodicals he delivered on his paper round at the age of seven - Woman's Own and Playboy.
"They were my touchstones with the world at large. I had no knowledge of love or romance - my mum or dad or nobody else had taught me about these things."
The 69 year old still has big ambitions.
"The first part was so brutal that the only way that I can justify that indentiture and kneeling is to do something useful with that - and do something that's really grand on a world scale. I don't think I've done that yet.
"I've got about 4,725 days to live - and I want to change the world in that time.
"Finally when they do nail the coffin on I think there'll be a little creaking and a little hand will come out with a piece of paper saying 'This is another idea'."
The books, music and films that have inspired and influenced him:
Books
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Encyclopaedia Britannica, William Caxton's Mirror of the World, and a book about the art of Andrew Wyeth
Music
'Start Me Up' by The Rolling Stones and 'September Blue' by Chris Rea
Film
The Professionals, Casablanca
