- Janet Holmes à Court
Janet Holmes à Court AC HFAIB, (born Janet Lee Ranford on
29 November 1943 in Perth,Western Australia ) is anAustralia n businesswoman, and one of Australia's wealthiest women. She is the owner of one of Australia's largest private companies, Heytesbury, turning around the fortunes of the struggling group that she began to manage after the death of her husbandRobert Holmes à Court .She attended the
University of Western Australia , majoring in organic chemistry, the only woman in her course. After graduation, she worked for a time as a science teacher before marrying Holmes à Court in 1966 and had four children.As her children matured and gradually left home, she developed interests in medical research, the arts, and a number of other charitable organizations.
After the death of her husband, she took over the company (Heytesbury Limited), which was in a parlous state, and has expanded it substantially. Its best-known business remains a number of huge
cattle station s in remote Western Australia, but they also have interests in wine and vineyards and engineering contracting.As well as her business activities, Holmes à Court has been an active participant in various social issues, as an advocate for the
Australian Republican Movement at the 1998 constitutional convention, and is the chairperson of theAustralian Children's Television Foundation and theWest Australian Symphony Orchestra . She has also served on the board of theReserve Bank of Australia .She is an Australian Living Treasure.
She was made an Officer in the
Order of Australia (AO), in 1995 and promoted to a Companion of the order (AC) onAustralia Day 2007. She lives inPerth, Western Australia .She is an Honorary Fellow of the
Australian Institute of Building , a professional institute that is incorporated byRoyal Charter .
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