Janet Holmes à Court

Janet Holmes à Court

Janet Holmes à Court AC HFAIB, (born Janet Lee Ranford on 29 November 1943 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian 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 husband Robert 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 stations 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 the Australian Children's Television Foundation and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. She has also served on the board of the Reserve 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) on Australia Day 2007. She lives in Perth, Western Australia.

She is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Building, a professional institute that is incorporated by Royal Charter.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Robert Holmes à Court — Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court (July 27 1937, Johannesburg, South Africa–September 2 1990, Perth, Western Australia) was an entrepreneur who became Australia s first billionaire before dying suddenly of a heart attack in 1990. He was a… …   Wikipedia

  • Holmes à Court — /ˈhoʊmz ə kɔt/ (say hohmz uh kawt) noun 1. Janet Lee, born 1943, Australian business executive. 2. her husband, (Michael) Robert Hamilton, 1937–90, Australian financier …  

  • Holmes (surname) — Holmes is a surname, and may refer to many people. Since holm is a Scandinavian word meaning a small island , people bearing the name might either have a Scandinavian ancestry or have a surname derived from a place which gained its name from a… …   Wikipedia

  • Lettres écrites lors d'un court séjour en Suède, en Norvège et au Danemark — Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark Page de titre de Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796). Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States — United States This article is part of the series on the  United States Supreme Court The Court …   Wikipedia

  • Ohio Supreme Court elections — Seal of the Supreme Court of Ohio Elections in Ohio …   Wikipedia

  • United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan — The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over of the western portion of the state of Michigan, including the entire Upper Peninsula. It was established by an act of… …   Wikipedia

  • Heytesbury Pty Ltd — is the privately owned company of the Holmes à Court family in Western Australia.The matriarch of the family is Janet Holmes à Court, one of Australia s richest women.It was formed after the sale of Bell Resources following the death of her… …   Wikipedia

  • Firepower International — was advertised as a Hong Kong based company owned and operated by Global Fuel Technologies Ltd, specializing in technology purporting to reduce the fuel consumption and environmental impact of petrol operated vehicles.[1] There were other offices …   Wikipedia

  • Opes Prime — Group Limited was an Australian securities lending and stockbroking firm which suffered a dramatic collapse in 2008. Contents 1 Overview 2 Criminal Charges 3 Committal Proceedings …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”