Janet Holmes à Court, AC, HonFAHA, HonFAIB (born Janet Lee Ranford on 29 November 1943 in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia) is an Australian businesswoman and one of Australia's wealthiest women. She is the Chairperson of one of Australia's largest private companies,

Heytesbury Pty Ltd Heytesbury Pty. Ltd. is the privately owned company of the Holmes à Court family in Western Australia. Originally called Heytesbury Holdings, the company was formed by Robert Holmes à Court in the 1970s as the holding company of his rapidly e ...

, having turned around its fortunes after the death of her husband

Robert Holmes à Court Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court (27 July 1937 – 2 September 1990) was a South African-born Australian businessman who became Australia's first billionaire, before dying suddenly of a heart attack in 1990 at the age of 53. A great- ...

in 1990. She retained full ownership of the Heytesbury Group of companies until 2008 when her son,

Peter Holmes à Court Peter Holmes à Court (born 1968) is an Australian businessman. He is the eldest son of the late billionaire businessman Robert Holmes à Court and Janet Holmes à Court. He was well known as a joint owner of the National Rugby League team South ...

, assumed ownership, while she remained chairman.

Education and career

Holmes à Court attended

Perth Modern School , motto_translation = Knowledge is Power , location = Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia , country = Australia , coordinates = , mapframe-stroke-colour = #C60C30 , mapframe-marker-co ...

and the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in organic chemistry and a

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the ...

in 1965. After graduation, she worked as a science teacher before marrying her husband in 1966 and having four children with him. She currently lives in Perth. As her children left home, she developed interests in medical research, the arts and various charitable organisations. After the death of her husband, she took over management of Heytesbury Pty Ltd, which was considerably in debt, rescuing and expanding it. The company operates

cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...

s in remote Western Australia and has interests in vineyards, wine-making and engineering contracting. She owns the

Holmes à Court Gallery The Holmes à Court Gallery is an art gallery located in the original Vasse Felix winery at Cowaramup (near Margaret River) in Western Australia. It is owned by Janet Holmes à Court. Exhibits The gallery displays works from the Holmes à Cour ...

located in the original

Vasse Felix Vasse Felix was the first vineyard and winery to be established in the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia. Founded in Wilyabrup in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity, it is recognised as a pioneer of the region, and also features an acclaim ...

winery at Cowaramup, near

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range. The ...

, in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

which displays works from the

Holmes à Court Collection Holmes may refer to: Name * Holmes (surname) * Holmes (given name) * Baron Holmes, noble title created twice in the Peerage of Ireland * Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond (born 1971), British former swimmer and life peer Places In the ...

. As well as her business activities, Holmes à Court has been an active participant in progressive social issues, such as an advocate for the

Australian Republican Movement The Australian Republic Movement (ARM) is a non-party-partisan organisation campaigning for Australia to become a republic. ARM and its supporters have promoted various models of a republic including parliamentary republic and it is, again, revi ...

at the 1998 constitutional convention, and is the chairperson of the

Australian Children's Television Foundation The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit children's media production and policy hub. The ACTF helps develop children's television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children's television series; ...

, the

West Australian Symphony Orchestra The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Perth, Western Australia. Its principal concert venue is the Perth Concert Hall. WASO also gives concerts at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. , WA ...

and deputy chairman of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA. She has also served on the board of the

Reserve Bank of Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank. T ...

and is an Honorary Fellow of the

Australian Institute of Building The Australian Institute of Building (AIB) is a professional society founded in 1951, incorporated in 1955 and granted a royal charter in 1969. The institute is an association of building professionals, associate professionals and technicians ...

. She was Pro-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia from 1990 to 1994, and a Senate member of both

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...

and the University of Western Australia.

Honours and awards

She was appointed Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) in 1995 and promoted to a Companion of the Order (AC) on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...

2007 for service to business, particularly as a leader in the construction, wine and cattle industries, to the advancement of Western Australia's musical and theatre culture, to the visual arts, and to the community. In 2001, she was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

for her service to the arts as Chair of the

and Black Swan Theatre Company. The

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

has included her on its list of 100

Australian Living Treasures National Living Treasure is a status created and occasionally updated by the National Trust of Australia's New South Wales branch, awarded to up to 100 living people. Recipients were selected by popular vote for having made outstanding contribut ...

. Her other honours and awards include: * United Kingdom Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, 1995 * Institute of Engineers Medal, The Institute of Engineers Australia, 1997 * Inducted into the Leading Business Entrepreneurs of the World (USA), 1997 * International Business Council of Western Australia Business Award, 1998 * AbaF Richard Pratt Business Leadership Award, 2003 * Lifetime Commitment Award, WA State Arts Sponsorship Scheme Awards, 2003 * Champion Award for the Year of the Built Environment (Western Australia), State Steering Committee, 2004 * WA Gold Medal Award,

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

, 2007 * Companion of Engineers Australia, The Institute of Engineers Australia, 2007 * United Way Philanthropist of the Year Award, 2008 * The Woodrow Wilson Corporate Citizenship Award, 2009 * Inducted into the International Women's Day WA Women's Hall of Fame, 2011 * Elected Honorary Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...

, 2011 * Australian Achievement in Architecture National President's Prize, 2011 * Champion of Entrepreneurship Award,

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards previously Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards is an award sponsored by Ernst & Young in recognition of entrepreneurship. Founded in 1986 in Milwaukee as a single award, as of 2016 twenty-five pro ...

s, 2012 * John Shaw Medal, 2014 She holds a number of honorary doctorates including: * Doctor of the University,

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus ...

, 1994 * Doctor of the University,

, 1997 * Doctor of Letters,

, 1997 * Doctor of Business,

University of Ballarat The University of Ballarat, Australia was a dual-sector university with multiple campuses in Victoria, Australia, including its main Ballarat campus, Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide that were authorized by the university to provide diploma, unde ...

, 2007 * Doctor of Business,

Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explorer w ...

, 2008 * Doctor of Arts,

Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Aust ...

, 2011

References

;Notes *Edgar, Patricia (1999). ''Janet Holmes à Court''. Australia. Harper Collins. ''The official biography''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes A Court, Janet 1943 births Living people University of Western Australia alumni Australian art collectors Australian republicans Companions of the Order of Australia Delegates to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998 Holmes à Court family People educated at Perth Modern School People from Perth, Western Australia Australian women in business