Janet Holmes à Court
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Janet Holmes à Court AC, (born Janet Lee Ranford in 1943) 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 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.
