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==Return to Australia==
==Return to Australia==
In 2000 Holmes à Court settled out of court with his family to gain his inheritance from the family company, Heytesbury. The family sold off much of its asset base to make the payout. Holmes à Court's father, Robert Holmes à Court, died intestate leaving his wife Janet one third of the family fortune with the four children getting the other two thirds. The amount Peter Holmes à Court received was reported as A$35 million.<ref>{{cite news | author=AAP Ben Ready | title=New York to Outback - Peter Holmes a Court comes of age | date=2001-07-06 |accessdate=2008-09-07|date=2009-08-26}}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=May 2010}}
In 2000 Holmes à Court settled out of court with his family to gain his inheritance from the family company, Heytesbury. The family sold off much of its asset base to make the payout. Holmes à Court's father, Robert Holmes à Court, died intestate leaving his wife Janet one third of the family fortune with the four children getting the other two thirds. The amount Peter Holmes à Court received was reported as A$35 million.<ref>{{cite news | author=AAP Ben Ready | title=New York to Outback - Peter Holmes a Court comes of age | date=2001-07-06 |accessdate=2008-09-07|date=2009-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher=''The Canberra Times (canberratimes.com.au)''| title=Company Keen To Beef Up Industry |url=http://www.foodwinetravel.com.au/brunettedowns.html|accessdate=2010-05-26|date=2002-05-22}}</ref>


At the same time he took up the position as Chief Executive Officer of the [[Australian Agricultural Company]] (AACo) and was responsible for re-listing AACo on the [[Australian Stock Exchange]]. With his younger brother Paul Holmes à Court in charge of Heytesbury, Peter had effectively set himself up in competition with his family's primary business.<ref name="Peter Holmes a Court reflects on business and family">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2003/s825742.htm|title=ABC Inside Business -Peter Holmes a Court reflects on business and family|coauthors=Alan Kohler, Peter Holmes a Court|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation| accessdate=2009-09-18|date=2003-04-06}}</ref>
At the same time he took up the position as Chief Executive Officer of the [[Australian Agricultural Company]] (AACo) and was responsible for re-listing AACo on the [[Australian Stock Exchange]]. With his younger brother Paul Holmes à Court in charge of Heytesbury, Peter had effectively set himself up in competition with his family's primary business.<ref name="Peter Holmes a Court reflects on business and family">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2003/s825742.htm|title=ABC Inside Business -Peter Holmes a Court reflects on business and family|coauthors=Alan Kohler, Peter Holmes a Court|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation| accessdate=2009-09-18|date=2003-04-06}}</ref>

Revision as of 14:55, 26 May 2010

Peter Holmes à Court
Born1968
OccupationBusinessman

Peter Holmes à Court (born 1968) is an Australian businessman and a joint owner of the National Rugby League team South Sydney Rabbitohs together with Russell Crowe.[1]

He is the son of the late millionaire businessman Robert Holmes à Court and Janet Holmes à Court.

Education

After completing his schooling at Geelong Grammar School in Corio, he read law at Oxford University and received his BA in economics and theatre from Middlebury College, Vermont. At Oxford he was a member of the Bullingdon Club.[2]

Overseas ventures

In 1993 Holmes à Court formed Back Row Productions, operating in New York, London and Sydney. Back Row produced over 20 live shows in 30 countries and 300 cities world wide.

In 1994 Holmes à Court put together an off-Broadway rock musical, Fallen Angel. The show lasted 3 weeks and lost most of Holmes à Court's available capital as well as the capital put in by investors.[3][need quotation to verify]

By 1996 Peter Holmes à Court became involved in a dispute over a contracted tour of Lift-Off Live, a spin-off of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation educational television show, Lift Off, which was booked and scheduled. Holmes à Court wanted to close the show down, despite contractual obligations. To make things more complicated his mother Janet's company, Heytesbury, was an investor in Lift Off and was entitled to income from ancillary rights. Janet's biographer, Patricia Edgar, details the incident in another book, Bloodbath: a memoir of Australian television, stating that Back Row Productions was also in financial trouble. Edgar describes how Janet initially reacted to the situation by attempting to force Peter to meet his obligations, but later wanted to assume the Back Row Productions' debt and pay out of her own pocket to save her son from ignominy.[4][need quotation to verify]

Return to Australia

In 2000 Holmes à Court settled out of court with his family to gain his inheritance from the family company, Heytesbury. The family sold off much of its asset base to make the payout. Holmes à Court's father, Robert Holmes à Court, died intestate leaving his wife Janet one third of the family fortune with the four children getting the other two thirds. The amount Peter Holmes à Court received was reported as A$35 million.[5][6]

At the same time he took up the position as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) and was responsible for re-listing AACo on the Australian Stock Exchange. With his younger brother Paul Holmes à Court in charge of Heytesbury, Peter had effectively set himself up in competition with his family's primary business.[7]

In 2004 Holmes à Court stood down from the post of CEO of the AACo. Some senior management and board members of AACo held Holmes à Court responsible for some of AACo's poor decisions and the failure to buy AMP's Stanbroke Pastoral Co.[8][need quotation to verify] Holmes à Court is reported to have resigned for family reasons.[9]

South Sydney Rabbitohs

In March 2006 Holmes à Court and Russell Crowe gained 75% ownership of the South Sydney Rabbitohs through a vote of the Membership of the club. Holmes à Court became Executive Chairman of the club. In early 2008 he became CEO of the Rabbitohs after Shane Richardson resigned and took up a position as Director of Sports Operations in Holmes à Court's company The Passionate Group in October 2007.[10] [11][12]

In May 2008 Holmes à Court resigned as Executive Chairman and CEO of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. There was some speculation about a rift with Russell Crowe, fueled by the rapid change from appointment to resignation as CEO in just three months. Reports suggested that Holmes à Court had been forced to stand down after his relationship with Crowe had deteriorated.[13][14][15][16][17]

At the same time as Holmes à Court stood aside, Shane Richardson was subsequently re-appointed to the role of CEO of the Rabbitohs. [18]

In March 2010 Holmes à Court resigned as a director of the Rabbitohs, but remains a 37.5% shareholder in partnership with Russell Crowe.[19]

Current activities

Holmes à Court is the Chairman of White Bull Holdings, a private investment company. He is also a director of ISFM, The Passionate Group, and Viocorp.

In March 2010 Holmes à Court resigned as a director of Queensland Rail, having served on the board since 2006.[20][21]

Holmes à Court is a member of the Lord Mayor's City of Sydney Business Forum. In April 2010 he was appointed as head of the 'Greater Sydney Partnership', a NSW Goverment initiative to promote Sydney globally. [22]

Holmes à Court lives in Sydney with his wife Divonne Holmes à Court (the founder of Smart Population Foundation) and their two sets of twins, George and Robert, and Elsa and Madison.

References

  1. ^ "Russell Crowe dumps cheerleaders". BBC News. 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  2. ^ "Drunken hellraising for the super-rich - how George Osborne met Nathaniel Rothschild". The Times. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  3. ^ Edgar, Patricia (1999). Janet Holmes à Court. Australia. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-7322-5715-8. p.349 The official biography
  4. ^ Edgar, Patricia (2006). Bloodbath: a memoir of Australian television. Australia. Melbourne University Publishing. ISBN 978-0-522-85281-3 . pp.368-370
  5. ^ AAP Ben Ready (2009-08-26). "New York to Outback - Peter Holmes a Court comes of age". {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ "Company Keen To Beef Up Industry". The Canberra Times (canberratimes.com.au). 2002-05-22. Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "ABC Inside Business -Peter Holmes a Court reflects on business and family". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2003-04-06. Retrieved 2009-09-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Anthony Hoy (2004 ISSN 1440-7485). "Gunfight at the AACo corral". "The Bulletin with Newsweek". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ James Chessell (2004-01-17). "Burnt by the steak". "Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au)". Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  10. ^ South Sydney Rabbitohs (2008-02-26). "Rabbitohs Elevate Internal Staff in Management Restructure". South Sydney Rabbitohs (rabbitohs.com.au). Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ AAP (2010-05-26). "Richardson quits as Souths CEO". The Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au). Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "CEO Shane Richardson joins The Passionate Group". South Sydney Rabbitohs (rabbitohs.com.au). 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "author South Sydney Rabbitohs" ignored (help)
  13. ^ Phil Rothfield and Rebecca Wilson (2008-05-18). "Holmes a Court to quit Souths". The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au). Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Josh Massoud (2008-05-27). "How Souths drowned in latte and largesse". The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au). Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Patrick Smith (2008-05-28). "A Court in the crossfire: the syndrome threatening to derail Souths". The Australian. Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Josh Massoud (2008-05-27). "Russell Crowe dumps Holmes a Court as Rabbitohs chairman". Courier Mail (news.com.au). Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Ray Chesterton (2008-05-27). "Crowe's company ruined Souths". The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au). Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Peter Holmes a Court resigns as CEO of South Sydney Rabbitohs". The Australian. 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Angela Clark Joins South Sydney Football Club Board of Directors". South Sydney Rabbitohs (rabbitohs.com.au). 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "author South Sydney Rabbitohs" ignored (help)
  20. ^ Michael Bennett (2010-03-23). "Peter Holmes a Court departs QR for new role". The Australian (theaustralian.com.au). Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Julian Lee (2010-03-27). "Brand Sydney seeks Holmes a Court". Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au). Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ Natalie Muller (2010-04-26). "Holmes a Court to promote brand Sydney". Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au). Retrieved 2010-05-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)