Peter Holmes à Court
Peter Holmes à Court | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 |
| Occupation | businessman |
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 millionare businessman Robert Holmes à Court.
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 notorious Bullingdon Club.
Holmes à Court is the Chairman of White Bull Holdings, a private investment company, a director of Queensland Rail and a member of the Lord Mayor's City of Sydney Business Forum.
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 only 3 weeks and lost most of Holmes à Court's available capital as well as the capital put in by investors. [2]
He returned to Australia in November 2000 and until January 2004 held the position as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Agricultural Company and was responsible for re-listing AACo on the Australian Stock Exchange.
In 2000 Peter Holmes à Court settled out of court with his family to gain his inheritance from the family company, Heytesbury. The family was forced to sell off much of its asset base to enable the payout. Peter'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.[3]
In 2004 Peter Holmes à Court was deposed from the post of CEO of the Australian Agricultural Co. (AACo). Some senior management and board members of AACo have held Homes à Court responsible for some of AACo's poor decisions and the failure to buy AMP's Stanbroke Pastoral Co.[4] Peter Holmes à Court claimed he had resigned for personal reasons.[5]
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 & Robert and Elsa & Madison.
He is also heir presumptive to the Barony of Heytesbury, as the present Baron is currently childless.
May 2008 saw the sudden resignation of Holmes à Court as Executive Chairman and CEO of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He had only been appointed to the role of CEO at the start of 2008.[6][7] Reports suggested that Holmes à Court had been forced to stand down after his relationship with Russell Crowe had deteriorated beyond repair.[8][9][10][11][12]
In April 2009 Holmes à Court suffered a crisis of credibility, following his testimony in the NSW Supreme Court defending a defamation lawsuit brought against him by Tony Papaconstuntinos. First of all when he admitted that Russell Crowe had hired the notorious Palladino and Sutherland private investigator firm to target people in opposition to the planned takeover of the Rabbitohs.[13] Then when he was forced to admit that he had faked death threats and used the lie in the media during the campaign to gain control of the Rabbitohs.[14]
This revelation in the NSW Supreme Court contradicted what had been published in 2006 in an article titled "Holmes à Court ignored warning to stay away from Rabbits" by Alex Mitchell in The Sun-Herald newspaper on 19 March, 2006, where it was stated: "Of the death threats he had reportedly received, Holmes à Court said: "The police have a suspect and, fingers crossed, we might have an arrest before Sunday's vote.".[15]
Holmes à Court's woes continued in August 2009, when it was revealed that he had ignored NSW Supreme Court orders for payment of costs to several people who had been subpoenaed by Holmes à Court in the defamation case brought against him by Tony Papaconstuntinos. The Sydney Morning Herald revealed, on 22 August 2009, that writs for levy of property had been taken out by two long-time members of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Effectively this action designated Holmes à Court a 'judgement debtor' and enabled the NSW Sheriff's office to seize property on behalf of the two Rabbitohs Members.[16]
References
- ^ "Russell Crowe dumps cheerleaders". BBC News. 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Edgar, Patricia (1999). Janet Holmes à Court. Australia. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-7322-5715-8. p.349 The official biography
- ^ AAP Ben Ready (2001-07-06). "New York to Outback - Peter Holmes a Court comes of age".
- ^ Anthony Hoy (2004 ISSN 1440-7485). "Gunfight at the AACo corral". "The Bulletin with Newsweek".
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Burnt by the steak". "Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au)". 2004-01-17.
- ^ AAP (2008-10-31). "Richardson quits as Souths CEO". The Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au). Retrieved 2008-09-09.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ South Sydney Rabbitohs (2008-02-02). "Rabbitohs Elevate Internal Staff in Management Restructure". South Sydney Rabbitohs (rabbitohs.com.au). Retrieved 2008-09-09.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ 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) - ^ 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) - ^ 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) - ^ 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) - ^ 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) - ^ Susannah Moran. "Russell Crowe hired Bill Clinton's PI to stalk takeover foes". The Australian (news.com.au).
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Susannah Moran. "Peter Holmes a Court faked death threats". The Australian (news.com.au).
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Alex Mitchell. "Holmes a Court ignored warning to stay away from Rabbits". The Sydney Morning Herald(smh.com.au).
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Roy Masters. "Sheriff could seize Holmes a Court's assets". The Sydney Morning Herald(smh.com.au).
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)