She is the Chairperson of one of Australia's largest private companies, Heytesbury Pty Ltd, having turned around its fortunes after the death of her husband Robert Holmes à Court in 1990.
Holmes à Court attended Perth Modern School and the University of Western Australia, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in organic chemistry and a Diploma of Education in 1965.
The company operates cattle stations in remote Western Australia and has interests in vineyards, wine-making and engineering contracting.
[2][3] 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 at the 1998 constitutional convention,[4] the Patron of Private Giving at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, chair of the Art Gallery of Western Australia[5] and deputy chairperson of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA.
[7] In 2001, she was awarded the Centenary Medal for her service to the arts as Chair of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Black Swan Theatre Company.