Bronwen Holdsworth

Dame Bronwen Scott Holdsworth DNZM (née Pearson; born 13 September 1942) is a New Zealand businesswoman and arts patron from Gisborne, New Zealand.

Bronwen Holdsworth

DNZM
Holdsworth in 2015
Born
Bronwen Scott Pearson

(1942-09-13) 13 September 1942
Wellington, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington
OccupationCompany director
Years active1983–present
Spouse(s)
Peter Holdsworth
​
(m. 1970)​
Children4
RelativesSamantha Holdsworth (daughter)

Private life

Bronwen Scott Pearson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1942.[1] She received her secondary education at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School.[2]

Her parents, Tom and Ngara Pearson, moved to Gisborne in 1960 where her father was the vicar of the Holy Trinity parish. She remained in Wellington to study English, music, politics and philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington.

She continued her association with Gisborne even after her parents had moved on and in 1966, she met local farmer and engineer Peter Holdsworth just before she was posted to Malaysia with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs diplomatic service. She returned to New Zealand in 1969 and Peter Holdsworth and Bronwen Pearson married in 1970. Since their marriage, they have lived in Te Karaka near Gisborne, initially running the Holdsworth family farm.[3][4] They have four children, Dr Katharine Holdsworth, Jasper Holdsworth, Dr Samantha Holdsworth, and Zak Holdsworth, all of whom have studied engineering before branching out into other disciplines/entrepreneurial businesses.[5] Bronwen is a keen musician and accomplished pianist.[5]

Business interests

Bronwen and Peter Holdsworth founded Pultron Composites Ltd in 1983. An industrial technology company, Pultron is the largest manufacturer of GFRP pultrusions in Australasia, with manufacturing facilities in NZ and Dubai, and Bronwen was its managing director until 2007.[6] Jasper Holdsworth, one of their sons, is now CEO of Pultron, and they established a manufacturing plant in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in 2010.[7]

Pultron is a leader in the research, development and manufacturing of high-performance glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pultrusions. With a track record of rapid innovation and R&D achievement, Pultron has successfully developed more than 45 new specialist GFRP structural products for marine, mining, infrastructure, electrical, agriculture and recreation applications – including Mateenbar™, Pultron’s proprietary composite rebar. (http://www.mateenbar.com)

As of 2015, Dame Bronwen is finance director and chairman of the Holdsworth Group, which includes interests in farming, forestry, property, investment, and manufacturing under the banner of Pultron Composites.[6] Dr Peter Holdsworth F.IPENZ, Pultron's technical director, was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Canterbury University, for his technical entrepreneurship and achievements.

Over the years Dame Bronwen has been involved in a number of business related organisations including the East Coast Business Development Board (1989-95); a Ministerial Task Force on International Competitiveness (1989); the steering committee for the APEC Women Leaders Conference (1999); the Prime Minister’s Enterprise Council (1995-97); and from 1997-2002, a member of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology's advisory committee.[6] She was also on the Board of TVNZ Ltd (1994-97).

Community involvement

Holdsworth has numerous community interests, many of them related to the arts and education. She was on the boards the Tairawhiti Polytechnic; Tairawhiti Museum; the Gisborne Opera Festival; and was establishing chairman of First Light Tourism, which organised the tourism promotion around the fact that Gisborne was the first city to see the sun in the year 2000.[4] She is a member of Te Ha 1769 Sestercentennial Trust, which is organising celebrations for the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's first arrival in New Zealand.[4] She is a trustee of the Gisborne War Memorial Theatre.[6]

Holdsworth is a founding sponsor and trustee of the Gisborne International Music Competition, and she is a board member of the Gisborne Opera Festival.[6] She is also a trustee of the Sunrise Foundation, and of the Mātai Medical Imaging Research Institute.

In July 2014, Holdsworth was re-appointed to the board of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,[8][9] having originally been on the NZSO Board between 1996 and 2000.

Honours and awards

In 1988, Holdsworth was chosen as Businesswoman of the Year in a competition sponsored by the New Zealand women's magazine More.[5] She was awarded the 1990 Commemoration Medal.[6] In the 1997 New Year Honours, she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to business, art and the community.[10] When Marsden School introduced its Hall of Fame in 2007, Holdsworth was the inaugural laureate.[6][11] In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to business and the arts.[12] In 2019, she was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs.[13]

References
  1. Stock, Eliot J. "My Genealogy Home Page:Information about Bronwen Scott Pearson". Genealogy.com. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  2. "Old Girl receives Queen's Birthday honours". Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  3. Walsh, Kristine (2 June 2015). "Honoured for their contribution". Gisborne Herald. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  4. "Queen's Birthday Honours: Flying the flag for Gisborne". The New Zealand Herald. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  5. "Bronwen Holdsworth (nee Pearson) inducted 2007". Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  6. Devlin, Collette (1 June 2015). "Gisborne businesswoman Bronwen Holdsworth made Dame Companion". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  7. Fox, Andrea (14 May 2010). "Composite company makes big bet on Middle East". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  8. "Appointments to New Zealand Symphony Orchestra board" (Press release). Wellington: Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  9. "Local arts supporter lends skills to national orchestra". Gisborne Herald. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  10. "New Year honours list 1997". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1996. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  11. "Marsden Hall of Fame". Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  12. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2015". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  13. "Trailblazers inducted 2019". Co.OfWomen. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
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