Divonne Holmes à Court

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CEO of Smart Population Foundation and formerly a corporate lawyer, Divonne Holmes à Court, is also the mother of two sets of twins — boys aged eight and four-year-old girls. She is an active supporter of translating early childhood and education research into innovative and accessible resources for parents and professionals.

Divonne was an associate with the law firm Winston & Strawn in New York, with a focus on corporate and securities law, and thereafter, in-house counsel to the Falconwood Financial Group, specialising in commodities and banking work.

Thereafter she produced various television and live events as director of Back Row Productions. In 1995, she managed the website development of moviefone.com (777-FILM), a movie showtime and ticket selling website in the US. (Moviefone was later acquired by AOL Time Warner for over $400 million.)

Divonne has a BA in psychology from Columbia College, Columbia University in New York (1987), a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law (1990) and is a current member of the New York Bar Association.

Originally from New York, Divonne immigrated to Australia in 2000 and founded Smart Population Foundation (SPF) in 2002. SPF is a deductable gift recipient (DGR) charitable organisation, on the Harm Prevention Register, and has been developing national tools and resources for parents with a view towards improving long term outcomes for children across Australia.

Along with her husband, Peter Holmes à Court, Divonne has sponsored the Australian Museum’s new Eureka Prize for Science Teaching. She was recently appointed to the Health Department’s Youth Mental Health Foundation HEADSPACE board and is a former member of the Australian Council for Children and Parenting (ACCAP) advising the Cabinet Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Divonne represents SPF as a member of The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth.  Growing up in Germany and living most of her life in New York, she became an Australian citizen in January 2004.