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

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. 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. Bronwen is a keen musician and accomplished pianist.

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. 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.

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. 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. She was also on the Board of TVNZ Ltd (1994–97).