Who is David Clowes? Meet the Rams fan and former pilot behind the latest bid to buy Derby County
A Derbyshire property group has stepped in with a bid to buy Derby County.
Clowes Developments Ltd issued a statement this morning saying the business had bought the company which owns Pride Park Stadium.
The statement also revealed that the group had issued an interim loan to the club and that they are expecting to submit a bid to purchase The Rams.
This follows on after uncertainty around the future of the club continued to rumble on, following American businessman Chris Kirchner pulling out of a deal to buy the club earlier this month.
With weeks to go before the season starts, a break-though could finally have been reached with Clowes Developments Limited.
But what is Clowes Developments Limited and who is its chairman David Clowes?
Who is David Clowes?
David is chairman of the Clowes group.
He joined the business in June 1985 and was appointed a Director in 1991.
He assumed full responsibility as chairman of the group in February 2015.
According to the Clowe Development website, David has a lifelong passion for flying – he attended Oxford Air Training School in 1994 and obtained his Airline Transport Pilots Licence.
In 2000 he joined British Midland, based at East Midlands Airport, firstly as a First Officer on the Fokker 100 and Fokker 70 aircraft.
He later moved on to the Boeing 737, being promoted to Captain in December 2004 and continued working for British Midland until 2012.
As well as flying his Super King Air 200 aircraft, David enjoys motor boat cruising, travel and reading.
He is a loyal supporter of Derby County Football Club, and regularly attends matches both at home and away.
Clowes Developments Limited
Clowes Developments is a property group based in Derbyshire, with its headquarters in Ednaston Park, Painters Lane, Ednaston.
Charles W. Clowes founded the CWC Group in 1964, and it remains a family-run business.
According to its website, it is "one of the largest and strongest privately-owned property investment and development organisations in the UK".
Clowes Development has assets valued at £300million, 18,000 consented residential plots and 3,000 acres of development in the pipeline.
The firm works in land acquisition, promotion, development and asset management.
Its website says it recorded a turnover of £82.9m and an operating profit of £22.3m in the financial year 2020-21.
The website reads: "We are a company created in the image of our founder: fiercely independent and principled, with a commitment to doing the right thing."
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