What was Derby County owner David Clowes doing before he joined the Rams? | OneFootball

Clowes took over the club in the summer of 2022, rescuing it from administration.

Derby County came extremely close to liquidation in the summer of 2022 after a year after financial issues that saw the club placed into administration.

Nevertheless, on July 1 of that year, the Rams were rescued by one of their own, David Clowes.

A supporter of the club since he was young, Clowes completed his takeover to end nine months of uncertainty that had brought on relegation to League One, the sales of key stars, and a squad that needed a complete refresh.

It has been reported that the new owner paid £55 million to take Derby out of administration, and two years later, he has been repaid on the pitch. Under the guidance of Paul Warne, the team returned to the Championship after just two seasons in the third tier, having narrowly missed out on the play-offs in 2022/23.

The Rams have started the new campaign brightly, as they look to avoid relegation back to League One, but Clowes' takeover has so far proven to be a success.

Football League World has taken a look at what Derby's owner was doing in the years prior to purchasing the club just under 27 months ago.

David Clowes' previous business venture

Clowes' purchase was made through Clowes Developments. The company, which was founded by his father, Charles W Clowes, was started in 1964 and is currently celebrating its 50th year.

When Charles passed away in 2015, his son David took over as chairman, while his other son, Thomas, became the managing director of the group last year.

The company builds a variety of housing, industrial, office, and retail sites, and has more than 120 developments to their name.

David joined in 1985 and just six years later he was made a director. He has now owned the company for the last nine years.

Clowes' other work away from business

Outside the 55-year-old's career, he has a huge passion for flying.

According to the Clowes Developments' website, he started learning to fly in 1994 at Oxford Air Training School, earning his Airline Transport Pilots Licence.

He used his licence to become a First Officer in 2000, joining British Midland at nearby East Midlands Airport. Four years later, the now Derby owner became a Captain, flying Boeing 737s, a position he held until 2012.

Despite not being a passenger pilot anymore, Clowes still enjoys flying and currently owns a Super King Air 200.

Purchasing Derby in 2022

With his experience in business, it probably looks natural to many that Clowes took over the Rams in 2022, however, it was a role he never intended to take on.

American businessman Chris Kirchner looked incredibly likely to take the club over at several points throughout the 2021/22 season, but there were several hiccups involved during the process, and he was convicted of fraud in July 2024. Kirchner was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his offences, as per BBC News.

Following that, Derby were on their last legs, and with no sign of any buyer, Clowes stepped in during what was nearly the final hour to make the purchase and get the Rams ready for the 2022/23 campaign.

A Rams supporter, he had previously sat in the North Stand at Pride Park Stadium but has since had to give up his season ticket there and instead take his place in the Director's Box.