David Alliance, Baron Alliance

David Alliance, Baron Alliance
Born	(1932-06-15) 15 June 1932 Kashan, Iran
Died	18 July 2025(2025-07-18) (aged 93)
Occupation(s)	Businessman, politician
Known for	Chairman of N Brown Group plc; co-founder of Coats Viyella plc; Liberal Democrat life peer
Notable work	A Bazaar Life (autobiography)

David Alliance, Baron Alliance (, ; 15 June 1932 – 18 July 2025) was a businessman of Iranian origin who held Israeli and British citizenship and was active in politics as a member of the Liberal Democrat party.

Early life

Alliance was born in Kashan, Iran, into a Jewish family. He received his education at the Etahad School. Beginning his professional journey at the age of fourteen within Iran's bazaars, he moved to Manchester, England, by the time he was eighteen.

Honours

In recognition of his achievements, Alliance was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) during the 1984 New Year Honours. He was later knighted in the 1989 New Year Honours. On 1 July 2004, he was granted a life peerage as Baron Alliance, of Manchester in the County of Greater Manchester and took his seat with the Liberal Democrat group until his retirement on 21 March 2025.

Career

Alliance held a 33% ownership stake and served as chairman of N Brown Group plc, a retailer specializing in clothing catalogs. Alongside Sir Harry Djanogly, he co-established Coats Viyella plc (currently known as Coats Group plc), developing it into a £2 billion textile enterprise operating across 67 nations, commanding a 22% share of the global market, and employing approximately 70,000 individuals. His family's wealth also stemmed from share disposals, an art collection, and ownership of small private companies. Additionally, Alliance was a principal investor in the web analytics firm SimilarWeb.

His philanthropic and advisory engagements included involvement with the Prince's Youth Business Trust, the Council for Industry and Higher Education, the University of Manchester Foundation, and the Weizmann Institute of Science. He also served as a senior trustee for the Next Century Foundation and was a member of the Board of Governors at Tel Aviv University.

Alliance earned a Doctorate of Science from Heriot-Watt University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Manchester. Prior to its merger, he held an Honorary Fellowship at UMIST.

From 1984 until 1991, Alliance played a pivotal role in orchestrating the evacuation and migration of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan and Ethiopia to Israel.

Wealth

According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, Alliance ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the UK with an estimated net worth of £3.1 billion. Following his ennoblement in 2004, he contributed £668,872 to the Liberal Democrats, along with £20,996.56 representing notional interest on loans made to the party.

His property holdings included residences in Didsbury, Manchester, and a mock-Georgian style mansion located in St John's Wood, London. He also possessed a collection featuring works by Lowry.

In 2012, an Iranian Studies Centre bearing his name was founded at Tel Aviv University. Subsequently, in September 2015, the Manchester Business School was renamed Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) to acknowledge his substantial financial support that fueled its development.

Autobiography

In 2015, Alliance published his memoirs titled A Bazaar Life, co-authored with Ivan Fallon.

Personal life and death

He was father to three children and grandfather to eight grandchildren, splitting his residence between Manchester and London. David Alliance passed away on 18 July 2025 at age 93.

External links

• Lord Alliance profile on the Liberal Democrats website