Rothschild’s Dodds departs to renovate former prison camp
DAVID DODDS, who runs Rothschild’s regional debt advisory business, is stepping down at Christmas and plans to spend the next two years renovating a former prisoner-of-war camp.
In recent years Mr Dodds, based at the firm’s Manchester office, has worked on deals including a £250m bank facility for Birmingham’s Bloor Holdings, a £250m debenture for Peel Holdings in Manchester and Leeds-based Callcredit’s unitranche facility.
But after 12 years with Rothschild he is keen to devote more time to a Second World War prisoner camp in Nottinghamshire which he inherited three years ago when his father died.
He said: “It was constructed to hold Italian prisoners. I own about two thirds of the
site and this comprises 20 single storey light industrial units and four residential bungalows. The units were the former accommodation blocks and the officers lived in the bungalows.”
“I’m not looking to radically develop the site or get permission for an alternative use, I just want to increase occupancy levels as about 60% is currently untenanted.”
He added: “My wife gave up full time work last Christmas. We are both 40 and we’ve been working hard building an asset pool which we had hoped to enjoy when we’re 60 but we thought, ‘why don’t we spend some more time together today?'”
He expects to take two years off and is not sure what he’ll do after that time. “I’ll be sad to leave. I’ve worked closely with a lot of very, very bright people over the past 10 years and leaving them is the hardest part.”
