Lord David Triesman Dies
The Labour peer and merchant banker Lord David Triesman brought in to rescue Dartington Hall Trust has died.
Lord David Triesman, 82, died on Friday night peacefully at home. He had been ill for some time.
Sir Kier Starmer and Sir Tony Blair immediately praised his contribution to the Labour movement. He was a Foreign Office minister in 2004 and was active in the House of Lords until his death.
In a statement issued by Dartington Trust, (published in full below), Lord Triesman is hailed as the “architect of its turnaround strategy, laying a foundation for stability that will benefit this organisation for years to come.”
Chair David Buchler, who took over from Lord Triesman just weeks ago, and interim CEO Robert Fedder, praised his “wise counsel” on Dartington’s board of trustees.
The football mad peer – he was a prominent supporter of Tottenham Hotspur FC and held the chairmanship of the Football Association for two years – took the helm of DHT in March 2023.
He declared the charity needed urgent action to stave off bankruptcy. Under his management the Trust cut its ties with the Schumacher College and ended the long-running summer music school in its traditional form. As part of cost cutting, staff numbers fell from 360 to around 200.
The Trust in its announcement declared that “..the troubled Trust and Dartington Estate that he found on joining would not exist today without the mission he undertook.”
In an email interview with Totnes Pulse in November 2024 (here) Lord Triesman revealed that when he looked at the books he realised that almost none of the Trust’s activities were making
money. By far the biggest loser of cash, he said, was the Schumacher College. He also said the previous board’s sale of land and assets was a “poor strategic choice.”
The cost cutting measures and introduction of commercial operators to the estate has been criticised by some who mourn what they see as the loss of the old Elmhirst ethos. The estate was reborn in 1925 when bought by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst and the centenary was marked with a documentary about their work. The estate became a place of refuge for artists, writers, dancers from war torn Europe and its progressive school and arts college – both shut years ago – were renown world-wide.
However Lord Triesman robustly defended the Trust’s more commercial approach under his leadership. As he told the Pulse: “When you have faced the prospect of the Administrators taking control you do try to improve everything you can. And some people won’t like it. The worst legacy I could leave would be to have arrived, found nobody at the wheel, the rocks just metres away, and not tried to do something about it.”
In a statement to the press Sir Tony Blair said: ”He was a gentle, genuine, good guy who put others before himself naturally and without hesitation.”
Lord Triesman leaves behind his wife Lucy and their daughter Ilona.
Official Dartington Estate Statement
It is with great sadness that the Board of Trustees of Dartington Hall Trust (DHT) announces the death of Lord (David) Triesman, Trustee and Chair Emeritus.
David was appointed Chair of DHT in spring 2023 and, quite simply, the troubled Trust and Dartington Estate that he found on joining would not exist today without the mission he undertook. Discovering the full extent of Dartington’s fragile financial position, he immediately became the architect of its turnaround strategy, laying a foundation for stability that will benefit this organisation for years to come.
A man focused on action and positive outcomes, rather than statements of culture and intent, David’s unwavering commitment saw his tenure as Chair and Trustee defined by pivotal achievements: guided by his steady hand at the helm, the Board and Executive Management navigated significant challenges including a major organisational restructuring, substantial operational changes and a refinancing.
Others will write extensively about David’s remarkable and illustrious career as an academic, trade union leader, sports administrator, government minister and banker. These achievements and experiences informed and underpinned the wise counsel we will miss terribly. Promoting a renewed integrity and collective purpose within the Board, of which robust and open debate was key, David’s sense of accountability and unwavering moral compass drove his leadership at Dartington. He has left an indelible mark on the Trust and a profound legacy.
Our thoughts are with David’s wife, Lucy, and his daughter, Anna Ilona.
May he rest in peace.
David Buchler Chair
Robert Fedder Interim CEO