Sir Denis Fitzgerald Desmond, KCVO,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 1943) is a retired British company director and public administrator, who was Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry from 2000 to 2018. Desmond was born in 1943, the son of an army officer. He served as an officer in the Territorial Army from 1964 to 1969, for the two years as aide-de-camp to

Governor of Northern Ireland The governor of Northern Ireland was the principal officer and representative in Northern Ireland of the British monarch. The office was established on 9 December 1922 and abolished on 18 July 1973. Overview The office of Governor of Northern I ...

. In 1970, he became chairman of Desmond and Sons Ltd, his family's clothing business; he stepped down as chairman in 2005. He also sat on the board of

Ulster Bank Ulster Bank is one of the traditional Big Four Irish clearing banks. The Ulster Bank Group was subdivided into two separate legal entities: National Westminster Bank Plc, trading as Ulster Bank (registered in England and Wales and operating i ...

in the 1990s and was council member for

The Prince's Trust The King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by Charles III, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds w ...

Northern Ireland between 2008 and 2012."Desmond, Sir Denis (Fitzgerald)"
''Who's Who'' (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2018). Retrieved 6 June 2019."Sir Denis Desmond KCVO CBE receives the Freedom of the Borough"
''Borough of Causeway Coast and Glens'', 27 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019. In the public sphere, Desmond was High Sheriff of County Londonderry in 1974, and appointed a deputy lieutenant in 1992, eight years before he became

lord lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1989 and a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 2018 (on his retirement as lord lieutenant). He has received honorary doctorates from the

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

and the

Ulster University Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

, and in 2018 received the Freedom of the Borough of Causeway Coast and Glens.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desmond, Denis Living people 1943 births Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Businesspeople from Northern Ireland