Personal life:

From a Jewish background, Desmond grew up in north London and left school at 14. His first job was for Thomson Newspapers, working in classified advertisements. He moved on to another company and by the age of 21 he owned two record shops. He acquired an interest in publishing and in 1974 published a magazine called International Musician and Recording World.
He is prominent in several Jewish charitable institutions and in 2006 was appointed to head Norwood, which is devoted to helping children in need.
Desmond currently lives in north London.