Alain Lisbona
British-French banker and former Betar activist (born 1972)
| Alain Lisbona | |
|---|---|
| Image | 
|
| Born | March 1972 France |
| Died | |
| Nationality | French |
| Residence | Occupied Palestine |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Finance director at Barclays in Tel Aviv; early involvement with Betar |
| Parents | |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie Lisbona (née Cohen) |
| Children | |
| Sibling(s) | |
| Website | |
Alain Lisbona is a French-born banker based in Israel and London. He serves as Director of Finance, Financial Reporting at Barclays.[1] In his youth he was a member of the right-wing Jewish youth group Betar and was convicted in a Paris court in 1998 for his part in a 1991 violent incident involving Nazi sympathisers.[2]
Early life
Born in March 1972 in France, Alain Lisbona was active in the militant Jewish supremacist youth movement Betar as a young man. On 28 February 1991, as part of a group of around 30 Betar members who attacked those attending a meeting to commemorate writer Marc Augier, who 'during the war was the editor of the French Waffen SS newspaper'. The attack involved the use of 'baseball bats and tear-gas'. Several of those attacked 'were seriously hurt, including an elderly woman who was paralysed'. The attack injured 11 people. In March 1998 a Paris court sentenced him (aged 25) and co-defendant David Hadjadi to six-month suspended jail terms and fines of £2,600 each.[2]
The report continued:
- Mr Hadjadi and Mr Lisbona told the French Jewish weekly, Actualité Juive, that they had aimed ‘to provoke a public disturbance, so that the French authorities would outlaw such meetings. ‘We failed, since we appeared in court, on the wrong side of the fence,’ said Mr Lisbona. The two appealed in the article for donations to help pay their fines.
- Betar is connected to the Likud party. Jacques Kupfer, president of Likud-France, told the JC the court’s sentencing of Mr Hadjadi and Mr Lisbona had been ‘outrageous.’ ‘The guilt of the two youths wasn’t proven in court,’ he maintained.
- Commenting on the issues raised by the trial, Mr Kupfer declared that it was impossible to reason with anti-Semites. ‘There is only one language they clearly understand: a smack in the gob. It’s the universal language that should be used with them.’ Several months ago, three men entered the offices of a Palestinian charity and attacked its manager. When asked about this incident, Mr Kupfer declined to comment on allegations that the three may have had links to Betar. Generally, however, he said he was ‘not going to shed tears’ over an attack on a group which he alleged had links to the Hamas organisation. ‘It’s scandalous that such an office is officially allowed to open in France.’ Mr Kupfer went on to say, ‘The physical training of our organisation is not meant for attack, but for defence.’[2]
It is not known if Lisbona was one of those who invaded the office and assaulted the Palestinian charity manager.
Career
Alain Lisbona has spent most of his professional life in finance, primarily with Barclays.
| Period | Role | Organisation | Location | Key responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1995 – Feb 1998 | Assistant Manager | Deloitte France | Greater Paris Metropolitan Region | Analysed client businesses, risks and controls; conducted acquisition due diligence; delivered internal training.[3] |
| Mar 1998 – Dec 1999 | Management Accountant | SWT (EMC) | Greater Paris Metropolitan Region | Implemented cost-monitoring processes; prepared monthly operating-margin reports; supported acquisition project.[3] |
| Jan 2000 – Sep 2004 | Manager, Audit and Risk Advisory | KPMG UK | London Area, United Kingdom | Led risk-based reviews for financial-services clients; advised on valuation methods and performance models; presented reports to group management.[3] |
| Sep 2004 – Dec 2006 | Managing Director | Imperial MGL Ltd | Greater Derby Area | Launched and grew new business venture to £1m turnover; expanded workforce from 3 to 12; opened production unit generating 60% of sales.[3] |
| Dec 2006 – Jul 2011 | Director, Finance, Governance | Barclays | London Area, United Kingdom | Oversaw internal process governance and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance; escalated control gaps to Board Audit Committee; provided regulatory guidance.[3] |
| Aug 2011 – present | Director, Finance, Financial Reporting | Barclays | London / Tel-Aviv | Responsible for external financial disclosures and regulatory capital data; produces >120 external reports annually; key contact for regulators and Board Audit Committee; leads team of up to 20.[3] |
Company appointments
Alain Lisbona has held the following appointments at Companies House:
| Company | Role | Appointed | Resigned | Company number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Stonemasons Limited | Director | 19 August 2005 | 31 January 2006 | 05541567 |
| Imperial Stonemasons Limited | Secretary | 19 August 2005 | 31 August 2006 | 05541567 |
Business relationships with the Cohen/Hunter extended family
Alain Lisbona is married to journalist Natalie Lisbona (née Cohen), daughter of Kim S. Cohen (nee Hunter) and granddaughter of Kenneth Hunter.[5] In 2005–2006 he served as both director and secretary of Imperial Stonemasons Limited alongside members of his wife’s extended family: David Cohen (director 2007–2009) and Kevin Hunter (director 2005–2006). Other directors at the company included Hillel Schwartz and Nitzan Sterenfeld.
Lisbona was also a director of Imperial MGL Ltd along with extended family members including David Cohen (born Aug 1951, appointed, 01 Nov 2004), Michael Cohen (born Apr 1983, appointed 31 Aug 2006) and Kevin Hunter.[6] These appointments demonstrate direct business collaboration within the Cohen/Hunter family network.[4]
See also
Natalie Lisbona Betar (youth movement) Barclays
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 RocketReach, Alain Lisbona profile RocketReach, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Jewish Chronicle, "Paris court sentences young militant Jews", 6 March 1998.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 LinkedIn, Alain Lisbona profile LinkedIn, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Companies House, Imperial Stonemasons Limited officers Companies House, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ https://www.funeralguide.co.uk/obituaries/114447
- ↑ https://companycheck.co.uk/company/05216724/IMPERIAL-MGL-LIMITED/companies-house-data