Westerleigh Group Ambassador elected as FBCA Deputy President
Westerleigh Group Ambassador Alan José has been elected to serve as Deputy President for the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) which represents around 85% of all cremation authorities in the UK.
Alan, who has worked for Westerleigh Group for 12 years, previously held the post of Deputy President in 2018-19, followed by a year as the President during a very challenging year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He has served on the FBCA’s national executive committee since early 2016.
In Alan’s own words, his career in the bereavement sector began 'by accident' while he was at college training to be a land surveyor and an unexpected opportunity arose to join Beckenham Crematorium in South London as a clerk – and he never looked back.
He held bereavement-related roles for a number of local authorities before moving to Durham in 1989, spending 24 years as Superintendent of Durham Crematorium before joining Westerleigh Group in 2013.
He said: “I have always found my work very rewarding, and I am as passionate now as I have always been about ensuring that the bereaved, and the care and dignity of the deceased, are at the centre of all I do.
“I am proud to be elected as Deputy President of the FBCA, whose Code of Practice is almost universally-followed by UK crematoria, which is so important in upholding the high standards of operation of crematoria and the care and dignity of the deceased.”
Debbie Smith, CEO of Westerleigh Group, said: “We would like to congratulate Alan on his election, this is something that makes us feel immensely proud.
“It’s a fitting testament to his wealth of experience and high esteem he holds amongst our industry colleagues.
“This was borne out in 2022, when he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Good Funeral Awards. But if I know Alan, his work is far from done yet!
“He has been an excellent Ambassador for Westerleigh Group for many years and now, as Deputy President of the FBCA, serving alongside newly elected President David Clay, he gets to be an ambassador for the whole sector, too.”