Our People

Leadership Team

Neil McCausland

Chairman

Neil has been Chairman of many prestigious organisations for the last 25 years and has served on Boards of many companies across healthcare and retail – companies such as Kurt Geiger, Karen Millen, Snow and Rock, Nuffield Health, Create Fertility and Joules. In addition to Westerleigh, he currently chairs a healthcare business called PHL Group, which operates across both urgent and primary care for the NHS.

Debbie Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Debbie is CEO of Westerleigh Group, which also includes Distinct Cremations, a D2C provider of direct funeral plans and cremations. 

She is a highly accomplished business leader with extensive Executive and Board level experience across the UK and Ireland, predominantly in large, complex, customer-facing organisations in regulated markets including Boots UK and Ireland now Walgreens Boots Alliance.  

Debbie has also worked with many NFP organisations previously being on the board of Business in the Community Ireland, Deputy Chair of Business in the Community Place Leadership Team in the UK and a member of the Development Board of Dementia UK. 

Debbie is a purpose and values-driven leader who is renowned for putting customers at the heart of the business, building high-performance teams and leading cultural change to deliver business growth. 

Ed Lane

Managing Director - Crematoria and Cemeteries

Ed leads Crematoria and Cemeteries, with responsibility for a national portfolio of crematoria, cemeteries, AKLander and associated services. He brings extensive experience in leading complex, multi-site businesses with a strong track record in operational excellence, commercial performance, transformation and customer-focused innovation.

Ed has held senior leadership and executive roles across the bereavement, retail and healthcare sectors, including with The Co-op, Virgin, Dixons and Apple. He is committed to delivering high-quality services for families and communities, while building a values-led, high-performance culture for colleagues.

Hugh Longland

Managing Director - Westerleigh Funeral Plans and Distinct Cremations

Hugh leads funeral planning with responsibility for a range of products and a growing network of funeral director partners with the focus on positive customer outcomes in a highly regulated environment.  

Passionate about delivering outstanding service and value to customers, he has extensive experience in later life planning and building propositions that meet evolving customer needs.

Hugh has a strong track record of value creation in private equity-backed and regulated consumer businesses. He has led organisations through growth, transformation and operating model change, with a clear focus on long-term enterprise value, customer experience, and delivering genuinely customer-centric outcomes.

Amy Marsh

HR Director

Amy joined Westerleigh Group as HR Director in October 2020 following a 25-year career in global fashion and UK multi-sited retail businesses. She brings a breadth of experience across business operations, organisation change and transformation, colleague engagement, and people management practices. Whilst shaping the strategic intent of a business and creating an aligned people agenda, Amy enjoys working in partnership with leaders on activities that create value for the business and make a real difference for colleagues.

Ian McArdle

Chief Property Officer

Ian joined Westerleigh Group in October 2018 to lead the property and development team. Prior to joining Westerleigh, Ian was Managing Director of GP Group, a leading UK investor and developer in the healthcare sector. Prior to that, Ian was a Director of AWG Development Ltd, a major UK property developer where he was responsible for their commercial development business throughout England and Wales.

Daniel Carre-Bishop

Chief Financial Officer

Daniel is an experienced and accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience in lifestyle hospitality, real estate, and FMCG sectors, including more than a decade as Chief Financial Officer and Interim CEO for a large European Lifestyle Hospitality operator. Before Westerleigh, he spent time as Chief Financial Officer at Edyn Hospitality for 10 years, overseeing significant growth and expansion.

Daniel is a purpose-led leader who specialises in providing strategic and commercial-oriented financial leadership, operational transformation and driving sustainable growth. He is known for optimising profitability, embedding strong controls and guiding organisations through complex change across multinational environments and businesses ranging from SMEs to PLCs. He is renowned for putting the customer at the centre of business strategy.

Dave Moore

IT Director

Dave has spent over 25 years in the funeral industry, having led, developed and implemented systems that have made it easier for consumers to access funeral services. He prides himself on developing simple yet excellent experiences for consumers. 

Core Operations Team

Alan Jose

Westerleigh Ambassador

Alan has spent his long career in crematoria and cemeteries since leaving college, working in both the private and public sector in several different parts of the country.

Alan joined Westerleigh Group in 2013 and continues to be closely involved with all aspects of the funeral sector. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Crematorium and Cemetery Management and is also a Director.  Alan is currently a National President of the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities and he sits on the Executive Committee. Alan also serves on the Executive Committee of the Funeral Suppliers Association, has close links with a number of Funeral Director Trade Associations, and represents Westerleigh Group on Government working groups.

When not working, Alan enjoys holidays and Jaguar cars, often combined.

Charmian Alexander

Head of Division

Charmian joined Westerleigh Group in June 2023 with over 25 years of experience within the funeral profession having held senior positions in Co-op funeral care and most recently as a Director of Neville funerals. She is a people-focused leader who puts bereaved families at the heart of everything she does. 

Darren Daughters

Head of Division

Since 2021, Darren has worked across the South region as Divisional Operations Manager, supporting Westerleigh Group crematoria from Norfolk through London to Kent, alongside overseeing the memorial aspects of the business, including AK Lander Stone Masons.

In December 2023, he was appointed Head of Division. Having gained experience across all areas of crematoria operations, Darren has developed extensive industry knowledge, enabling him to support Westerleigh crematoria in delivering the highest standards of care and service to families.

Liam Gladwin

Head of Division

Liam brings with him a wealth of experience from the hospitality and retail sectors, with a strong record of delivering exceptional results across customer experience, team engagement, and commercial performance. Prior to joining Westerleigh has held a range of senior roles spanning Field Operations, Central Operations, Estate Development and Consultancy and joined us most recently from Marston’s, where he was a Regional Operations Director. 

Outside of work, Liam is a keen climber, runner, and rider, and enjoys spending time outdoors with his two young sons.

Matthew Brook

Head of Division

Matt has been with Westerleigh Group since early 2017, holding a variety of roles across operations, commercial, memorialisation and partnerships. He now leads a division with a focus on operational performance and service delivery.

With a background in Health and Social Care prior to joining Westerleigh, Matt’s passion for supporting families has been a constant throughout his career. He is committed to delivering the highest standards of care for the bereaved through exceptional service at our crematoria, and is a strong advocate for personalised services, believing that no two goodbyes are the same.

Rachel Newham

Head of Business Development

Rachel joined Distinct in November 2021 as Business Partnerships Manager, overseeing our direct relationships with Funeral Directors, commercial agreements and the relationships with SAIF & NAFD. She has 14 years’ experience in the funeral industry having spent 11 of those at Dignity.  Rachel has first-class experience in Corporate Partnerships, having managed many large corporate partners, including Skipton, Leeds, YBS & Nottingham Building Societies. Prior to this, Rachel spent 17 years at LTSB, in varying roles including Regional Management and Business Development Manager.  

Michael Corish

Head of Business Development

Michael joined Westerleigh Group at the start of 2025 to lead the launch Westerleigh Funeral Plans for funeral directors. Focussed on supporting local funeral directors to keep funerals local, and by providing them with access to the exclusive Westerleigh Cremation Fee Guarantee, this new range of funeral plans was launched within six months.

Having achieved this, Michael was then asked to take up a new role as Head of Business Development in 2026, a central remit of which is to help grow the network of funeral director Introducer Appointed Representatives offering Westerleigh Funeral Plans. This was to go alongside an expanded span of responsibility focussed on increasing Westerleigh’s market share of cremations in the UK.

Having been a member of the Board for a leading funeral plan company in the past, and against a background of senior commercial roles throughout his 30-plus-year career, Michael is a welcome addition to the Westerleigh team.

Emily Skelton

Head of Business Development

Emily joined Westerleigh Group in February 2025 as Head of Masonry and Service Delivery and now holds the role of Head of Business Development. With over 15 years of experience in the funeral profession, she has developed a strong understanding of the industry and the importance of building meaningful relationships within it.

Throughout her career, Emily has worked across operational leadership, regional management, auditing and training, giving her a well-rounded perspective and a practical, people-focused approach. Emily’s focus has always been on people, both her customers and her teams. She works intuitively and empathetically, building trust and strong relationships while delivering positive results and experiences for those she works with.

In her current role, Emily is focused on strengthening existing relationships, developing new connections and continuing to support the profession with insight, care and experience.

Kevin Davies

Head of New Site Operations and Technical Training

Kevin’s career started in engineering before starting a printing company specialising in business forms, suppling a number of blue-chip companies. He moved to the crematoria sector in 1998 working at Telford Crematorium whilst being involved with the construction and subsequent management of Llanelli Crematorium which opened in 2002, which he managed until its acquisition by Westerleigh Group at the end of 2014.

Kevin became Regional Manager for the South West and Wales, to oversee strategic operations across all crematoria in this region, the role which later evolved into Head of Division. Kevin’s extensive experience of the bereavement sector, crematoria management and operations help us maintain exceptionally standards of care and quality and forge positive relationship with the funeral director community.

Giles Palmer

Head of Grounds

Giles joined Westerleigh Group in the spring of 2021, bringing 25 years of experience in the curation, conservation and development of historic and botanical gardens, nature reserves and outdoor public spaces. 

He has led native species conservation projects within the UK and collaborated on projects as far afield as Vietnam. Gardens of note include Chartwell, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie's Greenway and the RHS accredited Coleton Fishacre.

Giles could not wait to get started in the bereavement industry and stated: ‘Throughout my career I have witnessed first-hand how people instinctively reach for the comfort of plants and nature in times of need. It is a privilege to ensure our gardens provide solace for bereaved families when grieving the passing of a loved one, and the opportunity to celebrate the full circle of life.’

Jason King M.ICCM (Dip)

Head of Quality & Standards

Jason began his career at Westerleigh Group in 1997. During this time he has gained vast experience and practical knowledge on the setting up and management of cemeteries and crematoria and is part of the company’s technical team.

He has managed several Westerleigh sites including Forest Park, Parndon Wood and Woollensbrook. He is a Diploma holder in the Institute of Cemetery & Crematorium Management and he prides himself in providing the highest standards of care to the bereaved.

Leigh Oldfield

Head of Estates & Facilities

Leigh joined Westerleigh in 2020, to set up central FM support and delivery for the business. He has over 20 years of experience managing facilities across multi-site portfolios within different sectors including Retail, Leisure, Housing and Distribution. He is a member of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) and is committed to ensuring compliance, delivering business objectives, and providing excellent service to his customers.

Rob Metcalf

Divisional Operations Manager

Rob recently stepped into the role of Divisional Operations Manager in 2024, having worked as part of Westerleigh since 2014. During his time he has become experienced in all aspects of this most sensitive of professions. Robert has a vast knowledge of Memorials, Cremating and Caring for the bereaved. He grew up around the industry with his father Bob Metcalf MBE being a funeral director for over 25 years. This experience enables Robert to carry out his role with the utmost care and respect.

Hannah Bain

Divisional Operations Manager

Hannah joined the Westerleigh Group as the Site Manager of The Forest of Dean Crematorium in February 2016, following an 8-year career in Retail Management. One of Hannah’s biggest achievements was becoming one of the youngest Manager’s in Retail at the age of 17.

During her time with Westerleigh, Hannah has continued the running of the site at The Forest of Dean Crematorium whilst taking on the additional promotions of Multi-Site manager in 2019, Regional Support Manager for the Wales and South West Region in 2020 and becoming the Divisional Operations Manager for the Hanham Division in May 2022.

Hannah loves working for Westerleigh Group, as she gets to support as many people as possible whether that be colleagues or community at such a difficult time in their lives.

Claire Butcher

Divisional Operations Manager

Claire joined the funeral sector in September 2010 as an administrator at West Suffolk Cemetery & Crematorium and is a perfect example of Westerleigh Group’s internal progression and development of its colleagues.

In December 2015, Claire was appointed as Assistant Manager at West Suffolk Cemetery & Crematorium, which coincided with the building and opening of a new chapel and Hospitality Suite. Then in June 2018 Claire was appointed as the Manager of the newly opened Cam Valley Crematorium at Great Chesterford which she successfully managed until August 2021 when she returned to West Suffolk Cemetery & Crematorium as the Site Manager & Registrar.

Claire was delighted with the latest progression opportunity into the role of Divisional Operations Manager which she started in December 2023.