Our People

Leadership Team

Neil McCausland

Chairman

Neil has been Chairman of many prestigious organisations for the last 20 years, and has served on Boards of many companies across healthcare, leisure and retail – companies such as Kurt Geiger, Karen Millen, Snow and Rock, Nuffield Health and Joules. In addition to Westerleigh, he currently chairs a fast growing chain of IVF clinics called Create Fertility.

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 joined Westerleigh In July 2021. Previously the Director of Operations with FirstCare, Ed has a wealth of sector experience from his time with the Co-op and brings a strong value set centred on exceptional colleague and client experiences.  Ed has held a number of senior key operational multi-site roles in the bereavement, retail and healthcare sectors, having worked for Virgin, Dixons, The Co-op and Apple during his career to date.

Hugh Longland

Interim Managing Director - Distinct Cremations

Hugh joined Distinct Cremations in September 2024 as Director of Performance Marketing before being promoted to Interim Managing Director in February 2025. Hugh has over 20 years of experience in senior brand, marketing and advertising roles including previous roles at Key Group and The Very Group. His robust skill set includes expertise in growth marketing, proposition development, strategic brand positioning and launching new brands.

Amy Marsh

HR Director

Amy joined Westerleigh as HR Director in October 2020 following a 25 year career in global fashion and UK retail businesses. She has a breadth of operational, business change and people experience across multi-site locations and whilst able to innovate and contribute to strategy, she likes nothing better than to roll her sleeves up and make a true difference with activities that will create value for the business and are important to colleagues. Amy is a member of the CIPD and actively participates in a number of professional associations, providing effective partnership and strong leadership.

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 23 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

Charmian Alexander

Director of Operational Services

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. 

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 a past 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.

Darren Daughters

Head of Division

Darren joined the funeral sector in May 2000 as a Crematorium Assistant at Kent County Crematorium where he became Assistant Manager in 2006. In 2010, when Westerleigh Group acquired Kent County Crematorium, Darren became its Site Manager and just one year later, he also took on the management of neighbouring Charing Crematorium.

Since 2021, Darren has been working across the South region, supporting other Westerleigh Group crematoria spanning from Norfolk, through London to Kent, as Divisional Operations Manager and in December 2023 took on the role of Head of Division. Having worked in all aspects of crematoria operations he has built up a vast knowledge of industry, which allows him to support Westerleigh crematoria in their vision to provide the highest levels of care to families.

Sharon Lindsey

Head of Division

Sharon joined Westerleigh Group in 2024, having spent the last 8 years at Coop Funeral Care where she started as a Care Centre Manager in 2016 and became a Regional Manager in 2017. When the opportunity arose to join Westerleigh as Head of Division, Sharon felt it would be the next step in her industry journey, enabling her to put to good use all of the experience gained in previous management roles and the Funeral Industry.

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 Partnerships and Propositions

Matt joined Westerleigh Group in 2017, initially as the Site Manager of Sedgemoor Crematorium before becoming a Dual Site Manager in March 2020. Matt moved over to become the Group’s Commercial and Operations Support Manager in May 2020 before being appointed as Head of Memorialisation in August 2021 and Head of Partnerships and Propositions from May 2023.

Matt has a management background in Health and Social care prior to joining Westerleigh which is where his passion for supporting families originated. He is passionate about providing the highest standards of care to the bereaved whether that is at one of our crematoria or in providing a long-lasting tribute to the lives of loved ones through memorialisation.

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.  

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.