Bereavement Services E-Conference

Howard Pickard
Managing Director
Resomation Limited

Howard holds a B.Tech (Hons) degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Loughborough University and an MBA from Leeds University. He has over 30 years’ experience of engineering and became Managing Director of his 5th generation family business in 1995 taking over from his Father, David.

Resomation Limited, established in 2007, is a company dedicated to the global introduction of a sustainable alternative to burial and flame cremation. Resomation Ltd became part of LBBC Group in 2016 as the key equipment for a system is supplied within divisions of LBBC Group. As our impact on the world’s precious resources becomes ever more apparent, the need to act increases, the bereavement sector should also respond and adopt more sustainable activities.

Resomation is an alternative to flame cremation, it has a lower Carbon footprint (GWP) and no harmful air emissions. The adoption of Resomation in other countries is growing and is recognised as a significant way that the funeral sector can reduce its CO2 emissions, thus enabling it to meet the 2050 net zero carbon emissions target.

Sam Langford
Founder and Director
Gaia Workplace Wellbeing Ltd

Sam has a background of twenty years’ experience in public service, working for the police, immigration, prisons, and civil service, including 10 years as a Crime Scene Investigator.

Sam’s elder brother died by auto-erotic asphyxiation aged 21, when she was 16. Her entire working career has involved navigating the taboo of not only death, but the nature of that death. Over this time, she has experienced the very best, and the very worst responses and support for bereaved individuals in the workplace.

Sam’s work and personal experience has evolved into a strong ethos to support others, particularly regarding the effects of exposure to potentially traumatic work, and grief, loss, and bereavement. She is a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) Manager and Trainer with March on Stress, holds the NEBOSH National Certificate in the Management of Workplace Health and Wellbeing, and a Masters degree in Workplace Health and Wellbeing.

Sam is also a member of the Leadership Team of the Let’s Improve Workplace Wellbeing CIC, where she is the lead on Bereavement in the workplace.

Michelle Smith
Founder and Director
National Grief and Bereavement Association

Michelle has over 20 years experience of working in specialist palliative care and oncology as a clinical nurse specialist.

During that time, she has worked with people of all ages as they begin to comprehend the news of a life limiting diagnosis and alongside those people, she has supported their family and friends as they have moved from anticipatory grief to bereavement.

In her more recent career, Michelle has held senior leadership positions in large third sector organisations including lead UK mobile cancer information specialist for Macmillan Cancer Support.

To build on this experience, Michelle also holds NLP and Compassion Fatigue qualifications and this year, established the National Grief and Bereavement Association.

Helen Chandler
General Manager
Kindly Earth

Helen holds a BA (Hons) degree in English and History and is a highly experienced funeral professional, having worked in the funeral sector for more than thirty years, primarily with Coop Funeralcare where she held a number of senior operational roles. She also spent time in the Life Planning (funeral plans), Commercial and Marketing teams there.

Helen is extremely passionate about offering the best possible care and service for the bereaved and her key motivation at work is in ensuring that everything is done with the needs of the bereaved at heart.

Having been aware of Resomation for many years, she joined Directors, Howard Pickard and Julian Atkinson at Kindly Earth early in 2023, taking the opportunity to develop awareness and understanding of Resomation in the UK, both within the funeral industry and more broadly with the public.

Helen says ‘I truly believe that people in the UK will benefit from Resomation as a credible alternative end-of-life option and one which can also be kinder to the environment.’ She is a proud Northumbrian, where she lives with her partner and her Westie.

Jade Gani
CEO & Head of Private Client
Circe Law

Jade specialises in Wills, Probate, Power of Attorney, Trusts & Estate Planning and Estate Administration and has recently established her own law firm, Circe Law Ltd, based in Taplow and specialising in Private Client matters. Jade is a Director for Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), Presiding Judge for the STEP PCAs 2023 and a Community Ambassador for Thames Hospice.

Jade is also the Director and Co-Founder of the Wishing Will Foundation – an excellent cause aiming to raise funds to support end-of-life, palliative care and respite hospices in the Thames Valley area, as well as raising additional funds for other incredibly important, local charities supporting the community. Jade has an impressive portfolio of awards and achievements, including ‘Young Practitioner of the Year’, ‘Industry Champion’ and numerous other Private Client team awards to add to her already overflowing mantlepiece of achievements.

Wendy Buchan
Executive Officer & Secretary
The Cremation Society

Wendy joined The Cremation Society in 2018, taking on the role of Executive Officer and Secretary in February 2021.
Wendy’s background is in the legal field where she practised as a Private Client lawyer. Wendy’s Private Client work included wills, probate, powers of attorney, elderly clients’ affairs, trusts and tax planning.
As part of the work of The Cremation Society, Wendy has been involved in a cross-organisation working group looking at the current provision of public health funerals, as well as being involved in a number of other sector working groups. The Cremation Society is also one of the members of the Deceased Management Advisory Group (DMAG) that was formed at the beginning of the pandemic to work closely with government to ensure that funerals continued to be provided and bereaved families’ needs met.

This event is Carbon Neutral!

For 2023, Finders have pledged to offset the carbon usage of all our online event activities. To do so, we will be planting 1 tree for each virtual event we host. 

You can be rest assured that tuning into this webinar will contribute to your individual and firms goal towards reducing your carbon footprint! Read more about our Carbon Footprint pledge here.

Help us, help you, help others…

If you have watched this event, we would love your feedback! Please click here to leave us feedback on what you thought about this event.

For every feedback form filled, we will donate £1 to our chosen charities for 2023 – Keep Britain Tidy. Read more about our chosen charities here.