Neville Funerals has appointed Charmian Alexander to the newly created role of General Manager.
Charmian has more than 25 years’ experience in the funeral sector, working her way up from trainee to funeral director and most recently, regional manager for Co-op Funeralcare where she oversaw more than 100 branches across North and South London.
The appointment comes at an exciting time for Neville Funerals following its recent corporate rebrand. Charmian will work alongside the senior management team to support the company’s eight branches in delivering excellent service to the communities they serve. Charmian commented: “I was already very familiar with Neville Funerals as they have an excellent reputation within the industry. Their values are very much aligned with my own, so I was delighted to be offered this opportunity.
“Having worked in national chains for most of my career I was really excited about the prospect of joining an independent, family owned firm. It offers me the opportunity to play a role in the direction of the business and influence the impact we have within the local communities. It’s a very close knit team of highly skilled people who are passionate about what they do and I’m looking forward to putting my skills and experience to good use.”
One of Charmian’s roles will be fostering partnerships and relationships within the community. “One of the things which really appealed to me about Neville Funerals was their commitment to not only offering exceptional service, but to supporting the communities in which they operate,” added Charmian.
“Building relationships within the local community is extremely important to me. You can’t serve people at such an emotional time if they don’t know and trust you. It doesn’t end at the funeral either. The work the company does in providing bereavement support is vital and is definitely an area we want to expand further.”
A career in the funeral industry may not be the first choice for some people but for Charmian, it’s the best job in the world. “Before I joined the funeral sector I was a nurse working with the elderly as part of the bereavement suite at Watford General Hospital. It was always extremely important to me that families got to spend time together at the end and a friend of mine who was a funeral director at the time suggested it could be a good fit for me. I made the leap and never looked back.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I love my job. I know that may sound a little strange as it’s not for everyone. It takes a special sort of person to be able to support others through one of the most difficult times in their lives. It really is a vocation which is why I have such respect for the whole team here. For me, the measure of success has always been whether the service provided would be what I would want for my own family. I feel enormous pride when I know we’ve achieved that.”
Vicky Trumper, Director of Neville Funerals commented: “We have built our reputation on trust and recommendation, and it’s the skills and expertise of the people behind the brand that have achieved this. Charmian will be an excellent addition to the Neville Funerals team. Her experience will be invaluable and her appointment will strengthen our leadership team and provide a much-needed resource as we look to expand our reach across the region.”