National Education Day 2023

SAIF’s Education Day offers seven hours of information filled presentations, networking and an exhibition of specially selected funeral product and services. Additionally, attendees are welcome to join a networking dinner in the evening.

Booking for this event closed on Wednesday 7th June.

Venue: Leicester Marriott Hotel: Grove Park, Smith Way, Leicester LE19 1SW. Find directions on the hotel’s website. Parking is complementary. Please ensure you receive a parking ticket from SAIF’s registration desk to exit the car park.

Agenda: Read the agenda here.

Speaker: Melissa Dark MBE, UK Casualty Bureau Co-ordinator

Melissa has worked on been working for Police for 16 years, working in Major and Economic Crime Sponsored by directorates, before taking on her current role.

She has operationally responded to a number of mass fatality incidents these include; MH17, Croydon Tram derailment, the events of 2017, Essex Container Incident and Fishmongers Hall attack 2019.

As National Casualty Bureau Co-ordinator, Melissa has created and implemented  a new national Casualty Bureau course, to improve the national response and capability to victims and their families.

Speaker: Amy White, Head of Training & Wellbeing at Loch HR

Amy is an employment law solicitor and experienced trainer who heads up the Training and Wellbeing Division of Loch Associates Group. 

Amy uses her experience, expertise and passion for people management to present regularly on topics including employee wellbeing and mental health, managing menopause in the workplace and changes in employment law and HR best practice. She also shares her experience and knowledge by writing articles and is often asked to comment in the media, featuring on television too.

Nicola Jarmaine Dip FD, MIFDC, MBIFD 

Nicola has nearly twenty years funeral profession experience, starting as an arranger and PA. She was appointed as a funeral director covering six offices in Norfolk and Suffolk and began studying for her Diploma in Funeral Directing.  Nicola opened a new office for an independent company and also became involved with the Independent Funeral Directors College, assessing and training, then qualified as a verifier. Having abandoned her top hat, she now wears an IFD College hat, an inspector’s one for SAIF and also works for an organisation training civil celebrants. 

Speaker: Barbara Fowley MBIE

Speaker: Angela Maguire M.A., Managing Director of De Exeter House

Angela has had an extensive working career in the fields of education, mental health and addiction. She has worked within Social Work, as a senior counsellor for addiction supporting dysfunctional families.

She then set up her own stress management company, and worked throughout the UK and Ireland with large companies, assisting them to develop stress management training programmes, and support services for employees with mental health or addiction issues.

In 2010 Angela founded De Exeter House, a residential stress and rehabilitation facility based in Ireland.  De Exeter House provides the facilities for individuals to rebalance themselves, take time out, and be guided through an individually crafted programme designed to address their specific challenges.

Speaker: Dipesh Shah, Director of Remedies, Business and Financial Analysis, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)

Dipesh provides business and financial analysis to the CMA’s investigation teams and leads on the design and implementation of remedies to address the competition problems the teams find.

Dipesh worked on the CMA’s market investigation into the funerals sector and led on the design and implementation of the Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021. Dipesh is a Chartered Accountant and prior to joining the CMA, he worked for various financial advisory firms in the UK and Australia.

Current exhibitors:

• Bradnam Joinery
• Clarke & Strong
• Ecclesiastical Planning Services
• Frontline Communications Group
• Gateway Publishing
• Golden Charter
• Greenacres Portfolio Management Ltd
• Humanists
• JC Atkinson & Sons Ltd
• Laurelo Ltd
• Loch HR
• Obitus
• Memographics Ltd
• Musgrove Willows Ltd
• SAIF Insure
• SAIFSupport / SAIFCare
• Signature Aromas
• Westerleigh Group

Bookings have now closed.