(Reuters) -UK funeral services provider Dignity Plc said on Monday it appointed industry veteran Kate Davidson as its chief executive officer, just months after she joined the board.
Davidson will have her hands full once she takes up the top role on June 10 as the London-listed company earlier this year had warned of lower annual profit with easing coronavirus pandemic creating uncertainties.
Britain saw an unprecedented rise in funerals in the past two years because of the pandemic, but mass vaccination campaigns have helped curb the severity of new cases.
Davidson, who has got over 15 years of experience in the funeral and crematoria industry, has been serving as Dignity's chief operating officer for about an year now and was added to the board in January.
The CEO-designate Davidson, 37, has been instrumental in delivering a number of high priority strategic and commercial programmes over the past one year.
"Whilst my long-term aim is to build a strong and enduring business that delivers a high quality service, I am passionate about shaping a new organisational culture within what is a fairly traditional industry," Davidson said in a statement.
Davidson will take up the CEO role from Gary Channon, who will stand down as a director following the annual general meeting on June 9, but will continue to support the board as an adviser on strategic matters such as the group's capital structure.