Howard Hodgson, founder and CEO of Memoria Limited and previous CEO of Hodgson Holdings plc, has announced that he is stepping down from the business due to ill health.
Howard has been a pioneering figure in the UK funeral sector for over 50 years. He became an apprentice funeral director in 1968 before taking over his family’s ailing funeral director business in 1975. Under his tenure he took the business from having one branch to 569 by 1991.
The company was listed on the USM in 1986 as Hodgson Holdings plc and Howard become a well-known figure in British business circles. He was named ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 1987, as well as one of ‘Maggie’s Dozen Businessmen of the Decade’ by the Sunday Times that same year while their colour supplement nick-named him ‘Mr Death’.
Hodgson Holdings plc completely revolutionised the machinations of the UK funeral industry as it became a stock exchange darling with shares rising nearly 400% in one year. In 1991 Howard sold his shares to PFG of France.
In 2003, Howard formed the Memoria group to build and operate crematoria. He built 18 over the next 21 years and added funeral directing and financial service divisions during this time. Memoria were also the first crematorium group to introduce both mercury abatement (2005) and electric cremators (2020) in a drive to improve the environmental impact of the bereavement industry.
Memoria was acquired by the Darwin Bereavement Services Fund in 2021, but Howard stayed on as CEO to manage the business.
In a statement Hodgson announced, “While I have received many accolades over the years, I’m aware that my finest achievement is Memoria because it was built on the secure foundation that it was 100% committed to the standards of service and facility that it offered all clientele.
“The result has been the organic growth in a company built on a ‘do unto others as you would have done unto you’ principle which has led to unrivalled client satisfaction and staff dedication.”
James Penney, Chairman of Darwin Alternative Investment Management Limited, said of Mr Hodgson’s departure “It has been an absolute pleasure and huge privilege to have worked so closely with Howard over the past three years. It is a real sadness that his health has forced him to retire at this point. His impact on the industry has been immense and will continue to be felt for generations to come.”
On the advice of doctors, Howard has taken the decision to retire with immediate effect. James Penney, Chairman of Memoria since the acquisition by Darwin in 2021, is taking on the role of Executive Chairman.