On the move: the latest East Midlands hires
East Midlands-based funeral director A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service has appointed a new Senior Funeral Director for the West Notts area to lead an all-female team.
Kirby Cranshaw, 34, stepped into the new position at the start of October after joining the family funeral directors’ Wollaton funeral home in 2020.
Cranshaw joins the team of six senior funeral directors working across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and most recently Leicestershire, following the opening of A.W. Lymn’s 28th funeral home in Bottesford.
As part of her new role, she will oversee the funeral directors working in the Wollaton, Beeston, Stapleford, Aspley and Long Eaton funeral homes in both a professional and pastoral capacity.
Her team is made up of all women, reflecting a change in what has historically been a male-dominated profession.
She will maintain her close link to the community by continuing to direct funerals and engage with the local community.
Cranshaw said: “I’ve known ever since that first bit of work experience that working in the funeral industry is what I was put on this earth to do. It’s about making someone’s final journey perfect, helping people through some of the most difficult times and making it just a little bit easier.”
“I’d always known of and dreamed of working for A.W. Lymn, but because I lived in Lincoln, I didn’t think it would be possible. I’d seen their service brochures and the way they operate, and their approach aligned with me. In my previous role as a branch manager, I’d had to step away from directly working with and supporting families. Joining A.W. Lymn allowed me to get back to what I was passionate about, which is building relationships in the community.
“I’m incredibly proud to have been promoted to Senior Funeral Director and take on a new level of responsibility within the business. What makes A.W. Lymn so unique is that despite taking on a more managerial role, I still get to conduct funerals and be hands on with the families, which is highly important to me and will always be my priority.”
Managing director, Matthew Lymn Rose, added: “Ever since Kirby joined the team in 2020, we have been incredibly impressed by her commitment to the job, and her devotion to embodying our core values and ethos in everything she does. We have no doubts that Kirby will excel in her new role supporting her colleagues across the west area, and we look forward to seeing her continue to grow professionally as she takes on this new challenge.”
National law firm Shakespeare Martineau has announced 18 promotions across a variety of teams and locations, including eight in Nottingham, Leicester and Lincoln.
Effective November 2024, Nottingham-based Hannah Awcock and Rebecca Jones-Fox and Leicester-based Emma Ali and Alex Ryan have all been promoted to legal director.
Promoted to associate are Charley McEvoy in Leicester; Natalie Thorpe and Josh Morley in Nottingham; and Calum Hanrahan in Lincoln.
Legal director Hannah Awcock advises on all aspects of commercial property transactions and specialises in development finance for banks and other funders. She has particular expertise in dealing with unregistered land.
Also in the commercial property team, Emma Ali is involved in the acquisition and disposal of land and property, the grant and renewal of commercial leases, residential lease extensions, and other property matters. Emma also advises housing associations on property law matters.
Rebecca Jones-Fox works in the real estate and energy team with a focus on high-volume transactions for utility clients. Jones-Fox has experience working with the country’s largest utility network operators.
Alex Ryan, who is in the dispute resolution team, deals with a wide variety of complex and high-value disputes, often in the High Court, including those relating to breach of contract as well as corporate disputes, including breach of warranty and shareholder disputes. He also handles healthcare disputes, particularly involving the CQC and contentious procurement matters.
Promoted to associate, Charley McEvoy works in the corporate team; Natalie Thorpe is a dispute resolution expert; and Josh Morley is a legal planner. Calum Hanrahan specialises in immigration.
Victoria Tester, managing director at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “I am thrilled to see so many of our existing and emerging leaders promoted across such a broad range of teams and office hubs. Developing home-grown talent is hugely important; we know that our investments in training and coaching pay back dividends in the quality of service our people provide to our clients and in the way they pay it forward in supporting their colleagues who are just starting their careers with us. Congratulations to all who have taken this significant step in their careers.”
