Dignity’s largest shareholder looks to oust executive chairman

The largest shareholder of funeral services provider Dignity has called a general meeting to consider removing the company’s executive chairman.

Phoenix UK Fund, which owns 29.9% of Dignity, wants to remove Clive Whiley and appoint Gary Channon as an executive director.

Channon is the founder and chief investment officer of Phoenix Asset Management Partners, which manages Phoenix UK Fund.

Dignity said it will respond to the requisition and asked shareholders to give no commitments to Phoenix.

Whiley, the chairman of Mothercare, was appointed as non-executive chairman in September 2019, and agreed to temporarily step up to the role of executive chairman following the departure of chief executive Mike McCollum in April last year.