InvoCare

A New Era

“Helping our local communities, offering personal attention – showing our commitment to the families we are privileged to serve”

The parent company of funeral home brands such as White Lady, Simplicity, Le Pine, Purslowe, Blackwell, George Hartnett and Guardian along with cemeteries and crematoria such as Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens, Pinegrove Memorial Park and Mt Thompson Memorial Gardens, has officially changed its name to InvoCare. InvoCare has also been publicly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange – becoming the only company in the industry to give its staff an opportunity to have a real stake in the company. InvoCare has made some changes to the Board of Directors and produced a new look for the company.

In changing the name to InvoCare, the company wanted to better reflect its identity. InvoCare stands for Innovation Vocation Care. These are important elements in the way the business is operated. As industry leader InvoCare offers innovation in the way it trains its staff through to business operating systems and through its various brands which focus on identified segments in the market. Vocation reflects the attitude and professionalism of staff. It is the care shown by staff whose dedication to client families ensures the continued strength of the company.

On Tuesday December 4 in 2003, InvoCare Limited listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The Initial Public Offering was over-subscribed by both the retail and institution sectors. Over 10% of staff took the opportunity to invest in the company.

Chief Executive Officer, Richard Davis, said; “The listing of InvoCare on the Australian Stock Exchange is the most important step in the history of the company. It allows us to broaden our shareholder base, build on the service we provide to so many Australian families and to allow our people real ownership in the business. Staff particularly, have been very enthusiastic about the chance to have a financial share in the company.”

InvoCare has a new Board of Directors, comprised of previous members; Chairman Ian Ferrier, Chief Executive Officer Richard Davis and Non-Executive Director John Murphy. The three new members are; Chief Operating Officer Mike Grehan, Non-Executive Director Dr. Tina Clifton and Non-Executive Director Richard Fisher. There have been no changes in Management.

Along with the change in company name has come a new logo and design. An array of materials has been produced on an elaborate new website www.invocare.com.au featuring information about how to locate your nearest funeral home, cemetery and crematoria through to important information for investors. In conjunction with this there has been an overhaul of all the existing websites for the various brands, with a host of new sites in development.

InvoCare launched its new image with a short video sequence of photos and video of the elements which are the company (from the beautiful grounds to the individual funeral brands and importantly InvoCare staff), to the accompaniment of John Farnham singing ‘I can do anything’. The extended version of the video explains the notion of Innovation, Vocation, Care, while detailing the processes involved in everything from choosing a funeral director through to the need for a memorial.

As the company moves into this new era, its role for the future is best summed up by the mission statement which reads: “Helping our local communities, offering personal attention – showing our commitment to the families we are privileged to serve”.