Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM)

What Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) does

The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) is a UK non-profit professional membership organization founded in 1913, headquartered at the City of London Cemetery in Manor Park, London, and operating with approximately 16 employees. It serves local authority burial and cremation operators, individual bereavement professionals, and sector suppliers across the United Kingdom, functioning as the de facto standards body for the cemetery and crematorium workforce. Its core products include the Bereavement Services Portal (a sector directory and advertising platform generating 3.5M+ page impressions and 2,500+ daily visits), The Journal (its membership publication), a portfolio of City & Guilds and BTEC-accredited training courses (COTS and CTTS), the Recycling of Metals Scheme (run in partnership with Orthometals, which has raised £19M+ for bereavement-related charities), and a catalogue of professional books. As the only City & Guilds assessment centre for cemetery qualifications, ICCM holds a regulatory role that is difficult to replicate.

ICCM's business model combines multiple diversified revenue streams: corporate membership fees from burial and cremation authorities, individual professional membership subscriptions, paid training and certification programmes, publication and book sales (£39 per title), portal advertising (£40–£600+ per slot depending on placement and duration), and conference income. Pricing is structured to accommodate both small individual members and larger institutional customers, with training programmes in the £300–£450+ range per course. The organization complements its commercial activities with regulatory engagement, working alongside the Ministry of Justice, the Environment Agency, the Cremation Society, BRAMM, and sector technology vendors including PlotBox and ASSETtrac. In March 2025, Mathew Crawley succeeded Julie Dunk as Chief Executive following her retirement, marking a leadership transition at the organization.

Name

Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM)

Legal name

Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management

Website

https://iccm-uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) is a UK non-profit professional membership body, founded in 1913, that sets training and qualification standards for cemetery and crematorium practitioners through accredited courses, a sector portal, a journal, and charity partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership and Bereavement Services Training

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (81222), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAOAC

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Regulatory Agencies & Licensing (Cross-sector)

Keywords

• Bereavement services management
• Cemetery management training
• Crematorium management training
• Burial authority advisory services
• Mortality profession development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership: Burial and Cremation authorities join as Corporate members, receiving policy guidance, best practice support, and representation at government level.
2. Professional Membership: Individuals working in bereavement services join as Professional members, accessing accredited training, education opportunities, and technical advice.
3. Publications and Books: ICCM publishes books such as 'Essential Law for Cemetery and Crematorium Managers' (£39.00 paperback, £9.99 Kindle) and The Journal (quarterly publication with advertising opportunities).
4. Training Courses: Accredited training including COTS (Cemetery Operatives Training Scheme), CTTS (Crematorium Technicians Training Scheme), and other professional development courses offered online and onsite.
5. Annual Conference: Annual learning conference with CPD opportunities, networking, and professional development.
6. Portal Advertising: The Bereavement Services Portal offers advertising tiers ranging from free basic entry to £600+ per annum for platinum/diamond placements. The portal has over 3.5 million page impressions and receives 2500+ hits daily.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) is a professional membership institute founded in 1913 that delivers policy guidance, best practice standards, and accredited training (COTS and CTTS schemes) to UK burial and cremation authorities and individual bereavement services professionals. It also publishes The Journal quarterly, books such as 'Essential Law for Cemetery and Crematorium Managers', and operates the Bereavement Services Portal directory of UK cemeteries and crematoria.

Product overview

The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) is a professional membership organization founded in 1913 that provides policy guidance, best practice standards, and accredited training to burial and cremation authorities across the UK. Rather than a unified software platform, ICCM's portfolio consists of multiple complementary offerings: The Bereavement Services Portal serves as a central information hub with directories and resources; The Journal provides quarterly industry publications; the COTS and CTTS training schemes offer accredited qualifications for cemetery and crematorium professionals; the Recycling of Metals and Pacemakers schemes support charitable initiatives; and various guidance documents, webinars, conferences, and branch meetings deliver ongoing professional development. The organization also supports related initiatives including BRAMM (memorial mason standards) and publishes authoritative reference materials such as 'Essential Law for Cemetery and Crematorium Managers.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £19 million raised for charities through the Recycling of Metals Scheme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OrthometalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCM partners with Orthometals for the Recycling of Metals Scheme, which has raised over £19 million for charities since its creation. The scheme recycles metals from cremations with bereaved consent. A separate pacemaker recycling scheme was also launched alongside this initiative. Orthometals provides state-of-the-art recycling facilities in the Netherlands.
• PlotBoxcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlotBox provides webinar hosting services for ICCM's monthly webinars. They sponsor various ICCM events including networking meetings. PlotBox is a cemetery and crematorium management software provider that supports the bereavement services sector.
• Heartled WellbeingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartled Wellbeing is ICCM's training partner for wellbeing support, offering coaching, counselling and psychotherapy consultations via Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp and telephone at reduced rates for ICCM Members.
• ASSETtrac LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationASSETtrac Ltd designed, hosts and manages the ICCM website and Bereavement Services Portal. They provide website hosting, design, and management services.
• BRAMM (British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCM supports BRAMM's Cemetery of the Year awards. BRAMM is the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons, promoting standards for memorial safety. ICCM officers are involved in BRAMM initiatives including guidance documents and educational materials.
• The Cremation SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCM supports The Cremation Society's annual cremation statistics questionnaire, enabling publication of UK annual cremation statistics. The Society commissions research including 'State of the Nation' studies on cremation perceptions.
• Finders InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinders International provides networking events for bereavement professionals in partnership with ICCM. They specialize in finding next of kin and supporting local authorities with benefit entitlement queries.
• Universities (Bath, Sheffield, York, Durham)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCM maintains research links with academic institutions including University of Bath (Centre for Death and Society), University of Sheffield (The Natural Burial Project), University of York (Cemetery Research Group), and University of Durham. These partnerships support evidence-based research in bereavement services.
• Environment AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCM collaborates with the Environment Agency on guidance for cemetery development and groundwater protection from human burials. The Environment Agency has published updated guidance documents that ICCM shares with members.
• Ministry of JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCM works with the Ministry of Justice on Death Certification Reforms and the Medical Examiner system implementation in England and Wales. The partnership involves stakeholder engagement and feedback on regulatory changes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD): UK trade body representing funeral directors, providing training, standards, and code of practice. Comparable to ICCM as a sector membership/professional association with training, accreditation, and public-facing standards roles in death care.
• The Cremation Society of Great Britain: UK-based charity focused on cremation and related services, comparable to ICCM as a non-profit advocacy and education body serving the UK death care sector. ICCM and the Society jointly publish annual cremation statistics, underscoring direct overlap in mission and audience.
• British Funeral Directors Association (BEFA): UK funeral industry association offering accreditation and standards. Closely comparable to ICCM as a competing death-care professional body serving overlapping members and offering training and member services.
• BRAMM (British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons): UK accreditation register for memorial masons; ICCM actively supports BRAMM's Cemetery of the Year awards. Closely comparable as a death-care accreditation scheme with industry recognition and member standards.
• Association of Green Funeral Directors (AGFD): UK association for green/natural burial providers. Comparable to ICCM as a niche death-care trade body; the AGFD Good Funeral Awards is a sector benchmark that ICCM's Journal now competes in.

Regional players

• Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC): UK professional body for local council clerks offering training and accreditation. Comparable to ICCM in its non-profit professional membership model and CPD/training certification, though serving a different (parish council) audience.

Emerging players

• Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (clear overlap): Placeholder omitted.
• Natural Death Centre: UK charity promoting natural and DIY funerals with a member directory and training. Comparable to ICCM as a sector education and standards body in death care, though smaller and more advocacy-focused.

Broad incumbents

• Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA): UK chartered body for public finance professionals. Comparable to ICCM as a standards-setting, accredited-training institute for local government-adjacent professionals, but operating at much larger scale.
• Local Government Association (LGA): National membership body for UK local authorities (which are ICCM's corporate members). Comparable as a professional membership association serving municipal governments, though much broader in scope than ICCM's cemetery/crematorium focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-cemetery-and-crematorium-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM)