ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 43 SPONSORED BY COOLAIR Coolair supports women in ACR Coolair.indd 1 02/02/2021 11:32 How would you like to see your career developing? My role at Coolair when I started back in 1997 was accountant, assisting the Finance Director. Over the years I have moved up to become a director, then Finance Director and now a senior shareholder and key part of the management team. So my career at Coolair has progressed as far as it possibly can over the past 23 years. However, I would love to see Coolair develop further and for the younger members of the team to progress their own careers with us and bring new ideas and concepts to the business in future whilst retaining the Coolair ethos of looking after all our employees like a family. What is the best piece of advice you were ever given? Play fair with people and that’s how they’ll treat you in return What do you see as the challenges facing the industry? The engineering skill shortage. Engineering skills are low priority with schools and colleges, with the more traditional educational courses gaining more popularity over recent years rather than practical training via apprenticeships. This is leading to serious diculties in finding good quality engineering sta. Environmental issues will challenge the industry for many years to come, with global levels of refrigerant gases being constantly restricted to try to reduce the impact on climate of global warming. A short-term challenge is posed by Covid-19, and how air conditioning systems will be designed and operated within the working and leisure environments to ensure adequate flows of fresh air, as good ventilation is crucial to helping control the spread of coronavirus. What would you say to other women who are considering coming into the ACR industry? Do it! There are such a variety of roles to choose from and new skills to develop, and some amazingly professional, experienced people to learn from. Is there a little-known fact about yourself that would surprise other people (secret skill, unusual hobby etc)? I’m a huge Marc Almond fan and follow him to live performances in the UK and overseas. www.coolair.co.uk