14 June 2021
|
Mike Nankivell has been awarded the OBE for services to the UK refrigeration and air conditioning industry.
In a career spanning almost 50 years with Carrier and distributor Space Airconditoning, Mike has also held positions as the Heat Pump Association (HPA) president, president of HEVAC and chairman of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA) during its 30th anniversary year.
He is also a fellow and former trustee of the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) and has served as a director of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB).
Mike said: “I am proud, grateful and equally humbled that my work within an industry that I love has been recognised in this amazing way. Throughout my long career within the HVACR industry, I have had the privilege to work with a number of incredible people and I would like to pay tribute to each and every one of them as they are the ones who have made this possible.”
Russell Beattie, chief executive of FETA, said: “It was an absolute pleasure for FETA to nominate Mike, with support from other key stakeholders in the industry, for an honour. Mike epitomises the very best of the volunteer culture which exists within Trade Associations, and his personal commitment to the entire HVACR industry is second to none.
“Mike is widely recognised as a leading UK industry figure, and we are delighted to hear that he has been awarded this OBE. The F-Gas Implementation Group, which Mike chaired, fulfilled a critical representational need within the industry, and his personal contribution, which continued after his retirement, should not be underestimated.
“He has also made a significant contribution to FETA, holding many key leadership roles, including more recently serving as president of the Heat Pump Association, laying the foundations for its growing success in a sector which is key to delivering the Government’s net zero carbon vision. His considerable expertise, coupled with his passion for promoting all aspects of the industry, makes him an inspiration to all those who come into contact with him.”
ACRIB chair Mike Creamer also paid tribute. He said: “I am delighted to see the contribution of one of our most respected volunteers recognised in this way. It is gratifying to know that the very significant contribution that our RACHP industry has been making in addressing national and international environmental goals, is appreciated.”
Mike Nankivell was responsible for co-ordinating much of the UK industry response to early F-Gas regulation consultations and for helping to prepare numerous guidance notes and press articles to raise awareness of the new obligations the regulations brought in.
He added: “In my long career and then into retirement, I have been pleased to spend a good many years in voluntary support of our industry associations and institutions. It must be acknowledged that this was originally made possible thanks to the enthusiastic support and encouragement of my bosses of the time - Bruce Wright at Carrier and later, Neil Afram at Space Air.
“Over the years I have been privileged to chair HEVAC, the HPA and the FETA Board as well as various sub-groups. I have also been a director of ACRIB and a trustee of the IOR.
“It was with great pleasure that I took up the request to chair the new ACRIB F-Gas Implementation Group in 2005. At that time, the European Commission was consulting on the proposed detail of the F-Gas Regulation. It was anticipated that, in addition to responding to the consultation, the group would focus on assisting with the national implementation and dissemination of the Regulation, and would perhaps only need to meet for two or three years. It soon became clear that the group's input would also be helpful in subsequent evaluation of and revisions to the Regulation.
“The ACRIB F-Gas Implementation Group has been a sector-leading participant in stakeholder meetings, as industry advisors to DEFRA and the Environment Agency, in the development of the mandatory training requirements and in the dissemination of the (pre and post BREXIT) Regulation requirements to the RACHP sector. The group is still active to this day, although in more recent years it has been incorporated into the ACRIB Technical Committee.
"As chair, my main role was to assemble industry expertise appropriate to specific elements of the Regulation, as and when those elements were priorities for action, as such the group has had an ever-evolving membership. It has also been my privilege to personally represent the F-Gas Implementation Group at numerous confex events, meetings with DEFRA, the Environment Agency and at a Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee.
“The fact that I continued as chair beyond retirement is a measure of the importance I attached to the role of the F-Gas Implementation Group - but I never expected any accolades, let alone an OBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List!”
