The Institute of Refrigeration announces this month eleven members who are being appointed as Fellows of the Institute in recognition of their technical expertise, leadership and contribution to improving the standing of the RACHP industry.  Their short biographies below demonstrate the range of interests IOR members have and how they are helping the IOR to encourage the next generation of engineers and technicians, advancing technology, improving efficiency and sustainability and working in many different ways to raise the profile of our industry. IOR Fellows are long-term members of the IOR with a commitment to leading and advancing our industry that goes beyond their day-to-day work responsibilities. 

The list of new IOR Fellows appointed for 2024 are: 

Andrew Bowden FInstR has a vision to lead through the development of people, culture and values, through his role as Managing Director at J&E Hall.  He began his career as an apprentice and graduate electrical engineer.  He takes great pride in helping individuals to develop their abilities and confidence in a working environment.  He is an active Enterprise Advisor and STEM Ambassador which enables him to work with young people and Senior Leadership Teams in schools to support future employees and address industry skills shortages.  He represents J&E Hall at European Conferences, Daikin Environmental Committees, FETA as well as exhibitions worldwide.  He is a regular contributor to IOR STEM events and conferences and is a member of the IOR Education Committee working group on promoting careers in RACHP for ex-military talent. 

Hayley Cattell FInstR joined the industry 14 years ago as trainee sales engineer and over these years has held various roles including marketing, branch management, product development, sales management and group sales director at Beijer Ref.   She actively promotes sustainable refrigeration and air conditioning solutions to end users and sustainable practices within her own organisation.  As part of this she was involved in leading a programme of regional sustainability roadshows.  She has been involved in various IOR committees including the Northern Branch Committee and actively encourages her team to participate in IOR.  She actively trains, develops and mentors individuals into senior positions including a leadership training program to encourage postgraduates.  She is a leading advocate for diversity and inclusivity to create a culture of collaboration and innovation.  

Nabil Cook FInstR is Technical Director at Omega Solution, responsible for all technical and engineering matters, leading cross-disciplinary teams of experts to drive innovation and reliability of engineering solutions. He is a Chartered Engineer providing clients with comprehensive technical and techno-commercial training internally and externally to support their continued professional development. Nabil is a member of the IOR Technical Committee, contributing to discussions on standards, legislation and guidance notes and encouraging other members to participate.  He has authored IOR Technical Papers on Retail Refrigeration and has contributed to Refrigeration Mentor webinars and industry round table events for magazines. 

Paul Cowan FInstR has been actively involved in technical development at CBES (formerly known as City Projects) over 20 years.   As well as involvement in new technology trials and compliance, he set up an Energy and Innovations team that have achieved significant carbon reductions over the years and developed a groundbreaking suppliers relationship programme.   Paul has actively supported apprenticeship schemes and this has led to several apprentices being recognised in national competitions.  Paul is a member of the IOR Technical Committee, attends IOR Conferences and webinars and supports the IOR Scotland Dinner.  

Yunting Ge FInstR has over 20 years of research and teaching experience in refrigeration, built environments and energy conservation technologies. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and presented numerous talks at IOR conferences and events including the SIRACH research network.  He also contributes regularly to International Institute of Refrigeration and co-authored their Informatory Note on Advancements in Supermarket Refrigeration (2018) and is Chair of Commission E1 Air Conditioning.  He is currently Professor of Building Services Engineering at London South Bank University where he has established a LSBU Student Branch of ASHRAE. He has contributed to the IOR through the Papers and Publications Committee and as a member of the Scientific Committee and session Chair for several IOR organised international conferences. 

Geoff Hammond FInstR began his career as an apprentice with LEC Refrigeration Ltd, subsequently joining Prestcold. His academic career has focused on energy (heating and power) systems and has included time spent as a Lecturer at the Uganda Technical College as part of the Voluntary Services Overseas.  As a Professor at the University of Bath he won several notable awards for his work on sustainable energy and thermodynamics.  He has chaired research grant evaluation panels for UKRI and was formerly chair of the Environmental Agency’s North Wessex stakeholder group.  He is a past convenor of the BSI Greenhouse Gas Management Group, and has advised Government Departments including BEIS, DEFRA, Government office for Science and Climate Change Committee on energy and environment issues.  

Ricky Keene FInstR has worked in the refrigeration industry for over 40 years. Starting as an apprentice on the tools and later in Technical Design & Application roles, he is the Senior Project Engineer at Beijer Ref. Part of their Sustainability Working Group, he is also a long-term contributor to the BRA Equipment and Controls Section advising on technical issues and sitting on working groups. He’s assisted with the publication of industry guidance documents such as the PURR Report and BRA Fact Finders and was the co-author of the first IOR Service Engineer Section bulletin on Thermostatic Expansion Valves. He has presented at Refrigeration Society events, was well as to customers and colleagues on various technical issues and has mentored a number of young engineers, several of whom have won National Student Awards.   

Lawrence Leask FInstR is MD of a refrigeration efficiency consultancy called Kaizen.  He has shared his expertise and enthusiasm for efficiency with IOR members by delivering an online presentation for IOR’s World Refrigeration Day programme entitled “Clean your Condenser”, and also authored a good practice guidance on Insulating DX Pipework for the IOR RACHPEngTech Section.  He will be participating in the new IOR Masterclass Series with several talks on efficiency for trainees this autumn and will also speak at the Hampshire Society and SW and South Wales Group on Types of Head Pressure Control. Outside of the IOR he is active in promoting efficiency to Energy Services and Facilities Management Companies and Data Centre Managers.  He writes regular blogs on efficiency on LinkedIn and is in the process of becoming a STEM ambassador. 

Gary McVittie FInstR has been promoting careers in refrigeration since he started as an apprentice with Star Refrigeration. Early on he won the IOR Scotland Apprentice of the Year Award, the RAC National Student of the Year Gold Award and represented the UK in the SkillFRIDGE Skills event in Germany. He has presented workshops for Careers Scotland and appeared in the IOR Careers in Cooling Video and is now a STEM Ambassador.  He is an Incorporated Engineer registered with the Engineering Council. Gary’s current role is Consultant with Star Technical Solutions advising a range of customers with technical advice on design, energy efficiency audits and best practice. He also delivers technical training presentations for customers and internally to colleagues. 

Sam Parris FInstR is Sales and Business Development Manager at Carter Synergy where she is responsible for identifying and developing new areas of business, carrying out site surveys, cold store design, engineering and supporting Net Zero strategies for clients.  Her work involves supporting, mentoring, and assisting in the development of sales processes.   She has been involved in promoting IOR internally and supporting IOR Women in RACHP events and networks over many years, and is currently working to deliver a WinRACHP training day at Carters to encourage move active female participation in the IOR and in our industry. She recently rejoined the IOR Membership Committee, IOR Dinner Committee and regularly supports IOR events and talks both nationally and regionally. 

Mark Woods FInstR has been a keen advocate for training, apprenticeships and mentoring, speaking at many conferences and producing many publication articles and sitting on group meetings and panels for IOR and other associations – including the development of the Building Services T level for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. Currently running a small consultancy business he continues to mentor smaller industry companies and business leaders, support local colleagues for work placements and apprenticeships and recently took part in an IOR Conference Panel debate on training.  For many years Mark was active in the BRA as chair of the Contractors Section, and as BRA and FETA President, he was also vice chair of the IOR Papers and Publications Committee. 

See the pages on the criteria for IOR Fellow appointments to find out more.