Astrid Prado awarded CIM fellowship

UK: Astrid Prado, head of marketing at Star Refrigeration, has been elected a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, after more than two decades in the RACHP sector.

Fellowship (FCIM) is the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s highest grade of membership and recognises senior marketers with significant strategic experience, leadership and a long-standing contribution to the profession.

Prado joined Star Refrigeration in 2005 through a Scottish Enterprise programme, initially to investigate the viability of eLearning within the refrigeration and heating industry. That research led to Star Learning Solutions, a new business unit which grew to more than 15,000 registered users, delivering over 20,000 CPD certificates and the certification of around 1,500 engineers under the F-gas regulations. 

Her work has also included the development of a cold-store Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) benchmarking app, giving operators an easy tool to understand and compare the energy performance of their facilities against industry best practice. Shas also worked with Star’s engineers to bring technical research and customer results to wider audiences, with coverage in national media including BBC News and the Financial Times on subjects such as refrigeration energy efficiency, natural refrigerants, industrial heat pumps and decarbonisation.

Outside Star, Prado has led and authored the first industry research into the experiences of women working across the UK RACHP sector through the Institute of Refrigeration’s Women in RACHP Network. The research provided data and recommendations on recruitment, retention, career progression and workplace practices.

Prado said she was honoured to be awarded the fellowship: “It means a great deal to me personally, but I also see it as recognition of what strategic marketing can contribute within a technical, engineering-led business. I share this recognition with our talented marketing team and colleagues across Star who have supported our work over the years.”

In addition to an MSc in marketing and a chartered marketer, Prado is co-chair of the Institute of Refrigeration’s Women in RACHP Network and a board member of the International Network of Women in Cooling (INWIC). She is also a STEM Ambassador, an INWIC mentor and a guest lecturer in marketing to MBA students at the University of Glasgow.

Her fellowship follows other industry recognition, including being named one of CITB’s Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction in 2025 and being Highly Commended as RACHP Woman of the Year in 2026.

The fellowship announcement coincides with the inaugural Global HVACR Women Week.