Mark Woods becomes BRA president

UK: Mark Woods, joint MD of Bristol-based contractor Space Engineering Services, is the new president of the British Refrigeration Association (BRA).

He takes over from John Smith, Beijer Ref UK & Ireland’s group technical director, who has completed his term of office.

Mark Woods has been with Space for over 20 years, having started with the company as a troubleshooting and commissioning engineer in 1997. He is also the chairman of the BRA Contractor Section and is able to draw on a wealth of practical knowledge and customer relationship experience.

“I am looking forward to building on the great work John has done as we reach out to our broad industry sector to share best practice, focusing on health and safety as we deal with changes in the use of refrigerants,” Woods commented.

John Smith has also stepped down as chairman of FETA to be replaced by Nick Howlett of ventilation company Titon.

Commenting on his new role, Howlett referred to a number of significant current topics of concern to FETA, ranging from the consequences of Brexit, F-gas and detailed work on regulations and standards.

“We are also stood by to contribute fully to the work stemming from the review of building regulations and fire safety which followed on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy and to playing our part in ensuring the opportunities for improvement across the built environment are not wasted,” he added.

“Equally, in the wake of the Carillion fiasco, we will continue to argue that the time for a radical review of construction industry payment practices is upon us and the Government must act accordingly. I have a particular wish to raise the need for better and more coordinated focus by the Government concerning indoor air quality but equally there are many issues of current interest across our six associations within FETA.”