AIRAH seeks new CEO

AUSTRALIA: AIRAH, the Australian refrigeration and air conditioning institute, is looking for a new CEO after the resignation of current incumbent Phil Wilkinson.

Wilkinson is stepping down for “personal reasons” and will continue as acting CEO until a replacement can be found.

The job of identifying a new chief executive for the prestigious 95-year-old not-for-for-profit Institute has been delegated to executive search firm Arete Executive.

“AIRAH owes Phil Wilkinson a considerable debt of gratitude for his stewardship of the organisation over the past five years at the helm of AIRAH,” said institute president Nathan Groenhout. “For personal reasons he has made the difficult decision to step aside, but will continue his 13-year career working for the Institute in a pivotal business-critical role across policy, strategy, stakeholder engagement and government relations.

“Phil, together with the existing executive and staff, have put AIRAH in a tremendous position. His energy, passion, engineering nous, warmth, and vitality in the role have certainly been appreciated and effective.”

A replacement is expected to be appointed before Christmas

“We are looking for an engaged individual to bring leadership and growth to the key role of the Melbourne-based AIRAH CEO position,” Groenhout said. “Ideally, the preferred individual will have a nuanced understanding of member-based organisations and therefore qualified to help AIRAH continue its exciting evolution.”