ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 41 SPONSORED BY COOLAIR Coolair supports women in ACR Coolair.indd 1 02/02/2021 11:32 • Achieving Chartered Engineer status (CEng) through the Engineering Council after a technical appraisal and project submission (2004). • Becoming a Member of the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) (MInstR) (1998). • Joining the Committee of the IOR Scottish Branch in 2001 and being part of a team that actively support the refrigeration industry in Scotland by providing training courses and seminars, social events and the ever-popular annual IOR Scottish dinner. • Taking on the post of treasurer of the IOR Scottish Branch. • Becoming the first female chairperson of the IOR Scottish Branch since its formation in 1975 (2007 to 2009). • Being nominated for Fellow Membership of IOR (FInstR) (2009). • Taking on the post of secretary of the IOR Scottish Branch. What changes have you noted in your 38 years in the industry, and how do you see things evolving? There have continuously been new things to learn and challenges to face. These range from refrigerant gas legislation and phase- outs to technical developments in equipment, components and control systems to increase plant eciency, reduce energy usage and minimise the impact on the environment. The future for refrigeration is in natural refrigerants such as ammonia, CO2 and, in applications where the use of these may not be feasible, the relatively new options of low GWP HFOs and HFO/HFC blends. It will always be a balancing act to achieve the most ecient, environmentally-friendly solution that meets current regulations and is within the client’s budget for every application. How challenging has the past year been? Refrigeration is a relatively small, close- knit, specialist industry. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it has been disappointing not to visit clients and sites, join workmates in the oce and meet up with ex-colleagues, friends and acquaintances. What are your hopes as you experience the late stages of your career? In the autumn of my career, I want to share my knowledge and experiences with others. I’d also like to put my name to a few more refrigeration plant installations as I look back and see many of my previous installations still operating successfully or, if they are very old, now replaced for new ones. When I eventually hang up my refrigeration, calculations, and design books, I’d like to think I will be remembered as having worked hard and positively impacted the refrigeration industry. Through the things I have done in my work and IOR activities and encouraging people, both male and female, into the industry. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I enjoy family life and socialising. I am married and have two sons – one is employed in refrigeration – and two (soon to be three) young grandchildren. I enjoy activities such as swimming and yoga. I took up golf a few years ago, and I enjoy being out in the fresh air, the associated social events, the 19th hole – and hitting the ball sometimes! Linda presenting the IOR Scotland Kooltech Award at the IOR Scottish Branch Annual Dinner during her term as chairperson