BRA member in Top 50 Women in Engineering

We are proud to announce that BRA Council member, Jane Gartshore BSc FInstR has been named as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering by the Daily Telegraph.  The list, produced as part of the National Women in Engineering Day campaign, provides high profile recognition for women in the dynamic world of engineering.  Her inclusion in the list also provides valuable recognition of the importance of refrigeration and air conditioning as an engineering profession.

The list, compiled by the Telegraph in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society features the UK’s top influential female engineers chosen from almost 900 nominations.

Jane is one of the highest profile women in the refrigeration industry.  She served as the President of the Institute of Refrigeration from 2007 to 2010, having previously chaired its Education and Training Committee and is also on the Council of the British Refrigeration Association. Throughout her career she has taken a lead in sustainability issues such as energy efficiency, deployment of natural refrigerants and reduction of refrigerant leakage. She has also built an international profile, for example working with UNEP to support the phase out of CFCs in developing countries.

“Engineering offers so many opportunities to work all over the world in a huge range of sectors – it’s an awesome career!  Every day is challenging and interesting” commented Jane about her lifelong career in refrigeration and air conditioning.

“I chose to study engineering at university on the advice on my (male) physics teacher – it seemed more interesting than teaching and more attainable than being an astronaut.   My entry into the refrigeration industry in 1977 was purely because I was offered a graduate trainee position by a compressor manufacturer.   I initially worked on the design and development of commercial RAC equipment and then moved into technical sales – a global troubleshooting role.  

“In 1991, with another engineer, I set up Cool Concerns to provide practical training and consultancy for the RACHP industry.  We have trained 1000s of engineers on topics ranging from the basics to the safe application of flammable refrigerants.  I have worked all over the world and most of that work has been to do with the deployment of alternative refrigerants (in which the UK leads the world).   In the UK, as well as developing training programmes, I work with clients to help them comply with standards and regulations and on various sustainability projects. None of this is achieved on my own – engineering is very much a team job and this is part of its attraction.”

The 50 women engineers on this inaugural list are:

Roma Agrawal Interserve
Helen Atkinson University of Leicester
Danella Bagnall Jaguar Land Rover
Faye Banks National Grid
Alison Baptiste Environment Agency
Jayne Bryant Bae Systems
Muffy Calder University of Glasgow
Liv Carroll Wardell Armstrong International Ltd
Jacqueline Castle Airbus UK
Amanda Chessell IBM
Naomi Climer Institution of Engineering and Technology
Susan Dio BP Shipping
Michelle Dix Crossrail
Ann Dowling University of Cambridge
Elizabeth Eastaugh Expedia
Dawn Elson Merlin Entertainments Group
Jane Gartshore Cool Concerns
Lynn Gladen Cambridge University
Paulina Godfrey Hilton Worldwide
Judith Hackitt Health and Safety Executive
Wendy Hall University of Southampton
Louise Hardy Ebbsfleet Development Corporation & Ministry of Defence
Caroline Hargrove McLaren Applied Technologies
Karen Holford Cardiff University
Ying Hu Rolls-Royce Plc
Sue Ion Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board
Barbara Judge UK AEA
Julia King Aston University
Ailie MacAdam Bechtel
Cathy McClay National Grid
Steph McGovern BBC Breakfast
Linda Miller Crossrail

23-06-2016