The Heating & Hotwater Industry Council has announced the appointment of its new Chair, Henrik Juhl Hansen. Managing Director of the Vaillant Group UK and Ireland, Henrik takes over the role from previous Chair Karen Boswell of Baxi.
Henrik has more than 30 years leadership experience in cross cultural business in USA, Nordics, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He joined Vaillant in 2016 and has been Managing Director at Vaillant Group UK & Ireland since January 2022. In his role as Chair of HHIC, he is well placed to lead on work supporting the UK’s on-going decarbonisation programme, carving a path for the industry ensuring a sustainable transition, whilst at pace.
“The HHIC has a vital role to play in the complex challenge that is decarbonising heat. As a whole industry across manufacturers, merchants and installers, we must all be active and engaged when it comes to educating and raising awareness of the challenges the heating industry faces, whilst seeking to help others working in the arena to see the issues from several points of view,” he said. “As an industry we are technology agnostic. A multi technology approach is likely the most pragmatic solution to move swiftly and effectively.
“We are at a pivotal time in the heating industry so Government and industry need to work closer than ever to transition to a low carbon future. Broader collaboration is needed across industry to help give the consumer more choice and more opportunities when choosing a new heating system, providing clarity and direction to homeowners across the UK.”
HHIC Director Stewart Clements welcomed Henriks appointment: “We are very pleased to announce Henrik’s appointment as Chair and extend our thanks to outgoing Chair, Karen Boswell. As an organisation we are incredibly fortunate to have Henriks leadership alongside an experienced and diverse Board from organisations across the industry.
“The HHIC is the UK’s leading body in domestic heating and hot water and we are committed to using our knowledge and expertise to navigate the journey to Net Zero. A technology agnostic and system wide approach is key for industry to be able to move forward with practical solutions to meet the challenges in decarbonising heating and hot water in the incredibly varied housing stock we see in homes in the UK.
“I want to thank Henrik for his commitment to the industry and also for giving up his time to support the organisation at this pivotal time.”
