Karen Boswell OBE, Managing Director of Baxi UK and Ireland, has been appointed the new chair of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC).
Succeeding the outgoing chair Steve Keeton, Director of External Affairs and Future Portfolio at Vaillant, Karen is the first female chair of the HHIC and is set to lead the membership following the Council’s recent AGM.
Karen brings rich experience as a leader in the engineering space across multiple industries – most notably the rail industry heading up Hitachi Rail’s UK division.
In her new role as chair of the HHIC, she brings strong focus on business improvement and accelerating growth, is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion and has extensive experience in manufacturing, supply chain and customer service.
Karen Boswell OBE said: “I’m delighted and privileged to have been selected to Chair the HHIC Board. I want to thank Steve Keeton, our outgoing Chair, for his leadership during the incredibly difficult lockdown period we’ve all endured, and for his work despite the challenge of the pandemic, with business transformation, innovation and helping shape Government policy.
“Our industry is at the forefront of enabling solutions for decarbonising heat and hot water in UK homes and businesses. The next three years are going to be incredibly important and exciting as we help move customers towards their carbon reduction targets and ambitions.
“One of my clear focus areas will be on growing our skills base to deliver this critical, transformational role. We must attract, train and reward new talent from all walks of life, reflecting the customers and communities we serve. The decarbonisation agenda is a great career opportunity and we need to work better at demonstrating how attractive this sector is; delivering clean heat and hot water in homes and buildings is a fundamental component of our national ambition for net zero.”
