The HVCA has appointed Blane Judd to the position of chief executive designate.
A chartered engineer and fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Mr Judd brings with him very considerable experience of the energy and building services engineering sectors.

He served as operations director of sector skills council SummitSkills for three years from 2003 to 2006, and for the past five has been chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) - the reputation of which he has significantly enhanced during his term of office, and which he led, in 2008, to the achievement of a Royal Charter.

Mr Judd can also claim significant expertise in trade organisations, having spent a decade with the Electricity Association, during which he rose to the position of director of education standards and training. 'Most importantly, however, we were deeply impressed by Blane's determination, and perceived ability, to square up to the many challenges presently facing the Association, to develop its profile with a broad range of stakeholders, and to grow its membership across building services engineering,' said HVCA president Martin Burton.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Judd confirmed that he was both pleased and honoured to be invited to join the staff of the HVCA - and was aware of the many key issues currently being progressed by the Association.

'I look forward to the opportunity to raise the status and enhance the effectiveness of the Association even further - and to develop the added value the HVCA already provides to its members,' he said.
The post of chief executive designate was created following the decision of current chief executive Robert Higgs OBE to retire in July of this year.

Mr Higgs, who will celebrate his 65th birthday in May of this year, has been a member of the HVCA executive staff since 1973, and was appointed its chief executive in July 1989. In 1992, he was the principal architect and first co-ordinating director of the Specialist Engineering Contractors' (SEC) Group, which provides a single voice for engineering specialists in construction.

In recent years, he has devoted significant effort to shaping and influencing UK policy on sustainability and climate change.
He maintains a continuing involvement in the affairs of GCI-UICP, the pan-European body for the sector - and, during the mid 1990s, produced a blueprint for its restructuring, in a successful attempt to render it more effective in representing industry interests.

He was also instrumental in the establishment of the International Alliance of Mechanical Contractors'Associations (IAMCA), membership of which comprises HVCA and the Mechanical Contractors'Associations of Australia, Canada and the USA.

A lifelong champion of quality standards, he counts among hismost significant achievements the introduction of the independent inspection and assessment of the technical competence and commercial capability of all HVCA members.

Commenting on his impending retirement, Mr Higgs said, 'After nearly four decades with the Association - and more than two as chief executive - it is time for me to begin the next phase of my life, although I am aware that it will be hard to say goodbye to the many friends I have made amongst the HVCA's members and staff.'

Robert Higgs was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours, in recognition of his services to the hvacr industry and to the environment. Blane Judd will work closely with Mr Higgs over the next few months, and will progress to the role of chief executive on Monday 25 July 2011.

Roderick Pettigrew will continue in the senior position of HVCA deputy chief executive, which he has held for the past two-and-a-half years.

In this post, he is playing a key role in developing the Association's 'footprint' at a time when existing working practices, and the scope of work that HVCA members actually carry out, are changing across building services engineering.

In particular, he is responsible - in collaboration with head of sustainability David Frise - for establishing the Association as the 'natural home' for specialists in renewable technologies. Mr Pettigrew is also charged with ensuring that the broad range of services provided by the HVCA continues to meet members' requirements, and to represent genuine added value across the membership, including the major contractors.