HVACR Leader of the Year, Robert Beggs, has always been passionate about Australian manufacturing.
It's just one of many passions that have driven Beggs to make such an outstanding contribution to the development of the HVACR industry.
In addition to a 30-year history in standards development, Beggs is a highly regarded specialist in his field who has actively participated in a long list of industry bodies from the Air conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA) to the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA) and various government working groups.
Beggs has always gone above and beyond driving change and long lasting improvements to the Australian HVACR industry.
His dedication has taken him overseas representing Australia's interests at international standards meetings.
For the past three years Beggs has been general manager of Temperzone Australia but has also worked at AWA Thorn, Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric.
“Working with industry associations, standards committees and other stakeholder groups has allowed me to meet and work with a broad range of HVAC industry participants, government representatives and regulators; even though I am often working with competitors or groups with conflicting objectives, there is respect, comradery and understanding towards each other that I value,” he said.
“What I love most about this industry is the people. I have always been involved in Australian manufacturing which has always been challenging.
“The ultimate objective is to keep manufacturing here in Australia, which is a challenge worth fighting for.”
Outside of manufacturing, Beggs said the current skills shortage is the biggest challenge for industry right now as well as the need to stay abreast of the latest changes in HVAC technology.
When asked about the qualities of an effective leader, Beggs said they should be ethical, supportive and knowledgeable.
“An effective leader is someone who people associate with because they want to, not because they have to,” he said.
This year's HVACR Leader of the Year Award was sponsored by Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) with RRA director, Greg Brooker, presenting Beggs with his award.