John Ellis

F.Inst.R., F.I.Diag.E., LCG., Managing Director

A true industry pioneer, his influence as a trainer and industry adviser, nationally and internationally, continues to be profound.

John has served on many of the industry’s leading bodies, including being the longest serving President of the Institute of Refrigeration in recent years, Chairman of the Air Conditioning Refrigeration Industry Board as well as many education and training bodies, working with City & Guilds since the early 80’s.

He is the consultant to the Trailblazer team who have written the latest Apprenticeship qualification and it was John who took the F Gas Legislation document and translated  it, creating the F Gas qualification as we know it.

In 2008, John was awarded the prestigious RAC Gold Award for his campaigning work on standards for refrigerant handling, including his significant contribution to the setting up of the F Gas qualification.

Overseas, John was a key player in the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, travelling the world, training the trainers to ensure that developing countries had the relevant standards from which to train their own skilled workforce in safe handling of refrigerants and phase out of ODS.

John made the first steps in his trade while serving as a Refrigeration Engineer and later as trade instructor in the Corps of Royal Engineers. He then became a lecturer in Further Education, eventually becoming Head of School of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning at Willesden College of Technology (now the College of North West London).

After a brief stint in private industry, John and his wife Joy set up Ellis Training Works in 1991, initially offering peripatetic training to companies.