MEET YOUR 2025 JUDGES
Apostolos Gkrimpas
Apostolos is energy and carbon management lead at the Energy Institute. He has worked for the Energy Institute for more than 10 years and his key areas of responsibility include content development, quality assurance and business development of the Institute’s energy management products and services. Awarded an MSc degree in Energy, Environmental Technology and Economics at City University London, he is a physicist specialising in Energy and Environmental Studies.
Stewart Clements
Stewart is the director of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), a trade association that represents the whole of the domestic heating market in the UK. The HHIC informs members on relevant policy issues and developments and responds to consultations on their behalf, while informing and influencing Government and the European Union on policies and legislation. It participates in relevant political events and All Party Groups and provides a unified representation for the UK domestic heating industry. Stewart was previously technical director at HHIC. He also sits on the Executive Council of the EHI (European Heating Industry) and has been involved with the heating and plumbing industry for over 35 years.
Steve Willis
Steve is managing director and founder of Steve Willis Training, a specialist in gas, plumbing, air source heat pumps and electrical training, with centres in West Sussex and Hampshire. Having completed a four-year plumbing apprenticeship and going on to be self-employed, Steve took up a part-time teaching opportunity with Crawley College which gradually transitioned into a full-time teaching role. After 13 years at the college Steve decided to set up his own training company Steve Willis Training Centres (SWT) in the year 2000. “Despite the challenges of balancing work and home life, I have never regretted my decision,” he says. “Today, after 25 years, I am immensely proud of Steve Willis Training and our remarkable accomplishments.”
Steve McConnell
Steve is a director of the Industrial & Commercial Heating Equipment Association (ICOM) and the Manufacturers of Equipment for Heat Networks Association (MEHNA). He started his career as an apprentice plumber in 1984 before going on to specialise on product management and technical support for a leading commercial boiler and water heater manufacturer. In this role Steve served on BSI and ICOM committees and was appointed director of ICOM in 2020.
Paul Bennet
Paul Bennett is the managing director of energy consultancy BSSEC. Paul is a qualified and experienced Chartered Engineer and Chartered Director who has a passion for delivering energy efficiency projects and net zero building makeovers. Paul has an enthusiasm for training and career development which has come from Paul’s career start as an apprentice electrician and has led to him continuously upskilling and adopting a lifetime learner attitude. Paul regularly contributes to EIBI’s CPD articles and is a lecturer at the Energy Institute.
Peter Thom
The winner of our first Special Recognition Award in 2022, Peter Thom has been an influential figure in the heat and plumbing industry, helping to raise awareness about the importance of conserving energy. As well as setting up and running a successful family business, Green Heat, Peter has dedicated a lot of his time to industry bodies such as the Institute of domestic & Environmental Engineers (IDHEE) and the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE). Championing the need for home energy audits and an early adopter of domestic condensing boilers, Peter can justly claim to have helped thousands of customers to save on energy use and reduce their carbon emissions.
Jerry Whiteley
Technical manager at the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, Jerry started out as an apprentice in plumbing and heating before going self-employed and managing his own apprentices and employees. He went on to work in further education, in many roles from lecturer to middle manager, and has also used his expertise to judge a broad range plumbing and heating competitions across the country, including the HIP Learner of the Year and the Installer Merit Awards. As Technical Manager of the CIPHE, Jerry supports the membership through the technical helpline as well as strategically on many industry issues, such as skills shortages or changes to legislation.