Jane Gartshore BSc FInstR, director of Cool Concerns Ltd, has today been named as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering by the Daily Telegraph.

Produced as part of the National Women in Engineering Day campaign, the list provides high profile recognition for women in the dynamic world of engineering. Her inclusion in the list also provides valuable recognition of the importance of refrigeration and air conditioning as an engineering profession.

Jane is one of the highest profile women in the refrigeration industry. She was president of the Institute of Refrigeration from 2007 to 2010, having previously chaired its Education and Training Committee and is also on the Council of the British Refrigeration Association.

Throughout her career she has taken a lead in sustainability issues such as energy efficiency, deployment of natural refrigerants and reduction of refrigerant leakage. She has also built an international profile, for example working with UNEP to support the phase out of CFCs in developing countries.

Compiled by the Telegraph in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society, the list features the UK’s top influential female engineers chosen from almost 900 nominations.

The list includes many familiar senior engineers’ names such as Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Naomi Climer, president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, former chair of the Health and Safety Executive and now chair of EEF the Manufacturers’ Organisation. It also includes Steph McGovern from BBC Breakfast, a former engineer who continues to do a huge amount to encourage the next generation into engineering and Chi Onwurah MP, the only female engineer in Parliament.

Jane said: “Engineering offers so many opportunities to work all over the world in a huge range of sectors – it’s an awesome career!  Every day is challenging and interesting.”

“I chose to study engineering at university on the advice of my (male) physics teacher – it seemed more interesting than teaching and more attainable than being an astronaut.  My entry into the refrigeration industry in 1977 was purely because I was offered a graduate trainee position by a compressor manufacturer.  I initially worked on the design and development of commercial RAC equipment and then moved into technical sales – a global troubleshooting role.”  

She continued: “In 1991, with another engineer, I set up Cool Concerns to provide practical training and consultancy for the RACHP industry. We have trained 1000s of engineers on topics ranging from the basics to the safe application of flammable refrigerants. I have worked all over the world and most of that work has been to do with the deployment of alternative refrigerants (in which the UK leads the world). In the UK, as well as developing training programmes, I work with clients to help them comply with standards and regulations and on various sustainability projects. None of this is achieved on my own – engineering is very much a team job and this is part of its attraction.”