After some 45 years in the HVAC industry, the last 16 of which have been with the Daikin distributor, Space Air, Mike Nankivell has announced he will be retiring at the end of 2015.

Mike admitted that this had been a difficult decision influenced largely by an increasingly tiresome daily journey from his home in Kent to Guildford.

He said: “I have spent pretty much the last 30 years commuting part way round the M25 from Kent into Surrey and beyond, typically this can add up to four hours to my working day and frequently considerably longer! Unfortunately I have also been advised that this is aggravating a long-standing back condition. This could no longer continue and given that I do not intend to seek alternative full-time employment at this stage in my long career, the logical conclusion was retirement.”

He continued: “Perhaps semi-retirement would be slightly more accurate, as I will retain some industry involvement; so will not be disappearing altogether, at least for a while. I have offered to continue as president of the Heat Pump Association and my activities with ACRIB for as long as this is practicable, as well as undertake occasional projects for Space Air. I very much hope to remain active in the industry, on a part time basis, for as long as my services can be helpful, but this will not include joining the daily rush hour traffic!”