In his speech, the chairman of FETA, Mark Hughes encouraged young industry professionals to get involved in the association: 'In particular, we are keen to encourage people early in their careers to get involved where they can, not only to be at the forefront of influencing the development of the industry but also their own careers, bringing a direct benefit to their companies.'

Mr Hughes also highlighted the civil servants in attendance at the event: 'It is noticeable how willing officials are to consult with industry over changes to legislation and I would hope that a fuller understanding of feedback and initiatives from our industry will lead to better regulation and action to meet our Net Zero ambitions.

'The EU is deep in the process of detailed negotiations around the revision of the F-Gas regulations which relates to refrigerant used in heat pumps, air conditioning and refrigerated products. The process is not yet over, but it is fair to say that currently we have significant concerns that the EU may be
focusing on legislation which, while reducing the Global Warming Potential for refrigerants, does so at the expense of the much bigger prize of energy efficiency.

'It is in this area where our industry, given the flexibility around choice of technology, can make the biggest impact by reducing dependence on fossil fuels – the role of our heat pumps being a shining example. There is no question that industry buys into where we need to be on Net Zero but there is a need to be pragmatic and ensure we do actually achieve the targets. I am therefore pleased to report that the UK Government is taking an approach where it seemingly wants to fully understand the impacts of potential proposals before acting.'

Finally, Mr Hughes welcomed to their new roles Catherine Walker as BCIA executive officer and and Charlotte Lee as HPA chief executive.

The audience was entertained by guest speaker Martin Sixsmith. Mr Sixsmith gave an interesting - and at times amusing - insight into his time as the Moscow correspondent for the BBC.