Industry leaders celebrated at gala dinner

The winners of the AIRAH Awards 2023 were announced at a glittering gala dinner held on Thursday, November 30 in Sydney.

More than 250 members of Australia’s HVAC&R community gathered on AIRAH’s night of nights to recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals and companies within the sector.

The annual awards gala is one of the many ways AIRAH works to raise the profile of HVAC&R and shine a light on behind-the-scenes heroes.

“The AIRAH Awards provide a platform to highlight the brilliant work our members do across a broad range of categories,” says AIRAH CEO Sami Zheng. “It’s an honour to help celebrate our industry’s leading projects, people and initiatives.”

Zheng says the HVAC&R industry is key to helping Australia reach its net zero carbon aspirations.

“If we are to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, the HVAC&R industry must play a pivotal role,” she says.

“AIRAH is committed to a built environment with net zero greenhouse emissions. Seeing the exceptional work represented at the 2023 AIRAH Awards, I know the industry is ready to confront this challenge.”

AIRAH’s most prestigious award – the James Harrison Medal – was presented to Stefan Jensen, F.AIRAH. The managing director of Scantec Refrigeration, Jensen is a committed long-time AIRAH member, and a pioneer in the application of ammonia refrigeration in Australia.

AIRAH also recognised winners in 10 other categories.

2023 AIRAH Award winners

Best HVAC Retrofit or Upgrade (joint winners)

• Woolworths Gordon HVAC upgrade, Glaciem Cooling Technologies

• MyState Bank Arena, JMG Engineers

Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion

• Woolworths Group

Excellence in HVAC&R Research (joint winners)

• BREATH, University of Melbourne

• Open-source multiplatform, University of Western Sydney

Excellence in Innovation

• Allianz Stadium, A.G. Coombs and LCI Consultants

Excellence in Refrigeration

• TCO2 training, City Engineering

Excellence in Sustainability

• Snow Concert Hall, Benmax

Future Leader

• Dr Federico Tartarini, Affil.AIRAH, University of Sydney

Product of the Year

• RS-5605, Construction Specialties Australia

Student of the Year – Trade

• Freddie Nona, Stud.AIRAH

WR Ahern Award

• “Lessons for the future of Australian HVAC from Pilbara mining” by Peter Barry, M.AIRAH – Ecolibrium, April 2022

James Harrison Medal

• Stefan Jensen, F.AIRAH

More information on the event is available at the AIRAH Awards website.