Emma is the Active Transition Support Lead for Viessmann UK.
Emma has developed her career and skills with Viessmann UK from starting in their marketing department to managing and overseeing the Viessmann Access MCS umbrella scheme.
“I began working for Viessmann UK in October 2019 on a part-time temporary contract as a Lead Generation Executive in the Marketing department. My primary responsibility was to contact homeowners who had made enquiries into the business as they wanted a new heating system, gas boilers being the most popular followed by heat pumps. In March 2020 I took a full-time position in the department.
In the following January 2021 I was given the opportunity to set up our MCS umbrella scheme, which enables Viessmann gas boiler installers to transition into heat pumps and access government funding for the homeowner without needing to be MCS accredited themselves.”
A couple of months later, Emma was promoted from Lead Generation Executive to Customer Relationship Coordinator, meaning she now managed the MCS umbrella scheme as well as supporting the Lead Generation team. “As the MCS umbrella scheme grew in popularity and my focus gravitated towards onboarding new installers to the scheme and Viessmann’s heat pump business in general, I was given a further opportunity in September 2023, to take the newly created role of Active Transition Support Lead.”
“As part of my current role, I still oversee the Viessmann Access MCS umbrella scheme as well as supporting the residential Sales team’s heat pump focus but have moved into the Presales department. This is the specifications hub of the business and my day is spent supporting installers and suppliers with specification requests, sending out schematics, managing subsidy applications and aligning closely with the residential Sales team to onboard new installers to our heat pump range.”
Before working in the heating industry, Emma had a very different and unique experience during her career journey. “I knew very little about the heating industry before joining it. I used to work in TV and Ibiza and just about knew how to turn my own boiler on.”
The fact that she started in the industry with little experience, Emma knew she would overcome any barriers that came with entering a male-dominated industry.
It was obvious when joining the industry that most technical roles were filled by men. The majority of installers I speak to are men except for a few notable exceptions, who are some of the most inspiring women and role models I have ever met. I take a lot of pride in moving into this space and hopefully proving to others that if you are prepared to upskill there will be no barriers preventing you from being part of one of the most exciting industries in the world.”
During her career in the industry, Emma has noted some changes to the technical trends in heating. “I have noticed in the last few years, the thirst from installers (and homeowners) for knowledge. Renewable heating is the future and they want to be part of it. This requires a certain set of skills, hence many looking to undertake hydronic system design training.
Emma decided that she wanted to develop as a trainer, including gaining new skills to support her colleagues. “I personally completed the Heat Geek course which has been invaluable to me and Viessmann, as a manufacturer, launched the ViSkill initiative. This was to upskill all colleagues into renewable heating as part of the Active Transition away from fossil fuel heating systems. My role requires me to understand heat pump technology and the fundamentals of heat loss calculations and upskilling was an absolute necessity.”
Reflecting on her identity and life experiences, there are many ways that Emma wants to create positive change in the industry and beyond. “As a mother, am I very concerned about how we take care of our planet so my children don’t grow up knowing 40C temps as the norm. Being so heavily involved with low carbon heating systems and energy efficiency makes me feel like I am doing what I can to support our Net Zero goals.”
“As a woman, I think I look to make what we are doing not only more accessible to other females, to raise them up, but to men looking to join the renewables side of the industry. I want to confront misinformation and bust myths. If I can move into this industry and build a career that I absolutely love and find so fulfilling then others can too and I want to support that in whichever way I can.”
