She joined the business in October 1993, only five months after A-Gas was founded, and was the second employee on its books. A-Gas now employs more than 500 people across the globe.

Ms Price joined A-Gas from Enichem and brought with her a wealth of technical expertise and industry knowledge. She had worked with A-Gas founder, John Rutley, previously and felt that the new business venture brought a unique opportunity.

Ms Price said: “I knew John well and trusted him; he was pioneering and innovative and I wanted to be part of that vision and watch it grow. I knew this was going to be a big challenge, but it also offered a fantastic opportunity and I felt excited by the entire concept of A-Gas.”

A-Gas was built on values such as a “can do” attitude and trust, and this was embedded into all aspects of the company, including the culture, job roles, customer service and communications. It was agreed that actions speak louder than words and all employees were encouraged to adhere to this, especially regarding safety. Safety culture was engrained in the founders and this knowledge has been instilled in the company ever since, with Ms Price being a key advocate of this.

One of Ms Price’s first challenges in her role as sales manager was to help grow the company’s turnover to £250,000 a year. In less than two years, Ms Price and the team had exceeded the £4 million mark.

“We went from strength to strength. At that time, many people were changing from CFCs to HFCs and they were asking for help with this.”

Ms Price continued: “Due to the team’s technical knowledge, A-Gas had a niche service offering to provide to customers to help them switch to new products in a number of applications.”

A milestone moment in Ms Price’s career was signing a contract in late 1990s with Kingspan, which at that time was one of the largest foam insulation manufacturers in the UK. Ms Price was the key account manager for the client and her expert knowledge and ability to build successful relationships enabled the partnership to flourish. This was a significant moment in A-Gas history; it provided stability to the UK business which led to a solid foundation to build from into the Australian and South African markets.

Another highlight in Ms Price’s A-Gas career took place when A-Gas secured a contract with NRS (now Climate Center) in 1996. Not only did this help expand the A-Gas business, but the partnership supported the growth of the NRS business too by supplying them with a “one stop shop” approach, allowing NRS to access the full range of refrigerant blends.

At the end of 2004, A-Gas acquired UK based business, Refrigerant Products. This was another great opportunity for A-Gas in providing a vital building block for its environmental services, refrigerant recovery and reclamation capabilities. Ms Price and the team played a huge part in the integration of the business, enabling A-Gas to grow within the environmental services sector.

Ms Price said: “I have a lot to be proud of during my time at A-Gas. As with any business, there have been challenges along the way. The dedication and positive attitude of the team and the support we have offered each other is the secret to our success. We’re committed to supporting every individual that joins the A-Gas family and that’s what makes us unique.”

Ms Price has travelled across the world in her role at A-Gas, supporting the teams in Australia, America, Asia and South Africa. She was appointed Group corporate development director in 2013 and her primary focus has been to work with the team on preserving and protecting the people and cultural values which have made the company successful since the beginning.  

“I am immensely proud to have been part of something so pioneering over the last 25 years,” commented Ms Price, “I see it as important that the company continues to be visionary; A-Gas is growing rapidly and as an innovative company we must keep up with what our customers need. It will be very important to continue to develop and invest in our people and services and maintain the fantastic culture we have adhered to from day one. Thank you to all at A-Gas, I will miss you greatly and look forward to seeing what’s to come for you in the next 25 years.”

A-Gas Group chief executive Andrew Ambrose said: “Sally has been an integral part of the A-Gas culture, vision and history from the very beginning. Her legacy will continue to live on throughout the A-Gas values. She will be missed immensely by the team globally and we wish her every happiness in her retirement.”