Mr Hawken has joined the company primarily to apply his considerable air handling unit and ventilation experience, in order to strengthen that side of ECEX's business.

He was previously based in Ringwood as a project manager for AHS (Specialist Services), which builds and supplies air handling plant, where he gained experience interfacing DX systems with AHUs. Before that, he was air conditioning contracts manager and chiller and VRF service engineer at Basingstoke-based Servio, specialising in electrical and mechanical maintenance.

As contracts manager at ECEX, Mr Hawken will prepare quotations, offer comprehensive technical assistance, assist both existing and new customers, handle enquiries and manage projects from initial enquiry through the quotation stage to order and completion.

Mr Hawken said: “I am delighted to be joining ECEX, a progressive and enlightened business that offers plenty of scope to offer a whole host of services. My ambition is to develop the air handling unit (AHU) refurbishment work for the company. I will make fan selections and recommend energy upgrades. I will also go to site, conduct technical surveys, measure up, design a fan system to suit the unit and manage the installation.

“Chiller refurbishment often goes hand in hand with managing the maintenance of AHUs, so I can also offer my extensive refrigeration and air conditioning experience in this area as well as offering advice and technical support where required.”

John Grenville, managing director of ECEX, added: “I am pleased to welcome Ryan on board. He is a great addition to the ECEX team and will bring considerable experience, knowledge and expertise to the business, not least on our AHU refurbishment and repair service which is designed to extend the lifespan of existing AHUs, increase their operating efficiency, save energy, boost performance, and typically reduce running costs.”