Rachael Mills awarded in the King’s New Year’s Honours List

We're delighted to announce that District Heating Divas’ co-founder Rachael Mills has been awarded an OBE in the King’s New Years Honours list for services to energy efficiency and diversity and inclusion.
 
Rachael’s OBE recognises the work she’s done in energy efficiency and establishing the Divas. Established in 2019, in five years it has grown to nearly 1000 members in both the UK and Scandinavia. We have groups that meet on a regular basis in London, the Midlands, the North, the South-West, Scotland and Denmark, as well as specific groups for the public sector and those in the early stages of their heat network career.  
 
“I feel so honoured to be awarded an OBE – and it was such a surprise!” says Rachael. “I’m supported by a wonderful network of inspirational women and men who I’m lucky enough to work alongside – this was definitely a team effort!”
 
As well as bringing women together to network and support each other, the Divas also advocate for the sector to be an attractive career option for a diverse range of people and strive to ensure heat networks are the best they can be for customers and the environment. It’s also helped to launch the Heat Exchanger Mentor Programme and hosts the annual ‘Connecting Women in District Heat’ conference.
 
Rachael is also a co-founder and Director at both Chirpy Heat and SE2, is the Secretariat of The Heat Network, a forum for social housing providers to share good practice and influence policy on communal and district heating, and a non-Executive Director of The Association for Decentralised Energy.