Learning the Industry by Helping Others Grow

Heather Currie didn’t imagine herself in mechanical services. She’d been managing the back office at a retail garden centre when the business closed, and suddenly the next step appeared.

“I literally finished on the Sunday at the garden centre and started on the Monday at a HVAC company,” she says.

What began as a practical move became a long-term career. Today, Heather is Client Services Manager at 1M, leading the team that connects customers with technicians and ensures every job runs smoothly. It’s work that demands judgement, communication and an eye for detail, skills she first honed outside the industry.

Learning the technical side took curiosity and a willingness to ask questions. Early on, staring at a work order for a chiller repair, she realised she’d never actually seen one in person. So, she asked the technician.

He took her to the site, walked her around the plant, and showed her the equipment. From then on, she kept asking questions.

From service coordination, she moved into national contracts and mobilisation roles, building a broader understanding of contract management.

As her experience grew, so did her focus on helping others find their place in the industry. Many of Heather’s team members came into mechanical services from completely different careers, and a large proportion of them are women. To help build their confidence, she brings coordinators into customer meetings and takes them to sites so they can see the equipment behind the paperwork.

“Reading a report and standing in front of the actual equipment are two very different things,” she says. “It really helps people understand what the technicians are working with.”

She also belongs to Women in HVAC and Refrigeration, a network that supports women across engineering, project delivery, technical, and service roles – and a sector where women are still under-represented.

“It’s a great mix of people – from women running large businesses, to women just starting out. It’s a really supportive and encouraging environment.”

Through all these experiences, Heather’s leadership approach has taken shape. She believes confidence comes from exposure, seeing the work, understanding the systems, and recognising the role they play in keeping buildings safe and operational.

“I’m definitely very pro-growth for my whole team,” she says. “They’re capable people with strong skills. It’s about helping them use those skills and build new ones so they can go wherever they want to go.”

For Heather, the role is about connecting people, processes and customers so the work runs smoothly. And when someone new joins the industry, she makes sure they have the same opportunity she had, to learn, ask questions and build confidence over time.