MACS recognises Sanden Global Aftermarket Director Mark Padwick as industry pioneer

Mark Padwick has devoted his entire working life to improving the status and capabilities of all who work in the mobile air conditioning industry and in those sectors involved with refrigerants. To this day, he manages to devote countless hours to industry stewardship while assuming senior
global roles for Sanden International, a company he joined on his 21st birthday.

English-born, Mark Padwick completed his primary schooling in the UK, and his secondary schooling at a multitude of Australian high schools. In the mid-70s, mobile air conditioning had become a significant aftermarket industry in Australia, and one of the major players was Mark IV,
from the John E Mitchell stable in the U.S. Mark’s father, an accountant, was working in the Mark IV office in Sydney, and during school holidays, kept his son occupied on the production line.

The younger Padwick subsequently signed on full time at Mark IV, to ensure he could pursue his chosen study of mechanical engineering. He moved swiftly through the ranks serving as design, construction and installationengineer. Four years later, Mark met with Norman Bilton, who had just been appointed Sanden International’s general manager for Australia. Norman was impressed enough to offer Mark a job with Sanden. He has been with Sanden for 38-years, and is now managing director of Sanden International Australia and chairman of the Sanden Global Aftermarket Steering Committee.

In 2003, he graduated with an MBA from the Macquarie University School of Management. Mark’s work with Sanden made him a prime candidate for roles in industry associations concerned with refrigerant policy, and he never hesitated to volunteer.

Apart from the auto industry, Mark was heavily involved in the domestic hot water business and the commercial air conditioning industry. He brought the CO2 heat pump hot water system and its control logic to the Australian market. He sits on the Board of Australia’s most influential industry associations, spending many years on most of them.

• Current President of Air conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA) – served more than 10 years
• Director of Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC), the government-appointed stewardship body that manages the highly successful refrigerant licensing program – Director 2006 to 2012 and2014 to the present. Chairman of ARC from 2007 to 2012.
• Current Board member of Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA), the globally acknowledged refrigerant recovery, reuse and destruction
scheme.
• Current Board member of Refrigerants Australia (RA),the peak body representingthe supply chain of refrigerants both in bulk and in equipment.
• VASA President 2004 to 2009, during which he presided over the largest convention and training initiatives ever seen in Australasia for the mobile air conditioning sector. Was involved from the beginning in 1993 and was a Board member for many years on both sides of his Presidency.
• Inducted into the Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Building Services Exhibition (ARBS) Hall of Fame in 2018 for ‘constantly striving to improve the industry’s performance both technically and environmentally and improve the skills of Australian technicians.
• MACS Leadership Award in 2005, which marked the beginning of the knowledge-sharing cooperative relationship between MACS and VASA, its Australasian equivalent.
• Industry leader, strategist, mentor, quiet achiever and national voice of the automotive air conditioning industry – these were the words used
to honour Mark Padwick’s elevation as VASA Legend, the highest award offered by the Australasian peak body for the mobile air conditioning
and electrical industries.

Mark’s advice for industry reflects his personal drive. “Being involved in industry associations will give you a commercial advantage and opportunities to continue learning. Without trade associations, there would be little product training, and without their political power, we would end up with laws and regulations that could be detrimental to our business.” Everyone in the industry needs to embrace change and be prepared to spare some time to volunteer to help train others – are words that perfectly summarize Mark Padwick’s career.