Pictured: Will Mills – Managing Director; Nicole Howard – Financial Controller; The presentation of a commemorative trophy made by Jamie Head (longest serving (non-family) Prefect employee) to Glen and Sue Golding on the occasion of their retirment.
Prefect Controls, the specialist heating control systems company has appointed Will Mills as Managing Director.
Last week saw the retirement of Glen and Sue Golding, founders of Prefect Controls. The succession plan has been rolling out over the last two years.
Will joined the company in 2018 and quickly became conversant in all things Prefect. He spent the first 5 years travelling the length and breadth of the UK managing projects from Aberdeen to Exeter. Prefect’s diverse client base of accommodation providers includes Unite Students, Host, Curlew Capital and Study Inn as well as universities, including UWE, Durham, Cambridge, Greenwich, Oxford Brookes and Bangor.
Appointed Commercial Director in Summer 2023, Will has focussed on developing the project management team and taking on greater responsibilities for the day to day running of the company.
Glen Golding commented, “Soon after Will joined the business, I recognised a leadership quality he had, that I was confident could be developed to take Prefect forward when the time came for me to step back from frontline duties.”
Glen and Sue will keep an eye on the business as Chair and Vice-Chair respectively but are looking forward to spending time doing the things that they enjoy, away from Prefect, that retirement will afford them.
In 1997 when Prefect was founded, the target market was commercial providers of rooms – student accommodation, hotels etc., where the excessive use of heating energy by guests, who were not subject to the direct cost, was a real problem. Initially, Prefect’s locally programmed intelligent thermostats ensured energy wasn’t being wasted. The progression of the internet has seen this concept develop into a complete centrally controlled system, that monitors environmental conditions and manages temperature control for room and water heating. It also collects invaluable data that helps energy managers to maximise their building’s efficiency.
“A lot has changed in terms of technology and indeed provision of student accommodation in the time since I opened Prefect,” Glen continues, “but the need for efficiency and decarbonisation has only become more important. Prefect is in a prime position to benefit all multi-occupancy accommodation by cutting out waste and providing data that is used to optimise performance”.
Nicole Howard, formerly Office Manager, has also stepped up to the plate as she takes over from Sue, becoming Prefect’s Financial Controller, she commented, “Sue and I have worked very closely to ensure the transition has been seamless. It’s very much business as usual”.
Will Mills concludes, “I am extremely proud of the company Glen and Sue have built. They have overseen the development of a solid, well respected, and financially secure business. One that has grown organically and responded to market demands while staying true to its ‘family business’ roots. I look forward to working closely with the remarkable team we have assembled to take Prefect to the next level and beyond. Our recent growth has been phenomenal, but there is still massive potential. I am excited to be driving this business forward.”
