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Sarah Fry was named as CEO of The Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) - in May 2025.

Sarah has extensive senior leadership experience with her career spanning trade associations, certification bodies, and professional membership organisations, with a strong track record in membership organisations serving highly technical industries.

“I came to the CEO role through the marketing route, that's my background,” Sarah explained. “I found myself in the world of membership probably about 20 odd years ago with the Electrical Contractors Association. I started there on a 12-month contract and ended up staying for nearly 10 years. It was that experience of working in a trade association and in certification schemes that is so transferable to plumbing and heating.

“I then moved to the Institute of Quarrying, which was a professional membership body focussed on individual people as members, so quite different. I was there for 10 years and worked with brilliant people on some amazing projects. Then, the opportunity came up with the APHC, which brings me back to where I started. I have very fond memories of the trade industry, so it was a great opportunity to come back to.”

State of the industry

The heating, plumbing and renewables sector in 2026 looks very different from even five years ago. Installers are facing rising materials costs, rising fuel prices which are affecting their customers, skills shortages, the transition to renewables and low-carbon heating, training, certification, the list goes on and on. Trade associations like the APHC can support tradespeople when looking for advice and guidance, so what does Sarah think are the biggest challenges and opportunities today?

“It’s been a massive learning curve,” Sarah confessed. “I have come into the APHC with the attitude that I want to talk to anyone and everyone. I’m open to listening to as many viewpoints and perspectives as possible to find out where we are as a sector, what our challenges are, and how we can work together to improves things. It’s my goal to find a united way of pushing plumbing and heating for the benefit of everybody. I understand the APHC has a part to play in all of that, but we're not the only ones. We're here to work collaboratively with everyone else and try to find the best way forward.

“We're currently undertaking a massive strategic review of everything that APHC stands for. We’re talking to a variety of external stakeholders including members and anybody who's got a view about the plumbing and heating industry generally, to try and understand what the issues are, and what's the value that they need from organisations like APHC.

“We are here to support contractors who want to be registered as competent in their field of work and to self-certify their work. Whether that's MCS or Building Regulations work, we're here to make sure that they are compliant, working to scheme requirements, building regulations and industry guidance.

“But that’s only part of it. From a trade association membership point of view, we offer wider support packages. Sometimes it's just having somebody at the end of the phone that a contractor can ring up and say, ‘I've got this issue, has anyone else experienced this? Can I talk to somebody about it?’ And sometimes they just need that listening ear which we feed back into the association, to understand what the world looks like from our members’ point of view, to adapt what we provide in terms of support. It is also vital feedback that enables us to represent our members’ voices to government and industry stakeholders.

“There are key themes that come up in conversations. The skills gap is one of them. How do we address the shortage of available skilled tradespeople now and what we can do as an industry to make it more attractive to new talent.

“Then there’s the transition to low-carbon heating and technologies like heat pumps. We’ve now reached a turning point where these systems have been installed at scale, the lessons have been learned, and the evidence is there. The focus must shift to equipping installers with the right guidance, standards and confidence to succeed and to build lasting, profitable careers in this growing market.

“We’ve already done the hard work of adapting new technologies to the UK environment and overcoming the early challenges. That puts us in a much stronger position today where we can actively support and shape the next generation of engineers entering renewables. And that matters, because if we want to accelerate the transition, we need more people not just entering the sector, but thriving in it, delivering high-quality work and building secure, long-term careers.“

I think we've also got to make sure that there is always a role for contractors who run small to medium sized businesses. They're the backbone of the country, regardless of which building service you’re talking about. Electricians, plumbers, heating engineers, these are the people that stitch a community together. They work locally, they're based locally, they support their neighbours and their friends in their local community. They employ local people as apprentices. Everything about them is so important for the industry and you want to make sure that they're not pushed out of the market because bigger organisations have more resources. We want to make sure that those installers are still there because they are an important connection to the local communities that they represent.”

InstallerSHOW

The APHC has been a key supporter of InstallerSHOW, which brings together tradespeople, manufacturers, associations and key stakeholders in the industry. Having the chance to get together in one room, get hands on with the latest technology, and share advice and best practice is key to Sarah’s plans for the APHC.

“I was brand new into my role when I went to InstallerSHOW last year, so it was a bit of a baptism of fire,” Sarah said. “It’s a very impressive event, and it’s so important to bring the industry together under one roof. That drives collaboration.

“We’re doing things a bit differently this year by co-hosting a stand with SNIPEF. It’s an exciting approach and testament to our work in opening up the APHC, being more collaborative and affiliating with the wider industry. SNIPEF and APHC have a long, shared history in working together for our respective members interests, sharing best practice and aligning on key issues because we recognise that consistency of message is important to contractors in the sector, regardless of where they're based, and where they work.”

“We want to hear directly from installers. If you’re at InstallerSHOW, come and talk to us. If you haven’t connected with us before, this is a great opportunity to find out who we are and what we do. We’re here to listen to contractors across every corner of the industry.

Whether you’re thinking about joining or not, come and say hello. We want to understand what you’re working on, the challenges you’re facing, and how the industry is evolving on the ground.

And for our existing members, it’s always fantastic to see you in person. We know how busy the day job is, when you get home, the last thing you want is to send an email or pick up the phone. That’s why moments like this matter. We’re here, face to face, ready to listen and support you.”

Next 12 months

So, with Sarah now one year into her role, and as we approach the second half of 2026, what are her plans for the future of the APHC?

“Within the next 12 months, we will have formulated our future vision for APHC, and launched that to the industry,” Sarah said. “It would be good to get people supportive of where we're going, and bringing their own fresh perspectives, to take APHC in a more modern direction. I have been very fortunate. I've walked into an organisation that has a hundred years of heritage behind it, which brings tradition, knowledge and expertise. We have a committed team here, who are absolutely incredible, who are up for the challenge of aligning APHC with the future needs of the industry.