HETAS has appointed three new Inspectors, bringing decades of practical, technical and training experience into its Service Delivery team.
HETAS has welcomed Gavin Cater, Graeme Kitchen and Robin Holmes as Inspectors, strengthening its capacity to carry out robust inspections of work undertaken by registered Installers and chimney sweeps in homes across the UK.
These inspections form an important part of HETAS’s quality assurance processes, helping registrants demonstrate their competence, supporting high standards across installation, sweeping and servicing, and giving consumers confidence in the work carried out in their homes.
Gavin Cater has worked in the solid fuel industry since leaving school in 1988, initially joining his father’s coal merchant business before progressing into stove repairs, chimney sweeping and appliance installation.
He joins HETAS following many years of involvement with the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps, where he served as a director, trainer and assessor. Having spent is entire working life in the trade, Gavin was keen to remain within the industry and use his experience to give something back as he moves away from physically demanding, hands-on work.
Graeme Kitchen has worked within the industry for almost three decades, beginning his career with flue and chimney distributor MMF in 1997.
He later joined Schiedel, where he worked in sales before training as a HETAS assessor at the company’s HETAS Approved Training Centre. Graeme went on to run his own installation business before returning to Schiedel as Training Manager. His extensive experience spans construction, installation, training and assessment.
Robin Holmes began his career in installation and chimney sweeping before progressing into installation management roles with Milborrow Chimney Sweeps and Croydon Fireplaces.
As an installation manager, Robin managed a team of 13 installers and oversaw hundreds of installations each year. His previous roles covered everything from sales, customer service and site surveys to quality control, giving him comprehensive experience of compliance throughout the installation process.
Barry Cope, CEO of Cleaner Safer Group (the parent organisation of HETAS), said:
“We are delighted to welcome Gavin, Robin and Graeme to HETAS. Each brings a considerable depth of experience, gained through many years of working across different areas of the industry.
“Recruiting people with this level of practical knowledge and understanding strengthens our ability to support registered businesses throughout the UK. Their appointments will help us continue delivering a trusted, high-quality inspection service that supports safe, compliant installations and servicing.”
Ben Harvey, Service Delivery Manager at HETAS, added:
“Our Inspectors play an important role in maintaining standards and supporting registered businesses in their day-to-day work. Gavin, Robin and Graeme understand the realities of working within the industry because they have each experienced it first-hand.
“The breadth of knowledge they bring to the team is a real asset. I’m looking forward to working with them as we continue to carry out inspections to the highest standard and provide a consistent, knowledgeable service to our customers across the UK.”