Local Voices | Spain.
By Lorena Hernández
Technical Industrial Engineer, specialising in Mechanical Engineering | Frigenia, Refrigeration Engineering Consultancy | Madrid, Spain
“Almost everything I know I have learned by talking to someone on the other side of the table.”
I have been working in refrigeration for more than fifteen years, and I have always thought of myself as a thoroughly technical person. I am a technical industrial engineer, specialising in mechanical engineering, and what I do best is design and calculate installations and, above all, solve problems. What nobody told me when I started is that in this sector almost nothing gets solved alone.
Within the refrigeration sector, I have worked at a manufacturer of refrigeration racks and display cabinets, and at a purchasing group for installation companies. Through those roles, I have dealt with installers, end users, public authorities and industry associations.
Each position taught me something the previous one could not: how an installer thinks, what someone running a store needs, what a public authority’s technician requires, and what a manufacturer really worries about when asked for a different solution. Almost everything I know I have learned by talking to someone on the other side of the table.
Today I work at Frigenia, my refrigeration engineering consultancy. That is where I see most clearly that connections are not a pleasant extra, but what sustains the work: a technical question that a colleague answers, a contact who introduces you to another, someone who recommends you without being asked.
What I have learned is that the technical side is learned through study and practice, but connections have to be worked on deliberately.
A conversation with someone outside your usual circle almost always gives you more than you expected: a new idea, another way of looking at the problem, or the solution to something you had been struggling with on your own for a long time.
If I had to give one piece of advice to someone starting out in this sector, it would be to talk to people who have no obligation to talk to you: the manufacturer, the public authority’s technician, the competition. They almost always help more than you would think.
And, when you can, return the favour, because that is how a small community like ours stays alive.
Local voices. Global connections. One HVACR community.
This article was contributed by Lorena Hernández for Global HVACR Women Week 2026, taking place from 25–31 October. Lorena supplied her contribution in Spanish and English; this English version has been lightly edited for publication.
It forms part of our Local Voices — Speak Up. Write Now. series, in which women share their experiences of working in HVACR and the connections that have made a difference along the way. By sharing these stories, we hope to help others find people they can learn from, exchange ideas with and support.
What connection has made a difference to you? We welcome contributions from women across HVACR, wherever you work and whatever stage of your career you have reached. Your story does not need to be long or polished—a simple experience could help someone else take their next step.
To share your story or find ways to take part, email info@worldrefrigerationday.org
