About Us

Our History

Thermaire Investments was established in 1945 as an air-conditioning company supplying air-conditioning to hospital ships for the British Admiralty. The business was later owned by JSE listed construction giant, Murray & Roberts.

In 2005 all assets and liabilities were bought from Murray & Roberts by private owners who changed the name to Thermaire Investments and grew the company exponentially, introducing the following trading divisions: Improvair Environmental Solutions (IES), Ductshop, Viking Air Conditioning and Switched-On Solar.

Viking Air Conditioning was later sold to Swedish company System Air in 2017, marking the start of Thermaire’s restructuring to better position the group as an expert HVAC contractor.

Today

In 2018 French company ENGIE acquired 100% of Thermaire Investments respective shares. As a global energy company and expert operator in Renewables and Energy Storage, Lighting, Heating and Cooling Systems, and Energy Management and Controls, ENGIE acquired the company in line with its acquisition strategy to grow its presence in the African market.

ENGIE also acquired 100% shareholding of South African company Ampair  who are specialists in planned preventative maintenance and breakdown and repair of HVAC plants.

Together, Ampair and Thermaire are able to provide turnkey HVAC solutions to customers across the Middle East and Africa. The company has also expanded its portfolio to provide turnkey Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) solutions for large projects across these regions.

Senior Management Team

Jaiprakash Hargovan (JP)

CEO

As a chartered accountant, JP is proficient in all aspects of financial reporting and management. He has held the position of CEO of Thermaire Investments since 2005 and has extensive experience in strategic planning and leadership.

Thomas Palix

COO

Thomas joined ENGIE in 2008 and held positions in Project Management and Business Development in the Middle-East, India and China. He held the position of Post-Merger Integration Manager prior to is current role as COO.

Suhail Asvat

CFO

Suhail is a chartered accountant who joined the group in January 2018 with a wealth of experience in financial management and strategy direction. He also overseas the group’s manufacturing operations.

Bobby Forbes

Executive Director, Projects

As Executive Director of Projects Bobby manages the company’s Gauteng and Western Cape operations. He has been in the commercial HVAC industry for over 40 years and has extensive technical and strategic knowledge.

Quinton Brent

Executive Director, Major Projects

Quinton is Executive Director of Major Projects for ENGIE and has vast experience in both the management and technical aspects of the HVAC industry. He started with the company in 1981 and has International Business Management experience.

Chris Braund

Executive Director, Data Centres

Chris has over 35 years experience in the HVAC industry and started his career with the company in 1981. Chris has an N3 in air-conditioning and refrigeration and managed the Durban operation before moving into Executive Director of Data Centre Development in 2019.

Devon Govender

Manufacturing Operations Manager

Devon Joined the group in 2018 to head up all manufacturing operations nationally. He holds a B.Tech degree in operations management and brought many years of extensive experience in world class operations management to our business.

Deon Roets

HR Manager

Deon holds a B.Com degree in Human Resources management along with a post graduate certificate in Labour Relations. He has been associated with our group for 30 years. He has extensive experience as an HR generalist and also oversees our BBBEE processes.

Robbie Di Giovampaolo

Service and Maintenance Manager

Robbie joined Ampair in 1998 playing a fundamental role in the business development and growth, locally and into neighbouring countries. He is a qualified Industrial Refrigeration Mechanic and is highly respected within the HVAC industry for his expertise.

Leonard Harmse

Purchasing Manager

Leonard has a National Diploma in Project Management as well as a diploma in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. He held a senior position in procurement with a major construction company before joining our business as head of procurement.