After studying Engineering at Coventry University, Ballard started his career with Mitsubishi Electric, working within the Living Environmental Systems Division for PV (Photovoltaics) as business support manager before becoming business development manager across all products in the division (renewable heating, ventilation and air conditioning).

Ballard joined Ideal Commercial Boilers in September 2015 and is responsible for liaising with a wide range of customers including contractors, M&E consultants, merchants and developers, helping  ensure that the correct heating solution is selected for each of their projects.

Ballard comments: "Moving to a boiler manufacturer is new to me, though my experience at Mitsubishi Electric had some crossover with customers. The heating requirements I had previously worked on had been renewable rather than gas so it's not a completely new area of expertise."