First woman on the board of the chimney sweeps

District chimney sweep Julia Bothur is the first woman to serve on the board of the Federal Association of Chimney Sweepers. The 37-year-old is also the youngest board member to date.

This article is part of the special feature on women in the trades.

The Federal Association of Chimney Sweeps has elected Julia Bothur to its board. The 37-year-old authorized district chimney sweep is not only the youngest board member in the association to date, but also the first woman in a leadership position at the federal level.

Julia Bothur comes from Bochum in North Rhine-Westphalia and possesses a broad range of expertise as an energy consultant, fire protection technician, and mechanical engineer. In recent years, she has gained experience in public relations and in joint projects with chambers of crafts and ministries, and has been particularly active in the field of social media. She is now the board member responsible for press and public relations.

The board: Alexis Gula (President), Andreas Peeters (Vice President; Chief Financial Officer), Markus Burger (Technology), Dr. Julian Schwark (Energy), Udo Voigt (Vocational Training), and Julia Bothur (Press & Public Relations). Photo: © Federal Association of the Chimney Sweeping Trade

During the 139th Federal Convention of the Chimney Sweep Trade in Bonn, delegates elected two new board members for the association's national organization. They voted overwhelmingly for Dr. Julian Schwark as board member for energy , thus confirming him in his position.

Schwark took over the position of Head of Energy and the newly established Energy Department at the Federal Association in June 2022. The 38-year-old has been a member of the Executive Board since January 2023. This was made official again at the meeting.

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There are currently more than 21.000 chimney sweeps in Germany, including 11.000 energy consultants. "The energy transition can only succeed if we work together, and only together with the skilled trades," was the message from association president Alexis Gula at the delegates' meeting in Bonn with 300 participants.

Heat pumps in the focus of the chimney sweep trade

Discussions with customers currently revolve primarily around the new heating law , or rather the Building Energy Act (GEG) . "We are often the first people asked when it comes to heating, heating costs, or energy and climate protection plans from politicians. People value our opinion," says Gula.

In the future, chimney sweeps will further specialize in the area of ​​heat pumps . The Federal Association proposes to policymakers that chimney sweeps also record the number of heat pumps in operation and their efficiency status . "A corresponding proposal has been submitted to policymakers. We could take over certain tasks related to heat pumps and thus relieve the burden on skilled tradespeople."

Source: Federal Association of Chimney Sweepers - Central Guild Association (ZIV) 

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