Meet Lewis Hoggan, Director at Crafter Engineering

We're delighted to introduce Lewis Hoggan, who joins Crafter Engineering as Director of our newly opened Glasgow city centre office. With two decades of experience across some of the UK's most respected temporary works and construction organisations, Lewis brings not only technical expertise but a genuine passion for the people and principles that make great engineering practice.

---

A Career Built Across the Industry

Lewis began his career on site as a site engineer, an experience he credits as foundational. Working directly alongside construction teams instilled a practical mindset that has informed everything he's done since. "What helped me was the pragmatic sort of thinking from working on site, creating a best-fit solution for each situation" he reflects.

From those early days, Lewis went on to build an impressive and varied career spanning Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, Morgan Sindall, Mabey Hire, MGF, Richter, and most recently Arthian. Along the way he accumulated hands-on experience delivering crane pad designs, excavation support, working platforms, formwork, hoarding, scaffolding inspections, and much more. These designs developed Lewis’ material knowledge across steel, concrete, timber, and proprietary systems, delivering solutions for various sectors including power, defence, healthcare, water, and commercial construction.

A Leader Who Develops Leaders

What makes Lewis stand out isn't just technical breadth; it's his philosophy of leadership. Having grown into management during his employment at Richter, he led the Glasgow temporary works office from a team of one to ten engineers and two support staff over three years. He developed a deliberate approach: creating space for people to find their own solutions, make their own mistakes in a safe environment, and grow with confidence.

One of the outcomes he's most pleased about from that period was the development of Laura Halliday, who originally joined as a design engineer and progressed through to Principal Engineer level, and is now an Associate at the Crafter alongside Lewis.

"I wanted to grow leaders," Lewis says. "I didn't want to be over everyone's shoulder all the time. You want others to be able to go and find their own solutions and then present those solutions directly to the clients they’re working with".

It's a leadership style born of experience but also of genuine care. Lewis is also a professional reviewer and mentor for the Institution of Civil Engineers, supporting engineers at all career stages, from graduates just starting out to more experienced professionals pushing for their next milestone. He is also honoured to serve as Senior Vice Chair for Glasgow and West of Scotland, which will see him taking over as Chair in October. This is a role that reflects the trust the wider engineering community has placed in him.

On What Drives Him

Lewis is measured and considered about how he talks about his own journey. He's happy to have achieved his chartered qualification, grateful for the life he has, and, in his own words, determined to put the best version of himself forward every day for his team. "I will work tirelessly for my team to ensure that the opportunities made available are fulfilled for us all," he says.

That quiet determination shows up in how he talks about the work too. He draws inspiration from leaders across different fields, and his eye for quality and genuine respect for people's time came through clearly in an unlikely setting: his 50-episode Falkirk Football Club podcast, where the way the club's current manager, John McGlynn, engaged with the podcast team left a lasting impression. "It doesn't need to be an engineering leader to see things that are inspirational," Lewis notes.

Quality, Accountability, and Getting in Front of the Problem

Ask Lewis what matters most in temporary works delivery and three things come back consistently: quality of output, customer service, and reliability. "If I'm putting my name on anything, it's got to be right," he says simply. He's equally clear-eyed about what that means in practice, engaging clients early, having honest conversations about programme, and getting in front of problems before they become crises.

"If you can support a tender before they're even on site, give them an idea of what temporary works might be required, you can add real value to their submission. It just raises the quality."

Looking Ahead

Lewis joins Crafter Engineering at an exciting moment. The Glasgow office is open, the team is in place, and the ambition is clear: to build a Scottish presence known for exceptional temporary works design, one that clients reach for first because they know they'll get a service they can depend on.

"I want Crafter to be the first port of call for clients if they've got a temporary works issue," Lewis says. "Because they know they're going to get a service and bespoke design which caters to their needs."

Having already known Lewis for a decade, we think that's exactly what they'll get. Welcome to Crafter, Lewis.