CEO DIARIES
company’s long standing commitment to developing people internally and supporting long-term careers. Having grown through the organisation myself, I place huge importance on developing others in the same way. Today, I lead with the same values that shaped me – being accessible, supportive, honest and fully engaged with both our people and our customers. I believe leadership in a safety critical industry must be visible and grounded. Decisions have real consequences, and it’s vital that leadership understands the detail as well as the strategy. It is critical in this industry to be visible and grounded. Decisions have real consequences, and it’s vital that leadership understands the detail as well as the strategy.
I now oversee a business that operates as a
complete one-stop partner for lifting operations, bringing together bespoke engineering and manufacture, lifting equipment supply, inspections, testing, repairs and specialist training. Looking ahead, my focus is on strengthening our role in helping customers reduce risk across their entire lifting environment – not through isolated services, but through smarter engineering, improved competence and genuinely integrated service delivery. Looking ahead, my focus is on strengthening our role in helping customers reduce risk across their entire lifting environment.
How did you get into the industry, and why? My route into the lifting industry was completely unplanned. When I joined Carl Stahl in 2004, I had no technical knowledge, no experience with lifting operations and no real understanding of the legislation or engineering behind them. Like many people entering the sector, I initially saw it as an opportunity within a good company, rather than a lifelong career choice.
However, as I learned more about the industry, it quickly became clear just how critical lifting equipment is to safety and operational reliability. Unlike many sectors, the consequences of getting things wrong in lifting are immediate and severe. Equipment failure, poor inspection or lack of competence can result in significant injury or worse. That reality had a profound impact on how I viewed the work we do. Lifting operations support a vast range of industries – whether that is in construction, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, ports, renewables and many others. In every case, the integrity of lifting equipment directly affects the safety of the people using it. That sense of responsibility motivated me to go deeper than surface level understanding and to build genuine technical competence rather than simply learning enough to “get by”. What really anchored me to Carl Stahl, though, was the culture. The environment was supportive, values driven and focused on doing things the right way rather than the easy way. I was encouraged to grow, trusted with responsibility and supported by colleagues who believed strongly in teamwork, integrity and professionalism. That culture gave me the confidence to keep pushing myself and to take ownership of my development. Over time, the industry became more than a job. It became a vocation – one that sits at the intersection of engineering, safety, problem solving and people. There is a real sense of purpose in knowing that the work you do contributes directly to safer workplaces and more reliable operations. That purpose is what has kept me engaged and motivated throughout my career, and it remains one of the strongest reasons I am proud to work in this industry today. There is a real sense of purpose in knowing that the work you do contributes directly to safer workplaces and more reliable operations. That purpose is what has kept me engaged and motivated throughout my career, and
Bernard Doughty, managing director, Carl Stahl Evita
www.hoistmagazine.com | March 2026 | 15
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