One Year In: Building a Different Kind of Engineering Partner at Carn Engineering — An interview with Philip Patterson, Engineering Solutions Director

Twelve months, a relocation, and a business scaling faster than I’ve ever seen — while staying laser-focused on doing the right thing for customers. Here’s Philip’s first year at Carn Engineering.

Philip, one year in - what’s the headline feeling?

Pride, momentum, and a real sense that we’re only getting started. The last 12 months have flown by, but in a good way - the kind of speed that comes from building, not firefighting. When you join a business that’s genuinely customer-first, the work feels purposeful. We’ve grown fast, but importantly we’ve grown well - adding capability, strengthening relationships, and proving that a different kind of engineering partner can win in this market.

For people who don’t know your background, where have you come from?

I’ve spent 24 years in engineering and insurance risk services, largely with HSB and BES. Those years gave me a deep grounding in technical standards, statutory compliance, and what “good” looks like in the real world. I worked across heavy industry, commercial property and broker-led environments, and I learned to think from the customer’s side of the table: what they need, what keeps them awake at night, and what saves them time and reduces risk.Relocating back to Northern Ireland was a big personal move, but professionally it felt like the right next step - a chance to bring everything I’d learned into a business that wanted to do things differently.

So why Carn Engineering? What made it the right move?

Carn stood out immediately because it’s built around doing engineering properly, not just processing inspections. The advantages were clear:

• Multi-disciplined engineers under one roof. Clients don’t want three separate visits for three separate disciplines — they want one team that sees the whole risk picture. Our engineers don’t just inspect what’s on the job sheet; at every visit they look out for other engineering assets on site that legally need examination. Because we’re multi-discipline, we can spot those gaps, explain the “why,” and show how adding them to the inspection list cuts risk and protects compliance. Too many competitors are single-discipline — they either don’t see these exposures or choose to ignore them. We don’t.

• No call centre. When customers or brokers call, they get an engineer — not a script.

• An exciting place to work. High standards, high energy, and people who want to build.

• No politics — just help customers and add real value. That mindset is rare and powerful.

• Single online reporting solution. Simple, consistent, efficient for everyone.

• Flexible and agile workforce. We move fast and adapt to what customers actually need.

  
  

And joining forces with Gary Keenan - formerly Chief Engineer at Bureau Veritas - was a big draw. Gary brings huge technical credibility and leadership, but what really stood out to me is how progressive he is: when there’s a good idea on the table his default is basically “yes — let’s do it.” No dragging heels, no layers of approval, just a constant drive to improve and move forward. I knew we could build something special together in that kind of environment.

What’s been the biggest difference moving from multi-national organisations into Carn?

Speed with purpose - and leadership that stays close to the work. In larger organisations you can spend months debating improvement. Here, if something helps a customer or broker, we act.

A big part of that is that all the directors at Carn remain hands-on, and we intend to keep it that way. When you’re out there with customers and engineers, you see and hear first-hand what end users actually need. It means we can spin up new services quickly, and just as importantly, we understand how to embed processes that genuinely work for both our customers and our engineer surveyors. There’s no ivory-tower decision-making - it’s practical, grounded, and built around reality.

Let’s talk outcomes. What’s Carn achieved in your first year?

A lot - and it’s been a proper team effort. Highlights include:

• 350% revenue growth in 12 months.

• Quadrupling our engineering workforce. We’ve scaled without diluting standards.

• Introduced Electrical Services, and it’s growing rapidly already.

• LinkedIn followers up from 50 to about 950, reflecting credibility and visibility in the right places.

• Broker Trading relationships up 55%. Trust from brokers is earned, not claimed - and we’ve earned it by delivering consistently.

It’s not growth for the sake of growth - it’s growth driven by value and the bit I’m really excited about is what’s coming next. We’re already well into a major step forward that will add another layer of external credibility to our service in 2026 - the kind of milestone that reinforces to brokers and customers that Carn doesn’t just grow fast, we grow right. More on that soon.

You’ve modernised quickly. How has adopting AI and better systems helped?

It’s been a massive enabler for us. We’ve adopted AI and built smarter internal systems in a way that’s practical — not gimmicky. The goal has always been simple: improve the customer experience and improve how we run the business.AI helps us reduce admin drag on engineers, speeds up reporting workflows, and spots patterns across portfolios that would take humans far too long to pull together manually. On top of that, we’ve invested heavily in real, un-fudged business intelligence - meaning clean data, honest dashboards, and visibility you can actually make decisions from.That gives us two big wins: customers get a smoother, faster, clearer service, and internally we can see what’s working, what needs fixed, and where to scale next - quickly and confidently. I’d say it’s a ‘quiet advantage’, but it drives a lot of what you’re seeing in our growth.

OK, so what do you think is powering that growth overall?

We’re solving real problems in a way the market wasn’t doing well enough.Customers and brokers are tired of fragmented services, slow turnaround, and impersonal systems. When we show up with joined-up engineering, clear immediate inspection reporting, hands-on leadership, and engineers who take ownership of the wider risk picture, we stand out.But the real engine is the people - backed by good systems. We’ve built a team that wants to do excellent work, explain risk clearly, and keep improving how we deliver. When the service is right, growth follows.

What have you learned personally this year?

That culture beats strategy when it gets busy. Plans matter, but culture and recruiting well is what keeps quality high while you scale. Carn’s culture is practical, customer-first, and ego-light — so when things get complex, we don’t wobble.I’ve also learned that modernising engineering doesn’t mean losing the human side. Tech should remove friction, not relationships. We’re proving you can do both.

You’ve hinted that big news is coming in 2026. What can you share?

I can’t give the full story yet, but I can say this: 2026 will be a step-change year for Carn.

We’re building toward something that expands our capability, deepens our value to customers and brokers, and positions Carn as one of the most progressive engineering partners in the UK & Ireland. If this first 12 months proved the model works, 2026 is about scaling it in a way the whole market will notice.

If you’re a broker or customer who wants engineering that’s joined-up, fast, and genuinely risk-reducing - or if you’re an engineer who wants to be part of a business that’s growing for the right reasons - let’s talk. Drop info@carnengineering.com a message, follow Carn Engineering on LinkedIn, and keep an eye on what we’re building for 2026.