Having held a variety of roles at DH Crofts, Mr Crofts has been the company's managing director since 2000.

He began his career as an apprentice at Crawley College in West Sussex, and worked as an electrical engineer for 15 years before moving up to run what has become a growing electrical engineering business.

Mr Crofts commented: “I am delighted to become ECA president, and to be an industry champion. The industry faces a range of challenges ranging from prompt payments and retentions, to ensuring that Brexit works for our sector.

“As someone who is passionate about improving the engineering and electrotechnical services sector, I look forward to working with ECA’s staff and members, our partners, and government, to tackle these issues head-on. I will also look to further raise the positive profile of our industry.”

Mr Crofts takes over the presidency from Mike Smith of SES Engineering Services, who has played a key role in bringing together many of the industry’s bodies. This includes a number of leading electrotechnical bodies who are now sharing Rotherwick House in London with ECA.

ECA chief executive, Steve Bratt, added: “We are very pleased indeed that Malcolm Crofts, a great advocate of our industry, has become ECA’s new president. The ECA team look forward to working with Malcolm to further enhance the status of ECA, and the wider engineering services sector.

“On behalf of ECA’s staff and members, we are very grateful to Mike Smith for his active support and engagement with the issues facing the industry, and his achievements over the past year as ECA president.”

For 2018/19, Jim Pridham of J.R. Pridham Services is now ECA senior vice president, with Gary Worrall of Lorne Stewart Engineering as vice president.