Oh what a Night! National Pest Awards 2024

Huge recognition to all the entrants to the prestigious National Pest Awards 2024, sponsored by Syngenta.

Congratulations to all the finalists who gathered in London last night (11 September) for the winners’ announcements, including the overall Pest Business of the Year, Pest Solutions (below), awarded by Syngenta Head of Professional Solutions, Simon Elsworth.

Other big winners on the night included London Network for Pest Solutions (LNPS), who took the Syngenta Diversity & Inclusion Award category. 

The company is based in the London borough of Newham, which was the first borough in Europe where more than 50% of residents are classified as non-white. Newham is now one of the most diverse boroughs in the country with over 102 languages spoken.

“When LNPS was set up, making sure we selected the right staff for our customer base and tried to reflect the customers we serve was a key priority for management,” Paul Cooper, managing director, commented.

“Also, our business model of remote working has helped us to attract excellent staff from different backgrounds – particularly women with children, whose circumstances mean home working suits their needs." 

“We just want to show people that no role is excluded from them.”

"It also means we are well placed to employ people with physical disabilities as the business continues to grow."

The Syngenta Pest Solutions Team at the Awards, (L to R, Sean Loakes, Technical Manager; Gary Nicholas, Digital Solutions Lead; Simon Elsworth , Head of Professional Solutions EAME; Sarah Hughes, Business Manager UK & Ireland; Richard Moseley, Business Manager North West Europe.)

Overall winner of the Pest Business of the Year, Pest Solutions, provides services across Scotland and the north of England, specialising in professional pest and bird control services for domestic and commercial customers. 

Managing Director, Chris Cagienard, highlights the company ethos is primarily as a customer service business.

“Building the mindset, our team delight in excellent customer service; as a result professionalism is a by-product.”

The company has grown incredibly quickly, from four employees in 2019, to over 60 now.

The company retains 98% of our customers, and we are adding between £30,000 and £50,000 of contract work a month, in addition to other contracts and job work,” added Chris. Pest Solutions is aiming to push hard for national accounts.