Pest Awards Meet the Finalists - Diversity & Inclusion

The Syngenta sponsored Diversity & Inclusion category of the National Pest Awards features three great progressive and expanding finalists this year. 

Organised by Pest magazine, the National Pest Awards celebrate, recognise and reward the excellence and outstanding practice shown by the British pest control sector.

Every year the Awards brings together the industry at a sparkling London ceremony, inclusive of dinner, dancing and entertainment, that sees the year’s winners announced. 

The Diversity & Inclusion Award, sponsored by Syngenta, seeks to reward a pest management company that recognises the importance of diversity across their business, taking one step further by actively tackling inequalities and removing barriers. 

The judges will be looking for a company that has created an inclusive workplace in which all employees of all backgrounds and beliefs are valued with special measures adopted to promote diversity across gender, race, age and to include those with disabilities.

Meet the finalists .....

Contego Environmental Services says that diversity is at the heart of everything it does – not just meeting quotas, but creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

As of May 2024, women made up 35% of its workforce, and 65% of its senior management positions are held by women.

“We believe in providing equal opportunities and have created pathways for women to advance their careers within our organisation,” said chief executive, Michael Taylor.

“We eliminate bias to ensure fair opportunities for all candidates." 

Our ‘Get into Pest Control’ course, run in collaboration with the Prince’s Trust, was designed to open doors for young people from diverse backgrounds, offering them a pathway into the pest control industry.

“The Diversity & Inclusion Award is probably one of the most important to be recognised for.”

London Network for Pest Solutions (LNPS) 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."

PestFix says that one of its key ethos covers a variety of aspects of equality and diversity.

“We have a group of disabilities within our business both physical and mental,” said managing director Terry Burrows.

The company specially designed its building to be inclusive and accessible to all, including lifts, accessible bathrooms, and lower countertops, in addition to installing a hearing aid loop system.

“The reason our company began was due to the lack of equality within the range of companies."

"Bigger companies had stronger buying power and therefore were outcompeting the smaller businesses for contracts as their materials costs were lower,” Mr Burrows said.

“PestFix’s pricing structure provides a flat bottom rate for any pest management professional. If you are a sole trader, you get the same low prices as the big national corporations.”