PPC115 | Your association
Run by pest professionals for pest professionals – the BPCA Executive Board sets the strategy of the Association. Following our 2024 election, members chose three new directors to join the Board.
We caught up with them after their first meeting to see what they’re bringing to the table.
“Being part of BPCA is like you’re part of a wider team of sharing, collaboration and networking, which is just as important as education.”
PPC First, congrats on being voted onto the Executive Board – and welcome back to Martin! Martin, what made you decide to return for another stint?
MC I felt like I had unfinished business, to be honest. I didn’t leave by choice, it was out of necessity with Covid kicking off, and I needed to focus on work as we’re a small business. And we were a much smaller business at the time, so I still had a lot I wanted to do.
PPC Anna and Rebekah, you’re both new to the Board, but you are both on other BPCA committees. Can you tell us how you’ve found volunteering on committees so far and why you decided to go to the next level?
AM I was in the Outreach and Communications Committee and have filled in on the M&D Committee at times. I wasn’t aware that I could have so much of an impact on BPCA with volunteering.
From there I thought, let’s take this a notch up. I speak to a lot of sole traders and SMEs and people talk to me and share their opinions. So, I think my purpose on the BPCA Board is to represent the people I speak to daily.
RC We became members of BPCA only a couple of years ago. That’s when I found out that there’s a lot more to BPCA than what I’d first thought. I joined the Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee and I got a lot of value from that, and achieved a real insight into the industry itself.
I set up my own business when I was 24, which is very young in this industry. I came in with little to no experience and struggled to get the information I needed to expand. By joining the Board, I hope I can bring more opportunities to represent smaller businesses and create opportunities for people to join the industry.
PPC Do you think you would have ever applied to the Board without being on committees before?
AM I would not have jumped onto the Board if I hadn’t done the committees first. My idea of BPCA as a body, and what my influence as a member is, were two different things before.
Once your eyes are opened, you suddenly realise that BPCA is made up of its members, and its members determine what happens. I learned that from spending time on committees, and it showed me I could be valued on the Board and help shape the direction of the Association.
PPC You all represent fairly diverse types of pest control businesses: a servicing member in Scotland; a distributor from southern England; a fumigation expert from East Anglia. How do you think this helps when setting the direction of the Association?
AM I’m from an M&D member in the very south of England, so we are completely different from many of the servicing members. Through being on committees and getting more involved in BPCA, I found that my skills, advice, and opinions can impact the industry.
I hope I represent a collection of skills that perhaps others don't already have on the Board.
RC What I’ve found over the years in Scotland is that courses, training sessions etc are very few and far between. There’s maybe one or two in Scotland a year, and even then the uptake on those courses is very small. So I’m excited to bring more Scottish representation, even though Chris Cagienard does a fantastic job as BPCA’s President.
We’ve seen with glue boards that we’ve got this separation between the different parts of the UK, and this highlights the need to ensure representation from all parts of the UK.
MC We’re right in the east of England, which is the breadbasket of the country. We’re in proper farming country, which means we are into fumigation. It’s great to have representation of that tiny niche of our sector.
PPC Martin, having been on the Board previously, what are you looking forward to the most about being back?
MC I want to talk about licensing. It’s a largely unregulated industry, and if it is regulated, it’s regulated through supply.
I think fumigation indeed has shown that regulation is workable. If we had a better-regulated industry, I think professionals would see great benefit from it, as well as seeing our public profile increase.
AM That’s right, public opinion needs to be changed so that the importance of licences and qualifications matter too. We can flash a load of badges and things but we need to show why these regulations matter and how they signify professionalism.
PPC What are some goals that you’re all hoping to achieve from your time on the board?
AM Mine is just to apply my skills to benefit every member of BPCA and the wider pest control industry, while being a voice for the sole traders and SMEs I speak to everyday.
I’m in a place to gather lots of opinions to bring them to the Board and get their voices heard, without them having to take time away from their businesses.
RC I think it’s too early to set a specific goal because I still have a lot of learning to do. I just hope that overall my time serving on the Board does make an impact.
Ask me again in six months and I will have goals set out about what I want to achieve!
MC I want to raise the profile of fumigation as much as possible because it’s a sector that nearly died. We’ve been growing it as much as we can, with training, collaboration, and spreading knowledge on what it is and what it can do.
PPC Why do you think volunteering for BPCA is important?
AM I believe if you want things to change, do something. So this is me doing something.
RC I was one of these people before becoming a member who was of the opinion, based on other people’s opinions, that BPCA is just a sticker on the van. It wasn’t until I joined that I discovered that you get out of it what you put in.
There’s so much available to everyone, and so many people are missing out. By volunteering, you can get the most out of your membership.
PPC What would you say to anyone who has thought about volunteering but has not quite taken that leap yet?
AM Going onto a committee, or even just shadowing a committee for one session, greatly opens your eyes. If you want to make a difference, this is the way to do it.
Also, everyone has multiple skill sets that will benefit BPCA. Don’t limit yourself to sharing only the skillset you practise in your day job. So don’t judge yourself.
MC Networking in BPCA is amazing. If people don’t know you’re there, how can they possibly get in touch with you to hear what you have to say? That’s a massive thing for a small business. If you’re a sole trader and you’re looking to expand your business, getting more involved is really helpful, as you can see how other people do things.
Being part of BPCA is like you’re part of a wider team of sharing, collaboration and networking, which is just as important as education.
RC Most people in the industry know me because of my involvement with BPCA. There’s so much happening in BPCA that there’s something there for everyone.
To some, it might sound like a massive contribution, but the time commitment is minimal for what you get back from it: you build so many valuable connections.
If you’re going to pay for membership, you should push to get as much as possible out of that membership. Take the opportunity to get involved and find out what interests you, it might be something different from what you would assume. You find out all the good work BPCA does and find out that the Association means so much more than a badge on a van.
Interested in volunteering?
Joining a committee or the Board is a fantastic way to develop yourself professionally and give back to the pest management community. Contact us today to find out how you could get more involved in YOUR Association.
hello@bpca.org.uk