PRESS RELEASE
On International Women’s Day 2025, Pest Solutions shine the spotlight on the amazing women that are revolutionising the UK pest control industry.
In their own words, we hear from some of our incredible award-winning team about overcoming the challenges faced by women in a traditionally male-dominated sector, what it is like to work as a female pest professional in 2025, and what work still needs to be done in the pursuit of gender equality in the industry.
Celebrating the award winning success of the women at Pest Solutions
At Pest Solutions, we believe that when talented and motivated people are given the opportunity and environment to thrive, they will take that opportunity with both hands.
Our technicians haven’t just overcome the challenges faced by women in the pest control industry but have constantly raised the bar and set new standards of excellence time and time again.
On International Women’s Day 2025, we wanted to take the opportunity to shine the spotlight on the incredible achievements the women on our team have had over the past few years, earning award-winning recognition for their exceptional service throughout the UK pest control industry.
Gemma Sutherland BSc (hons) – Service Manager/Graduate Advanced Technician
National Pest Awards Young Pest Controller of the Year 2022 and Pest Controller of the Year 2023, and BPCA Commitment to CPD Award 2024 winner
“I am deeply grateful to Pest Solutions for the opportunities I have been given. My career highlights include speaking at Parliament about my experiences as a young woman in the industry, being nominated for industry awards, and, in 2023, receiving a promotion to Service Manager.
"In 2024, Pest Solutions was honoured with the prestigious titles of Large Company of the Year and Pest Business of the Year at the National Pest Awards. I believe this success is largely due to the strength of our diverse and exceptional team, and I am immensely proud to both lead and contribute to its continued success.”
Clara Guisan BSc (hons), MSc – Graduate Advanced Service Technician
Pest Solutions Sales Lead Award 2024 and Rookie of the Year 2023
“I take pride in what we do and I always try to give my best. Last year I became an Advanced Pest Control Technician and I won the Young Pest Control Technician of Year in our Pest Solutions award. This year I received the Sales Lead Award.
"Recently, I have been appointed as Team Leader for the Edinburgh area. It’s great that we are leading the change to a more professional and humane pest management sector, and it’s an honour to be part of it. We need more people with this mindset, from all genders and backgrounds."
Chloe Smith BSc (hons), MSc – Graduate Advanced Technician
National Pest Awards Young Pest Controller of the Year 2022 and 2024 Finalist, Pest Solutions State of Service Award 2022 and 2023, Young Technician of the Year 2023 and Service Quality Award 2024
“Having this passion for learning and training as a technician has paid off, as I have been in top 3 nominees for the Young Pest Controller of the Year award twice, most recently in 2024, and have been awarded for quality of service and productivity within the company on several occasions.
"I am now a qualified advanced Level 3 technician and will be working towards a field biology qualification, which is something I never thought I would be doing when starting in 2021.
"Being recognised and achieving these qualifications so early into my career in the industry is encouraging for myself, and hopefully any women that want to consider joining the industry and pursue a career.”
Rhae Lobban BSc (hons) – Graduate Service Technician
Pest Solutions Young Technician of the Year 2024 and Rookie of the Year 2023
“Since starting here, I’ve managed to scoop up 2 awards: Rookie of the Year 2023 and Young Technician of the Year 2024. I’ve trained and achieved by Level 2 in Pest Management and have just completed my exams to soon (hopefully) become a level 3 CAT technician.
"Very recently, I’ve become Aberdeen’s Team Leader! A new exciting opportunity which I’m honoured to take on.”
Siobhan Quinn – Account Manager
Pest Solutions Ambassador of the Year 2023 and 2024
“Since taking on this role as account manager at Pest Solutions, I felt like I have thrived in this role as I have won the ambassador award at our company awards 2023 and 2024 and was shortlisted for the spotlight award at the BPCA awards in 2024.”
Maisie Bullock – Net Zero and Sustainability Coordinator
Maisie may have only been with Pest Solutions for six months, but the impact she made at the company was transformative, revolutionising our sustainability practices and contributing massively to Pest Solutions winning the Glasgow Business Awards 'Net Zero Achievement Award 2024': one of our proudest achievements as a company to date.
Megan Scott BSc (hons) – Graduate Service Technician
Pest Solutions Rookie of the Year 2024
Joining Pest Solutions after spending time as a Animal Care Assistant at the SSPCA, Megan has put her exceptional knowledge and love of animals to great use since joining us last year.
She has already picked up the Rookie of the Year Award at our 2024 company awards and was commended nationally by the BPCA for producing the most comprehensive in-depth onboarding scheme submission they have ever seen, a testament to her exceptional dedication and desire to learn.
Portia Simpson – Qualified Gamekeeper/Graduate Service Technician
State of Service Award 2024
Scotland’s first female qualified gamekeeper, and author of the highly recommended book ‘The Gamekeeper’, Portia is no stranger to breaking new ground, and has certainly hit the ground running in her role as Graduate Service Technician in Aberdeen, scooping the State of Service Award after her first full year at the company.
Rebekah Simpson – Advanced Technician
Pest Solutions Rookie of the Year 2022
“Since starting in the industry, I have progressively watched more women start careers in pest control and climb up the ladder within the industry, continuously proving that pest control doesn’t have to be a male dominated industry.”
The importance of International Women’s Day in the pest control industry
International Women’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible strides women have made in champion progress towards gender equality, but to also highlight and acknowledge the immense amount of work still yet to do.
Nowhere is this need for continued improvement more apparent than in the pest control industry, where men still account for around 94% of the workforce, with the vast majority being over the age of 45 and an estimated 40% due to retire in the next 10 years.
The women at Pest Solutions are no stranger to entering a field that is notoriously male dominated and the pretty damning demographic statistics are something that many were acutely aware of from the get-go.
Clara:
“As a woman, it seems that we have also another battle, which is to be continuously proving ourselves.
“A young lady like you doing a job like this?” – more than a question, it has become my work soundtrack. That’s another eternal fight, proving that I’m as capable as a man to do the job properly.”
Siobhan:
“Having worked in sales for over 13 years across various industries, I used to constantly feel the pressure to meet my targets and close sales in ways that were pre-decided for me as a woman.”
While these challenges continue to exist in the pest control industry, it is also important to acknowledge how far we have come. As a company committed to making a difference in the pest control industry, many find it a refreshing change to join an organisation challenging the tired stereotypes on what it means to be a pest controller.
Chloe:
“When joining pest solutions, there were a couple of women on the team which was welcoming considering pest control technicians are known to be predominantly male. Quickly I was made to feel like this didn’t matter at pest solutions and a keen interest for the job was all you needed!”
Elsie Anderson BSc (hons) – Graduate Service Technician
“As a young woman applying for her first job in the trades, the prospect of fitting into a traditionally male-dominated industry was a pretty daunting and uninspiring one.”
Choosing a career as a female pest professional
Many of the women on our growing team had little or no pre-existing knowledge of the pest control industry before applying for a role at Pest Solutions.
What they did possess was a skillset that is highly valuable in this field, from degrees in animal behavioural science and biology to exceptional sales track records in previous roles.
Combine this with our extensive training programme, a desire to learn and grow, and an experienced team to guide new recruits and you have a recipe for success and we believe we are cooking something truly special here at Pest Solutions.
If you have been considering a career in pest control, or have never given the idea one second of thought up to now, our team have some words of wisdom to share about what life is like working as a women here at Pest Solutions.
Gemma:
“I embarked on my career in pest control in 2021, joining Pest Solutions as a Graduate Service Technician after completing my degree in Zoology.
"At the time, I was unfamiliar with the daily responsibilities of a pest control technician, but it didn’t take long for me to realise how relevant my knowledge of animal biology and behaviour was to the role, and I quickly developed a passion for the work.”
Clara:
“I joined Pest Solutions as a Graduate Pest Control Technician 3 years ago. I didn’t know what pest control involved and now I can’t stop talking about how challenging, fun and dynamic pest control can be.
"Currently, I’m an Advanced Technician in the Edinburgh area, but initially I started being a technician in Aberdeen. From the pest control perspective, they are two different worlds.
"This made me aware of how difficult pest control can be in Edinburgh, compared to other places. Almost each site is a continuous fight, mostly against mice activity. Even though this can be an arduous job, you are continuously thinking of new ways to win this battle. Creativity is a must in pest control.
"Women are traditionally educated to be empathetic and responsible. These are essential skills in a good pest controller. The way of doing pest control is changing and female pest controllers are part of this change.”
Chloe:
“I came into the pest industry in 2021 after studying Environmental Health Science as a masters. Prior to this my background was in hospitality and I had no real insight into what a pest control technician did. Four years on, I'm still learning every day and I'm involved in training regularly.”
Siobhan:
“Everything changed when I took on my role as Account Manager at Pest Solutions in February 2023. This felt like a new step in my career as I had never worked in the pest control industry before.
"Taking on this new sales role allowed me to learn new things, meet and exceed my targets, all while being given the freedom to close sales in ways in which I feel truly comfortable and authentic to me.”
Aislyn Risk BSc (hons) – Graduate Service Technician
“I joined Pest Solutions in November as part of their graduate scheme, bringing a degree in microbiology and experience in customer service and working with animals as an Animal Rescue Officer at the SSPCA.
"I enjoy the fact no two days are the same, and the opportunity to build customer relationships.”
Danielle Ellis – Sales Manager
Pest Solutions Top Contract Sales 2024
“Over the past four years at Pest Solutions, I have had the privilege of starting my journey as an account manager and recently being promoted to sales manager. Together, we can inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in this field and continue breaking barriers.”
Rebekah:
“I have been involved with gaining control of bad infestations and providing reassurance to all customers.
"From gaining employment through the job centre to achieving my Level 3 CAT certificate with help from all my colleagues and other members of the industry, working in pest control has been a life changing journey.”
Rhae:
“I fell into pest control and hit the ground running. I quickly realised this is where I’m meant to be. A place where I can utilise my knowledge of native flora, fauna and legislation.
"Since starting at Pest Solutions, my confidence has grown tenfold. I’ve been trained by the best people, which helped me become the technician I am today. I’m inspired every day by our team’s ethos and dedication.
"I feel so grateful and valued to be entrusted with our pest care plus sites delivering enhanced service to our top customers as a Team Leader. I love what we do and why we do it, and I’d whole-heartedly encourage other young graduates to consider a career in Pest Management.”
Accelerating action in the pest control industry
The IWD 2025 campaign theme Accelerate Action “emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, in both personal and professional spheres”.
With this theme in mind, we asked ourselves what does ‘Accelerate Action’ look like for Pest Solutions and for the pest control industry at large?
The Pest Solutions commitment to inclusion
At Pest Solutions, we strongly believe that the extent of gender disparity in the pest control industry is unacceptable and significant change is required.
We hope to lead by example by creating a working environment where more women to view pest control as a viable and fulfilling career path and challenge pre-existing notions of what a pest controller looks like.
As service manager Gemma highlights below, over half of our workforce at Pest Solutions are women, from graduate service technicians to account managers, to Gemma herself as service manager.
A very different demographic to the industry as a whole, but one that has arisen naturally from a simple mindset of hiring the best candidate possible for every single position.
“In my role, I have the privilege of leading an ever growing team across Scotland and Northern England, of which 52% are women," explains Gemma. "I was exceptionally proud to lead our team to being recognised as winners of the National Pest Awards 'Large Company of the Year 2024' and 'Pest Business of the Year 2024', demonstrating that our diversity is driving exceptional performance in our field.
"At Pest Solutions, we prioritise hiring the best talent, regardless of gender. From the outset, Pest Solutions encouraged me to build a long-term career within the company. I was pleased to find that here, gender was never a barrier to success. It was clear that hard work, dedication, and a commitment to providing excellent customer service were the true measures of success in the pest control industry.
"We have an exceptional team that also cares deeply about their environmental impact and were proud to see our professionalism and responsible practices recognised in winning the Glasgow Business Awards 'Net Zero Achievement Award 2024'.”
Danielle:
“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the remarkable contributions of women in all industries, including the traditionally male-dominated field of pest control.
"My experience has not only allowed me to grow professionally but also to challenge stereotypes within our industry. As we honour women’s achievements today, it is essential to recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion in pest control, where women bring unique perspectives and innovative solutions to the table.
"All the women at Pest Solutions are skilled professionals who are incredible at what they do, and we hope that their stories and experiences help inspire more women to consider pest control as a career path that is not only professionally rewarding but also immensely fulfilling to work in.”
Aislyn:
“I was surprised to find a balanced gender split within the company, despite the industry being male dominated. The women I work with inspire me to be the best I can, despite the challenges of being a woman in pest control.”
Elsie:
“At Pest Solutions, it has been so refreshing to see this space shifting with a more diverse and inclusive workforce. I feel proud to be surrounded and uplifted by so many strong, talented, and hard-working women.
"As a native New Zealander, in our Māori language, we might be referred to as “Wāhine Toa” (warrior women), as that’s what’s required of us to create positive and long-lasting change! Happy International Women’s Day to all the warrior women out there.
Ready to be Pest Solutions newest pest professional?
Are you a woman considering the pest control industry? We want to hear from you.
Working in the pest control industry is like no other and many of the women on our team can attest to the exciting and rewarding nature of roles in pest management.
If you’d like to be an integral part of our journey in this industry and envision yourself being our next award winner, reach out to us today, we look forward to hearing from you.
As a pest control company, we have seen immense growth to our business over the past few years and were immensely proud of winning Large Company of the Year 2024 and Pest Business of the Year 2024 at the National Pest Awards last year.
This rapid growth means we are constantly on the lookout for new talent so if you are a recent science graduate or if you are a rewarding workplace at the forefront of an industry that is rapidly evolving, we would love to hear from you.
Simply send your CV to chris@pestsolutions.co.uk and we will get back to you shortly.