It's a male-dominated industry with something of an image problem but Pest Solutions boss Chris Cagienard is on a mission to change that. His firm, as the name would suggest, deals with the control and hopeful elimination of the sort of vermin and creepy-crawlies that you definitely don't want to be sharing your home or business premises with. The Glasgow-headquartered pest controller was founded back in 2001 before Cagienard and his business partner acquired the business in 2016.
Since then it has grown from just a handful of employees to a headcount of 65. Much of that expansion has taken place over the past four years or so, with a concerted push across Scotland and into the north of England . Turnover this year is expected to come in at between £4.
2 million and £4.5m and the ambitious aim is to ramp up revenues to £11.5m over the next three years - something that may involve external growth investment and acquisitions.
“The image of a pest controller is one of an ageing white man,” confesses Cagienard. “We are an industry with almost no diversity and 40 per cent of them are due to retire within the next ten years. Currently, that industry is about 4.
5 per cent female. Our company looks very different - the majority are under 35 and there is 48 per cent female employment across the team. “We invest in a lot of training,” he adds.
“We are trying to have people not just doing a job - we want to invest in their career and get them to take ownership of their car.