Your Association | PPC104 August 2021

You may have seen that we’ve had a bit of a recruitment boost at BPCA recently. Four people are joining our Staff team in the coming weeks, in the Membership, Technical and Finance teams.

Here’s your chance to get to know all of them.

SPEED profile: John Horsley,
Technical support Officer

john@bpca.org.uk

Hi, I’m John, the new Technical Officer with BPCA.

I started my career in pest control in April 2012, working around Lincolnshire and building a great deal of experience in rural and urban pest control.

During this time I passed my RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management, and then my BPCA Accredited qualification (now the CAT assessment) in 2015.

I began looking after the North Yorkshire moors and dales, which broadened my knowledge even further and offered me new challenges to overcome.

In 2017 I successfully applied for a technical officer role with my previous employer, so for the last four years I’ve played a pivotal role in training technicians, office staff and customers in all aspects of pest control, in the classroom and out in the field.

I found my passion for working with technicians that are new to the industry, guiding them to become qualified and experienced technicians.

I applied for the BPCA position as I felt it was a great opportunity to use my experience to help others in new and exciting ways. I’ve enjoyed using the BPCA Registered system over the last two years and can see this being significant in driving excellence in pest control further.

I’m most looking forward to getting out in the field; meeting our members in the coming months.

Out of the office, I enjoy spending my time outdoors: rock climbing, canoeing, sailing and camping with my partner Kaitlyn and our two beautiful children, Aria and Otis.

We live on the northeast coast and are regular visitors to the beach with our two working cocker spaniels, and a bucket and spade!

Let’s chat with Kristian Nettleship,
Member Support Officer

kristian@bpca.org.uk 

PPC: Welcome to the team, Kristian! Tell us a bit about yourself.

KN: Hello! I’ve been working in the pest control industry since I was about 24 when I came across it and fell into it, following several years of working in retail and hospitality. I’d never settled into any roles up to that point, but pest control really got a hold of me.

I’ve just come from Target Pest Control in Leicester, where I worked for eight years. I started as a technician, but when I left, I managed a team of eight as a service manager.

Outside of work, I have three young boys who keep me busy.

PPC: What made you apply for the Member Support Officer role at BPCA?

KN: I came across the job purely by accident because I was adding a job for Target on the BPCA jobs board. I applied because I was looking to progress in the sector, share my experiences and learn from loads of other companies in membership.

My first thought when I got it was, “What am I going to tell my boss?” I wasn’t planning to leave Target, they’re a great team, but an opportunity like this doesn’t come up very often. They were really supportive of me, which was lovely.

I can’t wait to knock on members’ doors to tell them that “we’re here and we’re ready to help”. BPCA wants to work with them, and I share that passion.

Kristian Nettleship, Member Support Officer

PPC: What are you looking forward to most about your new role?

KN: I can’t wait to get stuck in, helping people and being that bridge for conversations between the Association and pest companies. There’ll be a lot of listening, learning and sharing knowledge.

And once all the Covid restrictions are gone, I’m excited to start getting out and seeing members regularly.

Pest control is a small sector, so I know many people’s names, and I’m looking forward to putting faces to those names. I can’t wait to get out there and meet people at BPCA events.

I love problem-solving, investigating, reassuring people and ultimately winning their trust.

I can’t wait to knock on members’ doors to tell them that “we’re here and we’re ready to help”. BPCA wants to work with them, and I share that passion. If I don’t know how to help, I’ll certainly know someone that can.

Your new finance team

Emily Waterfield, Finance Officer
emilyw@bpca.org.uk

Emily joins BPCA having several years of finance experience working in the education sector. She’s very comfortable around a set of numbers and is completing her AAT studies, with BPCA supporting her next level of professional qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Emily said, “I’m looking forward to stepping up to the challenge of leading the day-to-day running of the Finance Department. I’m also excited to get to know the members, and I’m hoping to see lots of them at future events and getting to know how the pest management industry ‘ticks’.

“I like that BPCA is not-for-profit with a smallish, stable, experienced team. I’m definitely a ‘happy to help’ person and enjoy being immersed in new things and experiences.”

Emily enjoys the great outdoors and can often be found in the Peak District with her border collie, Ruby. Any other spare time she has is spent socialising with friends (normally involving food) or enjoying a good crime thriller book or podcast – a pest detective in the making!

Rachael Cook
Finance Assistant
rachaelc@bpca.org.uk

Rachael most recently worked for a small not-for-profit organisation, covering a wide range of finance and administrative responsibilities.

Her move to BPCA means she can focus on finance, where her real interest now lies. Rachael will also be expanding her financial knowledge supported with study for her AAT qualifications.

“I’m looking forward to speaking to members and hearing about the industry first hand,” says Rachael. “As part of my responsibilities I’ll be leading on credit control, but I’m hoping chasing overdue invoices is not necessarily the first contact I have with the majority of members!”

She continued, “I applied for the position after getting a good vibe from BPCA’s website. Everything I saw about the Association and the Staff team told me BPCA looked like a nice place to work, and so far it gets the ‘thumbs up’!”

Rachael occupies any spare time from work and family duties with running and book club (more like a cheese and wine club in reality). She likes baking and food - so she’ll fit right in.

THE WHOLE CABOODLE

Have you forgotten our faces? Don't worry, brush up before you see us again at the next in-person event.

bpca.org.uk/about/staff-team

Source: PPC104