Rob Boschma owns and operates Specialist Termite Control - a winner of multiple awards including National Specialist of the Year and Victorian Pest Manager of the Year. He also works with the Australian Environmental Pest Association at both a State (Vice President) and National (State Delegate) level. Being a second-generation pest manager, Rob is passionate about the industry and its promotion. He has presented at numerous industry conferences on a range of topics, with a particular emphasis on Small Business and Termite Management. Rob aims to provide relevant, independent industry insights with a focus on real world situations.

Emma Mendelsohn co-founded Noah’s Ark Pest Control in 2009. Today she leads a dedicated team of pest specialists.  In over 15 x years of business, Noah's Ark Pest Control has won the prestigious Victorian Pest Manager of the Year and been a finalist in the National Pest Manager of the Year Award.

Emma is the current Victorian AEPMA Chair having served as Vice Chair previously.

Michelle is the owner and operator of Lethal Pest Control, a small business that operates from Brisbane and Coolangatta in the Gold Coast. With over 14 years of experience in Pest Control, Michelle is highly skilled and knowledgeable in her field. She holds a Cert III in Conservation & Land Management, as well as a Cert III in Urban Pest Management. Michelle is also Termite qualified and fully licensed.

Michelle has a deep passion for conservation and the environment, which is reflected in her work. She has previously worked in vector control for the Gold Coast City Council, further enhancing her expertise in pest management. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Michelle is a strong advocate and support for women in the pest industry.

Michelle's dedication and excellence in her work were recognized when she won the PWAPM Excellence Award in 2020. This award is a testament to her commitment to providing quality pest control services and making a positive impact in her industry.

CHAIR - DAVID GAY, OAM - WR GAY PEST CONTROL

David's pest management company employs around 30 people and services all of the Melbourne Metro and surrounding rural areas. The operations of his business are mainly commercial, servicing a vast and diverse range of both private and government clients. These include; health and aged care, general manufacturing, logistics centres, specialty food manufacturers, pharmaceutical industries, Defence, retail, fast service restaurants and hospitality, to name a few.

Over the years, David has developed a keen interest in the pest management industry and has been involved in all of the current industry Codes of Practice. He has also been involved with several business and entrepreneurial organisations that has enabled him to travel regularly to both local and international events as an attendee and invited guest speaker, speaking on a variety of topics mainly associated with the Australian pest management industry.

After achieving an Engineering degree from RMIT in Melbourne, David started his working life as a Mechanical Engineer in the thermo-plastic industry before travelling abroad. Upon returning to Australia, he commenced working in the family pest management business.

Alongside his pest management business, David is involved in some direct manufacturing in China and importing of various specialty items into the Australian market. Over the years he has been involved in a number of business acquisitions and start-ups that have given him a broad and varied level of business experience.

David is the immediate past President of AEMA and a past President of FAOPMA. He is currently a Director on the National AEPMA Board.

In 2018 David was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for business and services to the pest management industry.

KUYAN RIDER - CONQUER TERMITES NORTHSIDE

Kuyan Rider launched her career in the pest control industry over 15 years ago with Scientific Pest Control & Cure-All Pest Control. She quickly became captivated by the industry's complexities and opportunities. Now a licensed general and timber pest professional, Kuyan serves as the General Manager of Conquer Termites Northside, a family-owned franchise of Conquer Termites Australia.

Since joining the Northside team in 2014, Kuyan has expanded the team from 2 to 15 employees, focusing on retaining the right staff, prioritizing training and education, and fostering an excellent team culture. Her commitment to her team and dedication to elevating industry standards have led to multiple nominations for the PWAPM Excellence Award, where she was a finalist twice and won in 2021.

Trent openly admits that a little over 9 years of business management experience and being mid-way through a Bachelor in Business, hasn't made his job any easier. The responsibility of employing a growing team, managing their individual needs along with the businesses needs and keeping a roof over everyone's head and dinner on the table is hard and requires focussed attention. 'It's an unfinished job, we get better at it every day and simultaneously feeling inapt.

TRENT CHAPMAN - LOCAL PEST EXPERTS

Trent is one of the owners of Local Pest Experts on the Mid North Coast of New South Whales alongside his brother. In the classic family business story, Trent entered the industry young, beginning his training in 2008 at age 15. The 16 years since then has exposed him to all aspects of the pest management industry.

Trent worked as a contracted trainer and assessor with Rapid for a couple of years which provided him with an invaluable understanding of the vocational education and training system, improved his ability to communicate and provide effective candid feedback and manage the fragile development of tomorrows talent.

Kuyan's proudest achievements include Conquer Termites Northside winning the AEPMA Pest Manager of the Year for companies with 10 or more staff, and the overall AEPMA Pest Manager of the Year in 2023. Her leadership and passion continue to drive success and innovation in the pest control industry.

DR ANNA BLACKMAN - TALENT INSIGHT SOLUTIONS

Dr. Anna Blackman serves as the Co-Founder and Director of Talent Insight Solutions. The core philosophy of Talent Insight Solutions revolves around combining evidence-based methods with skilled and accredited coaches and trainers. This approach ensures that the insights provided engage, educate, and empower both individuals and teams in areas such as recruitment, retention, and career development. Prior to this role, she held the position of Associate Professor of Business at James Cook University (JCU) specialising in the areas of Human Resource Management. With a robust background in Business Management, Human Resource Management, Human Behaviour and Communication, Coaching and Mentoring, Leadership, and Technology for Innovative Teaching, Dr. Blackman has become a notable figure in the academic and business realms.

Dr. Blackman's passion lies in bridging the gap between theory and practical application within organisational contexts. In addition to her academic achievements, she boasts a decade of experience in successfully running and managing small businesses. Her primary objective is consistently directed towards assisting organisations in developing their people effectively, ensuring they acquire the skills necessary for success. Dr. Blackman holds a PhD in business coaching and has earned several certifications, including being an Australian HR Institute (AHRI) Certified Practitioner Fellow, and serves as an AHRI Queensland State Councillor, Executive Director for the European Mentoring and Coaching Council Asia Pacific Region, an Extended DISC Consultant and member of the National Psychosocial Safety Network.

Dr John Cunniffe (Worthington Cunniffe & Associates)

Dr. John Cunniffe is an accomplished forensic building consultant with extensive experience in the construction and building industry. He is also a beekeeper and timber pest inspector having the added advantage of understanding the colony-based similarities of honeybees and termites. His expert witness work includes reports on building and timber pest reports. He holds multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. and a D.Sc. in Process Engineering. Dr. Cunniffe has a robust background in teaching and vocational training, having delivered workshops and courses in project management, management, technology development at various esteemed institutions such as Massey University and the University of Wollongong. His has active roles with the Master Builders Association NSW, the Australian Society of Building Consultants, the Concrete Institute of Australia, the Australasian Concrete Remediation Association, and the Society of Construction Law Australia. As a fourth generation builder and previously as a Licenced Builder Dr Cunniffe built 56 new house builds and dozens of renovations and extensions, demonstrating his comprehensive expertise from site supervision to trade coordination and client liaison. His military service as a Ship's Diver in the Royal New Zealand Navy, and an Intelligence Analyst in the New Zealand Army Reserve further underscores his disciplined and strategic approach to his professional endeavours. Over the past nine years Dr Cunniffe has prepared 251 expert reports (208 for NCAT, 22 for the District Court of NSW, 17 for the Supreme Court of NSW and 4 for the Land and Environment Court). His hands-on approach and meticulous attention to detail have earned him a reputation for excellence in expert witness work.

Brad Iranzadi (Home Termite Control)

Brad is a degree-qualified mechanical engineer from Denmark and a fully licensed pest controller with 20 years of experience in the pest control industry. He holds a Pest Management Technician qualification and is a licensed pest and building inspector. Brad successfully established his own specialist termite company, Home Termite Control. With an Honours degree in Total Quality Management, Brad has developed and facilitated a training program in home termite protection at Macquarie Community College. His expertise and experience have enabled him to create comprehensive and informative video tutorials, which can be found at www.termitetutorials.com

I'm a Data Analyst & GIS developer specialising in geospatial and environmental sciences. I have over a decade of experience as an environmental scientist and have worked in a range of industries from private enterprises to state government. At Ninox I process our thermal and other geospatial data from our UAV's which are typically surveys of pest plants over huge remote areas, or of pest animals like deer or pigs. This data is normally of such a huge quantity that we are unable to view it all personally, so a computer vision model is the only way to deal with it all. I develop these algorithms so we can identify target species faster and allow Ninox to cover large areas in a short amount of time. Also I create the custom software that controls our hardware in the field so we can operate exactly how we and our clients want.

Dr John Cunniffe (Worthington Cunniffe & Associates)

Kate has extensive experience in delivering workshops and training on social media marketing and online community building, online and offline marketing and business development, with the last 15 years focused solely on online digital strategy. More recently Kate has incorporated her extensive experience in using AI to enhance business efficiency and effectiveness. She has trained with some of the world's leading experts in social media, community building and AI and is up to date in this rapidly changing industry.

Kate has provided coaching, training and social media implementation for more than 3000 companies, small businesses and community organisations. Kate has been given the accolade of 'Digital Community Champion' by the Queensland State Government and was a founding Lead Trainer for the Facebook Community Manager Certification. She is passionate about helping people understand and implement AI powered social media strategies for businesses, leading them to grow and activate online customer communities that take action.