Steven will putt his energy into new role

Former golf professional is to manage pest control firm

His career path took him to senior golf course management posts in Indonesia and the Middle East before returning to his native Perthshire.

Now Sc o t l a n d’s b i g g e s t independent pest control firm and UK Pest Control Business of the Year has teed-up a new role to tempt Steven Morgan out of his comfort zone.

The 36- year- old family man, who spent three years as managing secretary at Blairgowrie Golf Club after overseeing operational and planning strategies for IMG Golf Course Services’ luxury portfolio, has been appointed Graham Pest Control’s first general manager.

It marks a milestone for the Blairgowrie- based business, which comes under the Graham Environmental Services umbrella.

Managing director Ross Graham said: “Graham Pest Control has undergone tremendous growth in recent years and with a few exciting acquisitions in the pipeline – along with the company entering a number of new sectors – it is the ideal time to appoint our first general manager.

“Having watched Steven excel in a similar role previously, and being impressed with his vision, strategy, people skills, communication and financial management, I was convinced he would be the ideal person to lead the company through our next period of growth.

“Steven becomes the 100th employee of Graham Environmental Services – a nice milestone for a company that started as a ‘one man band’ back in 1993.”

Steven, who began his career as a professional golfer when he secured a PGA qualification at Gleneagles Hotel after leaving Auchterarder High School, said: “This an exciting and completely new challenge for me.

“My background has been in golf management but, like many people, I took the chance to re-evaluate things during the worst of the pandemic.

“I had opportunities to step back into golf at home and abroad which were tempting.

“I had been looking at other industries and then Ross got in touch.

“His vision for developing the business was impressive and many of our management principles aligned. So it seems like a great fit.

“The days when pest control perhaps figured low on the list of business priorities have gone.

“The need for stringent control measures has been reinforced by the thorny subject of rats in Glasgow’s streets coming to the fore with COP26 in the city.

“COVID has certainly brought a heightened sense of hygiene on so many levels.

“There has been a growing awareness of environmental issues, the science behind pest control and the need for high standards of cleanliness in both business and domestic settings.

“Whether it is leading hotels, restaurants, football clubs, golf courses, secure premises like airports, hospitals or other lines of business, they appreciate the need to take preventative measures as much as react to unexpected problems.

“The company was proactive coming out of lockdown, engaging with businesses to ensure they had a clean bill of health.

“Many of the new clients have remained with us, given our high levels of service and expert technical knowledge.

“But there is huge scope for further expansion. We are looking for new technicians almost every week to meet the demand for our range of services.”

Honour Dr Scott Jamieson and Dr David Shaw with members of the NHS Tayside Primary Care Command and Coordination Team Members of NHS Tayside’s primary care team have been recognised for their efforts combatting COVID-19 at a national awards ceremony. The board’s specially formed Command and Coordination Team (CCT) won the‘Team Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Health’ category at the recent Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Inspire Awards, while Dr Scott Jamieson of Kirriemuir Medical Practice was named‘RCGP Member of the Year’. The CCT was formed at the beginning of the pandemic to respond to the challenges it caused and went on to establish COVID Assessment Centres (CACs) across Tayside where poorly patients could be seen and treated in a COVID-safe environment. They also set up a weekly online meeting for GPs, GP trainees, practice managers and practice nurses to discuss the response to the pandemic along with representatives from public health, paediatrics, respiratory and general medicine. Dr Jamieson was recognised as RCGP Member of the Year for his role within the CCT, which included managing the weekly online meetings and creating a primary care newsletter that brought together all relevant COVID information for GPs. Chief executive Grant Archibald said:“We are very fortunate here in Tayside to have such close collaboration between our primary, community and acute hospital services who work together with the common purpose of serving our patients and providing the best possible care. “Congratulations also go to Dr Scott Jamieson for his individual award. He has been a leading figure in the primary care COVID response and this recognition is very well deserved.” Associate medical director for primary care Dr David Shaw added:“The CCT works so well because we have had a shared goal from the start to do the best we can across primary care, in partnership with anyone who could help us help our patients.” Dr Jamieson said:“I am so grateful to have won this award but could only have done so with the great people working alongside me to make it all possible.”