We spoke with 2024 AWPMA Excellence Award winner Sue-Ann Tysoe from Checkmate Pest Control about her journey within the pest control industry.
In August 2024, Sue-Ann Tysoe (pictured with family, above) was awarded the Australian Women’s Pest Management Association (AWPMA) Excellence Award 2024. The award was a mark of her dedication to learning and recognition of her ongoing contribution to the industry. As well as running a successful pest business, Ms Tysoe is the chairperson for the Learning and Events taskforce, covering Careers in Pest, an industry initiative to drive interest in careers in the pest industry.
Coming up to her tenth year in the pest control industry, it was back in 2014 when she joined her partner Luke Tysoe in running Checkmate Pest Control in Logan, QLD. Her first goal was to learn as much as she could about the pest business, which proved to be a steep learning curve. Getting her pest licence seemed like a huge challenge at the start; with so much pest knowledge to acquire, it seemed like an insurmountable challenge. But with perseverance, it became an attainable goal.
“Getting my pest licence has been my biggest achievement,” said Ms Tysoe. “Part of it was overcoming my fears… like going into small spaces, like roof voids. I was so proud of myself for doing it.”


In 2019 she began working in the business full time, which meant running the office, networking within the community and working as a technician on occasion. Today, Checkmate Pest Control is a thriving business. Together, the Tysoes have strategically built the business on two pillars: customers and future staff.
For Ms Tysoe, customers are at the heart of everything. “We do everything we can to help our customers, because, really, pest control is about improving their quality of life. We pride ourselves on being professional, which for us means always meeting our promises. We do good business when we offer a quality service, treating our customers like our own family,” she said.
When it comes to staff, Ms Tysoe feels her role is much more than that of a future employer; her aim is to help the staff achieve their life goals. She strongly feels that the pest industry has a lot to offer in many aspects of life. The Careers in Pest initiative within the Learning and Events taskforce led by AEPMA is something that she is proud to be part of.
“I stepped up in my role within the Learning and Events taskforce when Kylee [Enwright] sadly passed away. It was her vision to promote the industry better, so I wanted to be a part of it,” she said.
“Within this taskforce the Careers in Pest aspect was needed. There are three different areas: mentoring, careers, and events. I’m involved with the careers side of things as people don’t really know what we do. Most people don’t realise how much investigation is involved in pest control, the variety of work we do, and the way we find different solutions to problems. Pesties do so much to improve people’s quality of life, and can change people’s lives.
“Another aspect is that we want to raise the image of pest controllers. They should be seen like other tradies, and respected for the job they do. Professionalism is a big part of that; when young people join the industry we need to show them how they should be doing things from the start. For people already in the industry, if everyone was to increase their level of professionalism by just a small amount it’ll elevate the overall industry.”
Part of her role on the Careers in Pest taskforce committee is to highlight the opportunities available to women within the pest control industry. Part of this is reassuring potential entrants to the industry that a lot of support is at hand, especially when starting out. When Ms Tysoe first stepped into the industry, she says she was welcomed by many women who offered support while she was taking those first steps.
“When I first started out, I met so many amazing women. I was really inspired by them and I wanted to learn from them. I was really supported while I was studying to get my licence,” she said.
“Through Careers in Pest, we want to show women there are multiple roles within the industry – admin, business management, and on the job. It’s great to have female technicians and actually some of our female customers prefer a female technician. It’s a great thing for the industry.”
For Ms Tysoe, winning the AWPMA Excellence Award proved to be a very rewarding moment in her career. “I felt honoured to receive the award. To get clapped from the industry feels pretty huge as I’ve only been in the industry a short amount of time, really,” she said.
“To have people believe in me – like when we won the Micro Business Award [AEPMA Pest Manager of the Year] – feels great, like we’re really supported. We’re not perfect but we’re trying our best every day and it’s so nice to be recognised for that.”

Looking to the future, the Tysoes aim to make Checkmate Pest Control the biggest pest business in Logan, setting the bar high for other businesses in the area to follow. Ms Tysoe’s tireless work has steered the business into a place where it can flourish, which will hopefully see another full-time technician joining them soon.
For Ms Tysoe, the pest control industry has uncovered a passion for learning and a desire to build connections, and she won’t be leaving any time soon. “I’m going to be in this industry for life,” she said. “For anyone thinking of joining the pest business I’d just say go for it, seriously have a go. You can do it, and we’re all here for you.”