It is with great honour that I begin my term on the SPMA Governing Council, a position held by our dedicated Major G. Surajan for the past 18 years. I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Major Surajan for his invaluable contribution to SPMA over the years. I would also like to express my thanks to all members for your encouraging vote of confidence.

For many years I have enjoyed the benefits of SPMA membership. I can now look forward to giving back to the association by using my experience to assist members of the pest industry to improve their competence to service their customers and partners. I will strive to follow the path set by Major Surajan and to continue to expand the strategic network of agencies and corporations who will co-operate together in Singapore and the South East Asian region. This strategy has proven to be the best method to achieve the SPMA goals to advocate the advancement of knowledge and to improve techniques to achieve a healthy environment. Our relationships with NEA and WDA are important partnerships in this era of proactive pest management and we will seek to deepen these relationships.

The valuable contribution SPMA makes to the pest industry can be seen through several milestones reached in 2006. The very successful Pest Summit 2006 themed “Targeting Zero Pest Infestation” was the second convention held that was jointly organised by Pest Control Association of Malaysia (PCAM) and SPMA with the Indonesian Pest Control Association and the Thailand Pest Management Association as co-organisers. This world-class event saw strong participation of more than 500 representatives from 20 countries, with leading experts from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, UK and the USA showcasing the latest trends. The good news is that interests have been expressed from other countries in this region to seek collaboration and the location for the next convention has already been set for Bangkok, Thailand in 2008. We look forward to Pest Summit 2008 with much anticipation for the support which the regional pest community can bring to bear to make it an even better event.

Moving forward, we are focused on attracting new members to the association. The SPMA Governing Council recognises that education is the key to building a more professional industry. For three years many people in and outside the industry worked together to develop training units that meet the guidelines of the National Skills Recognition System (NSRS). New members will find the NSRS skills upgrading programme especially beneficial, as it uses a combination of e-learning, classroom coaching and field practice. Participants must complete the core units Prepare Pest Management Equipment, before embarking on the units Treat Mosquito Infestation and Treat Rodent Infestation. I am pleased to announce that in 2007 we will add three new units Treat Cockroach Infestation, Treat Flea Infestation and Treat Fly Infestation to this programme. You can also look forward to more technical support activities such as the publication of Pest books and the organisation of seminars on topics of pests encountered in our part of the world.

I look forward to continued efforts in the advancement of pest industry professional standards and the awareness of care for the environment through our various programmes. New industry collaborations in the South East Asia region generated through the Pest Summit has formed the foundation for our future success. Now is the perfect time for our members to actively participate in SPMA events throughout the year.

I am excited about working with my new council comprising of industry veterans and fresh new blood to help with the challenging task of reaching even greater heights. I urge all of you to engage and support SPMA objectives and activities as we strive for greater Professionalism and Technical Competencies. I view our collaboration as a team effort and would value your feedback about our activities or the information provided in our PestCraft in Print and on our web site.

Mr Andrew E L Chan