Leah Shum & Uni Smart Pest Control

Leah Shum was recently recognised as the Highest Revenue Contributor (Special Mention) for April 2023 by BNI Sierra 

How did you get involved in the industry?
Coming from the interior design line, I did not have any experience in pest control. I did not understand the importance or why people need pest control. Until one day, I got to know about corrective soil treatment for anti-termite as a customer requested it for his house. That is where I came to realise the important of Pest Prevention and Management to the public health and that in Malaysia, we have very low awareness in Pest Control. So when my partner shared the vision for the company and the team, I believed in the potential. Within 1 year, I am able to obtain a PAL licence certificate from Jabatan Pertanian. Later during this time, we went in under MCO, hence where I decided to leap into Uni Smart full time. Ever since then, we have started to introduce and educate our customer about green and safe pest management solution for their premise.

What made you decide to go do this business?
Being an Interior Designer at the time, we tend to focus specifically on how the living space looks, but never question whether the new living space is safe from pests. Having this perspective, me and my partner made Uni Smart Pest Control a sustaining and growing business.

Particularly, I do remember another factor that made me jump in this business. It was during the SARS outbreak. Cleanliness & hygiene was the priority to overcome an epidemic. I realise that in order to achieve cleanliness & good hygiene, a pest control service contributes a lot to create a clean and safe environment.

How is Uni Smart different from other companies?
Uni Smart Pest Control serves to protect a property to our full extent. We have the best tools and technology to fight pesticides for our customers. Not only that, Uni Smart prioritises safety at the highest level. We are known for our green products which are harmless, odourless, and effective. Our team is always scouting the best eco-friendly solutions that can put an end to your pest problems and does not cause toxic harm to us and the environment.

The value that Uni Smart provides to our clients
Uni Smart Pest Control provides for hundreds of other businesses and to more than a thousand homeowners. Sustaining such milestones could not be possible if these 5 values were not implanted in Uni Smart. These 5 values are :

1. Customer oriented
   Listening to our customers. Understand their needs and deliver to the best of their expectations.
2. Teamwork
   Build the team. Trust the team.
   Achieve together with the team.
3. Respect
   Respect for customers.
   Respect your efforts and yourself.
   Respect your team members
4. Responsibility
   Be responsible for our behaviour and services.
   We are responsible to deliver the highest values in our performance and profession.
5. Caring
   We care for our society, our environment, and people around us.

Insights for the pest control industry
The growth & insights of pest control services in Malaysia can be attributed to the increasing awareness of pest-related health hazards and the need for maintaining hygiene in homes and businesses. The most common pest issues people face in Malaysia is mosquito infestations, which contributed a lot to dengue infections. Not only that, but cockroaches, termites and rodents are also a recurring problem that people face.

According to a report by Ken Research, the pest control market in Malaysia was valued at USD 74.6 million in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 112.4 million by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period. The report also suggests that the demand for pest control services in Malaysia is driven by the increasing urbanisation and the resultant rise in construction activities.

Additionally, the demand for pest control services is also increasing in the food processing and hospitality industries, as these sectors are highly regulated and require strict adherence to hygiene standards. In our country, the Malaysian government is also taking initiatives to promote pest control services in the country, such as providing subsidies for pest control services in certain areas.

Overall, the pest control market in Malaysia is expected to continue growing in the coming years, driven by the increasing awareness of health hazards associated with pests, the growing use of technology in pest control services, and the rising demand from industries such as food processing and hospitality.

Clients or contacts that I would like to be connected to or get in touch with

• Joint Management Body/Committee (JMB/JMC)
• Property Management
• Restaurant/Cafe Owner
• Retail Owner
• Commercial/Office Owner
• Hotel Management
• Factory/Warehouse
• Residential

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