Marlon Ferreira wins award for entrepreneurship

Marlon Ferreira has won the 21st award for entrepreneurship at the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur Awards 2025. 

The event was organised by the Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) at the prestigious Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo.Exterminators PLC garnered its 68th award in the selected category, further solidifying its status as a leader in the pest management industry in the region. 

Marlon, at just 22 years old, made the life-altering decision to leave a stable job that provided a modest salary of 10K to 12K rupees per month. With no savings to fall back on, Ferreira borrowed 75K rupees from family and friends to acquire a bike and spray can, embarking on a journey that would redefine the pest control industry in Asia. 

The path was laden with obstacles, especially the bureaucratic challenges faced at the Registrar of Business office in Union Place. The stringent requirement for a registered address in Colombo threatened to stymie his ambitions, but persistence led him to a benevolent individual who facilitated the acquisition of his business certificate.

Marlon’s initial years were marked by resilience; he operated from home while meticulously establishing a customer base by distributing handbills throughout Colombo. The journey was far from easy, his first year’s sales yielded merely 98K rupees, a stark contrast to the potential earnings of 120K to 144K rupees he could have made while employed. Yet, this phase laid the groundwork for what was to come. 

Under Marlon’s leadership, Exterminators PLC has not only redefined standards in pest management but has also embraced sustainability with fervour, emerging as the first carbon-neutral firm in the industry and achieving ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications. To date, the company has received 68 awards, signified its leadership status, and created over 40 jobs, all while expanding its operations into the United Kingdom.