Strong data core underpins Insight & AI at Rentokil Initial

With its acquisition of American industry heavyweight Terminix last year, Rentokil Initial became the largest pest control company on the planet. 

However, what many people may not know is that Rentokil’s core functions stretch to so much more than that. The ‘Initial’ side of this FTSE 100 firm provides hygiene services in washrooms in offices and public places, an important yet taken-for-granted task. Elsewhere, subsidiary company Ambius – as its name suggests – takes care of office ambience, while Initial also handles dental waste disposal. 

Put together, all these individual businesses generate plenty of data which can be analysed to deliver crucial insights and lead to more efficient processes.

The man responsible for this part of the operation is Andy Graham, Head of Data and CDO for Europe, who joined last year. 

One of the big initiatives launched by Graham is to drive standardisation and improvements in data health via a new framework that governs the management and control of data. This is at the root of the company’s ability to enable a step change in the value it achieves from its data assets.

“As with all large organisations, the quality of data is part of what we’re dealing with,” says Graham.  “It’s one of those problems that you need to keep on top of because, if you don’t, it will keep coming back to bite you. 

“You need to find a way to make it a business-as-usual problem that you gradually eradicate from the organisation.”