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Rentokil Initial plc (LSE:RTO, NYSE:RTO) announced Wednesday the appointment of Thérèse Esperdy as chair of its board, effective September 1, 2026. Esperdy will join the board as a non-executive director and chair-designate on July 1, 2026.
The company stated that this appointment follows the planned retirement of current chair Richard Solomons, who has served in the role since 2019. Solomons will retire from the board at midnight on August 31, 2026.
Esperdy is currently non-executive chair of Imperial Brands plc, a position she will leave following Imperial Brands’ November 2026 board meeting and fiscal year 2026 results announcement. She is also the senior independent director designate of Smith & Nephew plc and a non-executive director of Moody’s Corporation. Previously, Esperdy was senior independent director of National Grid plc.
In her executive career, Esperdy held senior leadership roles at JP Morgan, including global chair of the financial institutions group, co-head of Asia-Pacific corporate and investment banking, and global head of debt capital markets.
According to the company, Esperdy will be considered an independent non-executive director upon appointment, in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code. She will also succeed Solomons as chair of the nomination committee on September 1, 2026. Her annual total fees will be £725,000.
Senior independent director John Pettigrew said, “We are delighted to welcome Thérèse to Rentokil Initial. She brings considerable experience to the Board from her wide-ranging non-executive roles in international businesses based in both the UK and the US. The Board is confident that she is the best possible candidate to lead the Board through the exciting next phase of Rentokil Initial’s growth, working with Mike and the executive team.”
This information is based on a press release statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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