Rentokil Initial has confirmed the appointment of Paul Daly as a consultant to its catering and facilities management division, as exclusively revealed in Caterer yesterday.

Daly, who was formerly commercial director of business and industry at Sodexho, has been taken on for a three-month period to assess the future of the Autograph (business and industry) and Eden (education) brands.

A source close to Rentokil said Daly may take up a full-time position as boss of the division after the three-month period, which begins in January.

It is understood that Daly, who left Sodexho in October for reasons that the company refused to disclose, may also consider offloading the division.

Rumours that Rentokil may move out of the catering market have picked up since it was revealed that its Eden Foodservice education division was struggling to boost uptake in the wake of Jamie Oliver's campaign.

Observers suggest it would also fit with Rentokil's recent policy of selling non-core divisions.

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