July 20 (Reuters) - Philip Jansen, former chief of BT

Group, is working on a private equity-backed takeover bid

for Rentokil Initial ( RTO ), the Sunday Times reported.

Rentokil declined to comment while Jansen could not be

reached on Saturday.

Jansen, who stepped down as BT's chief executive earlier

this year, is in talks with private equity firms over a plan

that would see him installed as executive chairman of the

company, the report said on Saturday.

The British pest-control firm agreed to buy Terminix in

2021, helping it build scale in North America and create a

global pest control services giant.

Jansen and his prospective buyers will use Rentokil as a

consolidation vehicle to mop up more pest control companies in

America, the Sunday Times said.

Rentokil's stock took a big tumble last October after it

warned of soft demand in North America, its largest market.

Last month, activist investor Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund

Management amassed a significant stake in the company, making

the New York-based hedge fund one of the top 10 shareholders in

Rentokil.