Serco set to launch rescue rights issue

“The shares will come under pressure. Rupert Soames has a hard task ahead of him; he will have his work cut out.”

Mr Soames will leave energy firm Aggreko and take the helm at Serco on Thursday, a month earlier than initially planned, and Ms de la Soujeole believes one of his biggest tasks will be minimising the reputational damage Monday’s announcement will have on the company.

Serco’s image has already been hit by claims last year that it over-charged the Government on its contract to electronically tag criminals. Serco settled those allegations in December with a £68.5m payout but it still faces a criminal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over the matter.

“We are concerned about the impact on Serco’s reputation, which took a knock last year,” Ms de La Soujeole said. “Can you repair that?”

Serco’s shares have fallen almost 19pc so far this year, following a profits warning on January 30. At the time, the company said operating profits for 2014 were likely to be “10pc to 20pc lower” than market expectations.

Shares in Serco, which said it will make a further announcement later this week, rose 0.2pc to 404.5p on Monday.

Serco did not return calls for further comment.

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