We helped RAC build a commercially focused, insight-led data and pricing team following Carlyle’s acquisition. By placing senior leaders across retention, data insight, and analytics, RAC transformed legacy systems, embedded predictive modelling and real-time decisioning, and unlocked over £2M in value—creating a scalable model later adopted across Carlyle’s portfolio.
Situation
Following Carlyle Group’s acquisition of RAC, one of the UK’s most recognisable brands, the business faced increasing competition from agile, digital-first challengers.
To defend and grow market share, RAC needed to:
- Strengthen retention and pricing sophistication
- Unlock value from underutilised customer and vehicle data assets
- Modernise insight, pricing, and customer data infrastructure across insurance, roadside assistance, and membership divisions
The challenge was to transform legacy systems and siloed functions into a commercially driven, insight-led organisation capable of delivering measurable, sustainable performance improvements.
To achieve this, RAC required expert teams and leadership able to bridge technical data capabilities with strategic commercial goals—professionals who could drive change across complex, cross-functional environments and deliver tangible growth post-acquisition.
Approach
We were retained post-acquisition by the Chief Insight Officer to design and deliver a multi-phase hiring programme. This involved:
Strategic Collaboration
Working closely with the CIO, Consumer CEO, and Heads of Insurance to define a comprehensive talent roadmap across leadership, management, and specialist analytics roles.
Targeted Search
Focusing on candidates with deep domain expertise in insurance, automotive, and membership sectors.
Capability Building
Embedding in-house modelling, targeting, and pricing capabilities to support retention, cross-sell, and digital revenue optimisation strategies.
Governance and Compliance
Strengthening regulatory compliance, governance, and SMCR accountability within data and pricing functions.
We prioritised talent able to combine sector knowledge with analytical expertise—professionals who could partner with senior leaders to drive measurable commercial outcomes while building robust, sustainable teams.
Result
The talent we delivered transformed RAC’s commercial insight, data, and pricing capability, enabling a step-change in post-acquisition growth and value creation.
Key Appointments
Director of Retention & Pricing
Accountable for RAC’s largest P&L and winner of the 2022 CEO Award for measurable commercial impact.
Head of Data & Insight
Delivered enterprise-wide data enablement, real-time decisioning, GDPR compliance, and predictive modelling infrastructure.
Senior Trading Manager – Insurance
Introduced performance-led disciplines and embedded a data-informed culture across the trading floor.
Insight & Data Services Manager
Founded RAC Data Services; secured 12 OEM clients in year one and developed a customer LTV-led cross-sell model.
Director of Membership & Commercial Insight
Delivered retention strategies unlocking over £2M in value through strategic partnerships.
Senior Analysts – Insurance & Commercial
Produced segmentation, performance analysis, and risk-based targeting models supporting retention campaigns and CPA optimisation.
Through these hires, RAC built an insight-led, commercially focused data function that supported Carlyle’s post-acquisition value creation plan. The success of this project led to the ‘internal data service provider’ model being adopted as a best-practice framework for future Carlyle acquisitions.
Joining RAC post-acquisition was a pivotal moment in my career. The support and leadership placed through Banba’s programme empowered me to drive real change—transforming legacy data systems into agile, insight-driven capabilities. It’s rewarding to see how our work directly unlocked value and set a new standard across the industry.”
— Director of Data & Insight, RAC
As a result of these placements, RAC was able to transform legacy systems into an agile, insight-led organisation, embed advanced modelling and pricing capabilities, and drive measurable growth across insurance, roadside assistance, and membership divisions. Banba’s hires were instrumental in unlocking significant commercial value and establishing a best-practice data service model that was subsequently adopted across Carlyle’s portfolio.
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