Former employees of the now defunct consulting firm Global Counsel are finding new homes across the public affairs and communications sector, as rival agencies move quickly to capitalise on the fallout caused by co-founder Peter Mandelson's downfall. Global Counsel appointed an administrator on 20 February, warning at the time that there would be "a significant number of redundancies" among its approximately 130 staff. In the weeks since, a scramble has begun across the industry to absorb the firm's talent, with many big names picking up a number of employees. FGS Global is understood to have hired three former Global Counsel employees this week, with sources indicating the agency plans to bring on additional staff from the collapsed consultancy on a rolling basis in the coming weeks. The hires are expected to complement FGS Global's focus on growth sectors including financial services. Public affairs firm Blakeney has also confirmed it is in active discussions with former Global Counsel staff, having already made an offer to one candidate and indicating further offers are likely to follow. Meanwhile, at least one former team within Global Counsel is understood to have been in talks with agencies about moving together as a unit, which is a sign that some of the firm's practice groups are seeking to preserve their working relationships despite the collapse. Among the confirmed moves, Louise Calland has announced she is joining Flint Global, alongside colleagues Seb Culliford, Jake Beech, Valerie Jentzsch, and Vandana Venkat, as the firm expands its health and life sciences offering. Calland paid tribute to her team's handling of a turbulent period, saying they had shown "resilience and good humour" and describing Flint as "a welcoming home" with "curious, intelligent and kind" colleagues. The group said they are already operational, helping clients navigate the political and policy landscape. Nick Park, meanwhile, has joined Strand Partners as a Senior Policy and Economic Adviser. Park said he had "admired the speed at which they have grown" and the firm's reputation, and expressed ambition to develop its specialism in policy and economics alongside its communications and campaigning work. The move to Strand Partners is particularly notable given the firm's recent history. Strand Partners was founded by Tim Allan, the communications veteran and former Downing Street adviser, who resigned from the government just weeks ago. Strategic advisory firm Capstone has also capitalised on Global Counsel's downfall, picking up six former employees - amongst them two new directors. Daniel Capparelli and Emma Eatwell have both joined the firm as managing directors, whilst the other four with hold more junior roles. Capstone has said that it was "pursuing advisory talent aggressively." Global Counsel had already been facing reputational difficulties before its collapse. The firm made headlines earlier this year after being referenced in documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of its investigation into the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The files which showed more than 800 messages either sent from a Global Counsel email address to Epstein or that mentioned the advisory firm. The pace at which former Global Counsel staff are being absorbed by competitors reflects both the breadth of talent that had been housed within the firm and the appetite among rival agencies to strengthen their policy and public affairs capabilities....