Kevin Bell has ousted Peter Bingle as managing director of public affairs consultancy GPC's London operation.
Bell, who joined the agency from Bell Pottinger, has replaced Bingle with immediate effect. Bingle is understood to have been talking to GPC's European CEO Julia Harrison about carving out a fresh role for himself.
A statement from the company said: 'Peter is moving on to new challenges,' though these are not thought to be within the agency.
Bell and Bingle worked together for over four years at Westminster Strategy in the early 1990s. Bell's appointment as GPC London vice-chairman (PRWeek, 7 July) prompted speculation on Bingle's future. One informed source said: 'They were always going to be an explosive combination, and Bell seems to have triumphed in the clash.'
Bell is not thought to have planned Bingle's ousting - the two claim to remain personal friends - and GPC sources insist the MD post was not the carrot which enticed him away from Bell Pottinger. The decision was made by Harrison, to whom Bell will report.
Bingle's year in charge of GPC has been characterised by a spate of high-profile staff hires, from ministerial special advisers such as Kathy McGlynn to former Labour Party PR head Joy Johnson.
