Strategic advisory firm MHP Communications has strengthened its public affairs expertise with the appointment of Amy Fisher, previously special adviser to the former home secretary Amber Rudd.

Fisher, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable people within the Conservative Party’s machinery of government, joins from Conservative Party HQ where she was director of outreach and external affairs.

Her arrival is testimony to the strength and ambition of MHP’s public affairs offering, coming hot on the heels of the appointment of policy advisor Tom Hamilton from the Office of Labour’s deputy leader.

Fisher has also worked on several general election campaigns, including with the prime minister’s team in 2015. Before that, she was special adviser at the Ministry of Justice and at the Department for the Environment & Rural Affairs. She has also worked as director of communications at the think tank Policy Exchange and as public affairs & communications manager at Google.

Fisher reports to James Gurling and Jamie Lyons, joint heads of MHP’s public affairs practice. Since taking over, the pair have added a range of major new clients, including Nationwide Building Society, Southern Water, ATOS and MyTaxi.

Fisher says, “MHP has a really diverse and interesting range of clients, and I’m excited to be joining the team at a time when, more than ever, businesses need support and advice in dealing with the challenges they face.”

Gurling adds, “In the networked age, knowing how to navigate Whitehall and Westminster is crucial to our clients’ success in communications. Amy has spent the last decade advising some of the biggest names in British politics. At a time of great uncertainty for business her counsel will be of enormous value to clients and colleagues alike.

“MHP’s growing cross-party team is ideally placed to help clients engage effectively with the current government and take account of what a future Labour government might would mean for them.”