More than a dozen Paddle8 employees, including the managing director Thomas Galbraith, Kate Brambilla, the senior director of business development, and, most recently, the head of communications Sarah Goulet, have left the firm since its merger with rival online auctioneer Auctionata was announced in May. Auctionata staff remain in place, a spokeswoman says, “but eventually there could be changes; that can happen with a merger”. The two companies’ UK operations have already merged, while their US operations “will be integrated over the course of the next year”, she says.