MercerBell co-founder and chairperson Nick Mercer will depart the customer experience agency and its holding company Publicis Groupe next week.
Mercer was also the country lead of Publicis' Data Spine.
Mercer says the decision to leave the holding company was hard but cited health reasons.
“It has been a hard decision to leave the Publicis Groupe, but at the moment, due to health reasons, my priority must lie with my family," Mercer says.
"Nikki, my wife, and I are taking a year out and will go and live in France for the next few months, and then go travelling and pursue other interests.
"It has been an absolute honour and pleasure to establish and grow MercerBell, and I am immensely proud of all the staff, clients and strategic partners we have worked with for over 20 years. Additionally, over the past 12 months, I have relished the opportunity to be a part of Publicis Data Spine, and I wish the talented team every success in the future.”
Publicis Groupe ANZ CEO Michael Rebelo thanked Mercer for his contribution to both the agency and holding company.
"Nick Mercer has resigned from his position as the Country Lead of Data Spine and Chairman of MercerBell. He has taken the decision with his wife Nikki to take some time off in the South of France," Rebelo said in a statement.
"I’ve had the career highlight of working with Nick, acquiring his agency MercerBell, then seeing him take on new challenges within the Publicis Groupe after the acquisition was successfully completed.
"Nick has been an admired and respected leader in the industry for more than 30 years. For many of those who have had the opportunity to work with him, he has been described as a world-class expert in his field, an inspiring leader, a class act and true gentleman. It’s been an honour to have worked with Nick these past five years.
“We thank Nick for his significant contribution to Publicis Groupe and wish him and his wife Nikki all the very best for the future. I’m also supremely confident that the amazing legacy of Nick will be continued and progressed by the MercerBell team led by Julie Dormand CEO and our Data Spine team.”
The news follows the departure of co-founder and executive creative director David Bell at the end of 2019.
Mercer and Bell left their jobs at M&C Saatchi Direct to launch the customer experience agency in 1999.
The agency was then acquired by Publicis Groupe-owned creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi.
Under the deal Saatchi & Saatchi acquired 100% of the business but it would continue to operate under its existing brand name.
Mercer stepped back from the CEO role in 2018 to become chairperson, with the agency's longest serving member Julie Dormand taking over the reigns.
Vaughan Townsend has taken over from Bell as the agency's executive creative director.
Townsend joined MercerBell this month from Ogilvy London.
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