Nick Mercer has resigned from his position as the country lead of Data Spine and chairman of MercerBell to travel with his wife Nikki and take some time off in the South of France.

“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," Publicis Groupe ANZ CEO Michael Rebelo says.

"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.

Mercer added: “It has been a hard decision to leave the Publics Groupe, but at the moment, due to health reasons, my priority must lie with my family. 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.”