Mercator promotes Gold & Bates in leadership shake-up

Mercator Digital has created two senior leadership roles, promoting Sheldon Gold and Gillian Bates as part of a shift in the consultancy's leadership structure.

Gold has been appointed Chief Innovation Officer and Bates Chief Strategy Officer. Both step up from existing roles, with Gold previously Head of Design and Bates Head of Transformation.

The new posts are part of a broader effort to strengthen customer relationships and sharpen Mercator's focus on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. The business is also seeking to expand into new industry sectors while retaining its status as a small and medium-sized enterprise for public sector procurement.

Gold will lead Mercator's Innovation and Efficiency pillar, examining how AI and other emerging technologies can reshape internal working practices, improve service delivery and help clients tackle more complex digital challenges.

He brings more than 25 years of design leadership experience, including work across UK public sector bodies such as HMRC, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Cabinet Office. His background reflects Mercator's established footprint in government-related digital transformation work.

"Taking on this new role of Chief Innovation Officer is a shift in focus for me, and one I'm really excited about," Gold said.

"But more importantly, the very creation of the role says a lot about where Mercator is heading and how seriously we take innovation as a driver of real value, rather than simply a buzzword. I'm looking forward to helping shape what comes next, and plan to lean heavily into AI, both in how we work and how we deliver for our clients and partners."

Bates will oversee the company's Strategy Formulation and Execution pillar. Her responsibilities include analysing market trends, risks and opportunities, and leading transformation programmes aimed at improving alignment and consistency across the organisation.

She has more than 35 years of experience in technology and digital delivery, including a decade at HMRC, where she helped establish the department's first Digital Delivery Centre.

Public sector focus

The appointments underline how strongly the consultancy remains oriented around public sector work even as it looks for growth elsewhere. Bates said her experience in central government had given her insight into how large departments approach operational and delivery challenges, and how smaller suppliers can fit into wider partner networks.

"Having worked in one of the largest central government departments for so long, I believe I have insight into how they approach challenges, how we can bring SME agility and innovation to even their largest projects, and how we can play a key role in our service integration partners' ecosystems. For me, strategy is a set of choices that are based on our capabilities and ambition, and I am excited to support Marc and the team on the next phase of our success story," Bates said.

Mercator employs more than 400 staff across offices in the UK, the US, France and Singapore. It has nearly 20 years of experience delivering digital services to organisations in the public and private sectors.

The restructuring comes as consultancies and technology services groups place greater emphasis on AI-related work, both as an internal productivity tool and as a source of new client demand. For firms with a strong government customer base, the challenge is often balancing investment in new technology with the requirements of public procurement frameworks and long delivery cycles.

Mercator said the new roles would also support its efforts to diversify into markets such as sport, broadening its sector exposure while keeping public sector contracts at the core of the business.

Internal promotions

Filling both posts through internal promotions also signals continuity as the company adjusts its structure. Rather than hiring externally, Mercator has elevated executives already involved in delivery and transformation work across the business.

Marc Churchouse, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Mercator Digital, said the changes reflected both the depth of the leadership team and the company's direction.

"Mercator has always been built around bringing together deep technical expertise, strong partnerships and a genuine understanding of the challenges our clients face," Churchouse said.

"Creating these roles reflects both the strength of our existing leadership team and our ambition for the future. Sheldon and Gillian have already made a significant impact at Mercator, and these new positions will help us continue to innovate and deliver meaningful transformation for our clients."