Commercial Director, Mercury Engineering
The Client
Mercury Engineering is a leading European engineering and construction contractor, delivering complex, large-scale projects across data centres, life sciences, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. With operations spanning multiple European jurisdictions, the business has built a reputation for technical excellence, certainty of delivery and an unwavering focus on safety, quality and innovation.
Experiencing sustained growth driven by increasing demand for mission-critical infrastructure, Mercury required senior commercial leadership to support the next phase of its expansion.
The Requirement
As its European data centre business continued to scale, Mercury identified the need for a Commercial Director to lead a €300m business unit operating across several countries. This was a pivotal appointment. The individual needed to provide strategic commercial oversight while remaining close to operational delivery, managing risk from tender stage through to project completion.
The role demanded a leader capable of navigating complex contracts, safeguarding margin, and leading a large, multisite commercial team. Just as importantly, Mercury required someone who could build strong relationships internally and externally, communicate clearly with operations teams, and maintain rigorous commercial governance in a high-pressure environment.
Given the international nature of the role, experience of working across European jurisdictions, cultural agility and resilience were critical.
The Solution
Novo Executive partnered closely with Mercury’s senior leadership to develop a detailed understanding of the business, its growth trajectory and the specific challenges of operating at scale across Europe. We designed a targeted search strategy focused on senior commercial leaders within major construction and engineering environments.
Our approach included:
- Mapping commercially accomplished leaders across European main contracting and engineering firms
- Assessing experience leading large, geographically dispersed commercial teams
- Testing capability across risk management, contract negotiation, margin control and stakeholder engagement
- Evaluating leadership style, decision-making under pressure and cultural alignment
Throughout the process, Novo acted as a trusted advisor, offering market insight and supporting a thorough, discreet selection process.
The Outcome
Mercury Engineering successfully appointed a Commercial Director with deep sector expertise and a proven record of leading complex, multi-country operations. The individual brought clarity, structure and confidence to the commercial function, strengthening controls while supporting collaboration with operational teams.
The appointment has reinforced Mercury’s ability to manage risk, protect profitability and continue delivering large-scale projects with certainty. It has also strengthened the leadership bench, positioning the business well for continued growth across Europe’s rapidly expanding data centre market.
