Five minutes with Xavier Mercade

Tell us about yourself

I'm CEO at Baker Tilly in Spain. I’m also EMEA regional chair and member of the board at Baker Tilly International. In Spain, we feel very proud about having built the firm we are today. We have a growing team of very engaged professionals and we will continue to improve every single aspect in our firm in the same way: just doing it. Being able to combine this role in Spain with other responsibilities at an international level is great, as I like new challenges and I love to connect opportunities.

I strongly believe that the complexity we are facing in the professional services market can be a great opportunity for an organisation like ours. We have everything to attract new talent, transform our businesses, diversify and be one of the most relevant brands globally if we align our views and keep working together.

Tell us about an accomplishment that shaped your career

As a teenager and during university I did a lot of mountain hiking, longer routes that lasted weeks in many different countries with a very reduced group of friends. The lessons learned about sharing in difficult times, tenacity, commitment, and the dynamics in such a team to overcome obstacles have been present throughout my career. Learning that after a summit the fatigue vanishes, and after a trip, the next ambition must be planned. There is a lot of interesting places with very different cultures, but we always had fantastic experiences.

What other leaders do you look up to?

I am very interested in human behaviour and I love stories. I am a consumer of documentaries and biographies. I think the perfect leader does not exist, it would be the compound of many different, even antagonistic, personalities. Every situation requires different capabilities. I like leaders that are humble and have created something meaningful for others.

Has there been anything positive you have witnessed/seen from the recent crisis?

Certainly, the way society has adapted very quickly to hard conditions is a positive impact. At home, our families, school our colleagues at the offices; everybody has been giving their best to keep going. We have strengthened our relations with our family members and relatives. We never felt as close to our colleagues as during lockdown, despite working from home. In our very individualistic societies, a lot of generosity has been present during the pandemic.

What does ‘now, for tomorrow’ mean to you?

The implications of what we do today for a better future. The way we are adapting today to the impact of COVID-19 in our firm for instances, how we treat our teams will certainly impact the sense of belonging and the cohesion with our people in the future. Being conscious that many decisions have a consequence, and this should shape how we advise, how we manage and how we live.

What opportunities are there for your firm in the next few years?Trust is the glue in every organisation, and I have the impressions that we have invested four months increasing it with everything we have done.

I believe that we will be consolidating our reality, we have been growing 20%+ during the last 10 years and now we have a fantastic opportunity to come out from this situation with a stronger common culture. We are today a stronger organisation, more connected, more committed than ever. Trust is the glue in every organisation, and I have the impressions that we have invested four months increasing it with everything we have done.

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