Mercedes Martin

Mercedes Martin, president and CEO at Mercedes Martin & Company, has more than two decades of experience with business strategy, diversity and inclusion, executive coaching, leadership development and organizational change management, and brings a radically different approach to her work. As a business and leadership development consultant, she sheds new light on the topics of business transformation, inclusion and innovation.

Mercedes believes that adopting the latest organizational development model, theory or buzzword will not lead to effective organizational change. She navigates uncharted waters by first examining the human need to be seen, heard and connected, and builds from this premise.

Her unique approach weaves together the current political, social and economic contexts as they relate to current complex business dilemmas. Whether it’s through delving into Samba as a way of analyzing Brazilian business culture or teaching storytelling techniques to foster connection and empathy, she effectively engages leaders and teams in a way that has a lasting impact.

Mercedes skillfully guides organizations and leaders through change efforts by focusing on authenticity, emotional agility, purpose and strategy alignment. As a strong advocate of these “soft skills,” she delivers hard results.

Before launching her independent consultancy, Mercedes worked at Ernst & Young (EY) for 10 years as a Talent Development and Organizational Change consultant and as an executive coach. Prior to her tenure at EY, she was executive vice president of Business Transformation and Innovation at Ashton212, a consultancy that specializes in business transformation and innovation. She also was the co-founder and CEO of In Partnership Consulting, a consultancy that specializes in business strategy, leadership development and global diversity. In this role, she worked with senior executives at small and mid-sized businesses in the Americas, West Africa and Europe.

A pioneer of global leadership and diversity, Mercedes has devised training programs for several Fortune 50 companies, including PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Shell Oil and Kellogg’s. In these engagements, she developed and designed “learning labs” that catapulted participants into taking purposeful action.

Early in her career, Mercedes served in the United States Air Force, initially as a Critical Care & Trauma Nurse and later as a Staff Development Officer. Her passion for coaching and training stems from this experience.

Mercedes holds a Bachelor of Science in transcultural nursing from the University of Miami and a Master of Science in leadership development from the University of San Francisco. Her work has taken her to various places around the globe including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Mexico, Nigeria and Spain, as well as the United States.