Note: Oops, I can’t take the credit for the “champagne bar” comment, that was all Mat! Keep Reading.

Mat Wilcox, photo credit: The Globe and Mail.

In the field of Public Relations, one woman in particular stands out. Her name is Mat Wilcox, founder and CEO of the Wilcox Group. Just to give you a bit of an idea of what Mat does on a daily basis, she and her team handle corporate communications and crisis management. For example, when we were all hearing about the Avian Bird Flu scare, or H1N1 sine influenza, Mat was behind the scenes managing the communications side of these high-profile crises. Pretty big stuff hey? Impressive doesn’t do Mat justice.  

A bit more background from The Wilcox Group website:

In 1995, Mat founded Wilcox Group, one of Canada’s largest national corporate communications and crisis management firms. 

Mat has provided strategy and counsel to prominent Canadian business leaders on more than $4 billion worth of merger and acquisition projects, garnering millions of dollars in media coverage and national – and international – headlines. She has personally advised CEOs of multibillion-dollar, publicly-traded organizations and provided key counsel to client accounts including TELUS, KFC Canada, Obelysk Inc., Scott’s REIT, Translink, BHP Billiton, Whole Foods Market, Dave Wireless, and Priszm Income Fund. 

I believe the word you are now looking for, is WOW. I know, right?

So how did a fairly new blogger like myself come in contact with such an outstanding and powerful woman? I’ve been familiar with the Wilcox group for sometime now and so when I joined Twitter I looked Mat Wilcox up and immediately became one of her followers. Oh, the power of Twitter! Anyone who spends enough time around me is lucky enough to hear me go on about how much I adore Twitter. 

Let me take a moment out here and take this opportunity to tell all of you non-Twitterers what you are missing out on: if there is someone you admire, say a celebrity, a journalist or a woman of PR BRILLIANCE with fun, witty 140 character “tweets,” GET ON TWITTER AND START FOLLOWING. What makes Twitter so amazing is the contact it allows you to connect with just about anyone. I often tweet to @FLAREmagazine, and now, oh happy day! Flare magazine follows me on Twitter! And this is how my relationship with Mat Wilcox came to be.

Mat sent out 140 characters saying something cute about how she wasn’t getting full use out of her kitchen at the time, so I responded and she wrote back! 

StyleStruck @matwilcox I really think modern kitchens ought to accommodate the modern woman: more shelving, perhaps a shoe rack or two and a wine cellar

MatWilcox @StyleStruck And a full on champagne bar. Plus an automatic hair stylist.

StyleStruck @matwilcox you speak my language!

That was a big day for me. 

In January I got to thinking, I’d like to publish a few posts about inspiring and influential established and up-and-coming women. All are Vancouver women with a story to share, and a closet that would make any girl a little envious! Here is the first interview; the role fashion plays in a busy, professional and fabulous woman’s life:

StyleStruck: How do you think fashion influences your life?

Mat Wilcox: I am a minimalist. I look at fashion that I can travel in easily. I have offices in Toronto and Vancouver so I buy two of everything that I love so I don’t have to pack a suitcase. When you travel as much as I do you want clothes that can stand up to airplanes yet look professional and stylish at all times. i.e. my Laboutins!

SS: How does fashion help you shape your personal image/identity?

MW: I am a big fan of structural and clean lines. I love the minimalist look – especially a black turtleneck and riding boots. However, that said, I am having to break away from my all black routine. My favourite designer these days is Pink Tartan – they have a striped coral wrap dress that’s the perfect day to dinner dress for spring. The silk jersey fabric makes it an amazing solution for a weekend away –  just pack and go!

SS: What is your favourite occasion to get dressed for?

MW: Truthfully, I don’t enjoy black tie events and fussy hair even though I have to attend a lot of these kinds of functions. My favourite occasion is well…New York anything. I do love to get dressed in New York. It is where I feel most comfortable, especially in the fall. Maybe it’s the all black theme women wear there? I like the sophistication of the city and I feel like a million dollars there. 

SS: What have you learned about fashion as your style as changed?

MW: I learned early on to buy the most expensive classic style you can afford. I remember when I was broke buying two items a year. The great thing was that over time you build a wardrobe. Amazingly I still have those pieces (i.e. a classic Chanel bag) and I rotate them in and out. 

SS: How did you get your start in Public Relations?

MW: I launched the Globe and Mail newspaper in Western Canada. That was my first PR job and I immediately loved it and knew I had found my niche. From there I worked at the Olympics, Hyatt Hotels and then started my own corporate communications firm. We specialize in corporate communications and crisis management for major companies all over North America. 

SS: What part of your job do you enjoy most?

MW: I really enjoy working with our clients and coming up with solutions. I sit on several corporate and charitable boards and really enjoy my work with them. It’s a challenge and keeps me thinking.

As I edit and re-read this post I can’t help but feel an urge to be entrepreneurial! I hope you do too! : ) Check back for more of these over the coming weeks!

And of course, a big THANK YOU to Mat for generously giving her time!!

XO StyleStruck