Mat Wilcox
Encyclopedia
Mat founded and leads Wilcox Group
, one of Canada
’s largest national corporate communications
, social media
and crisis management
firms.
With unmatched issues management, crisis communications
and labour relations experience, Mat has managed communications and strategy around 54 labour disruptions and overseen some of Canada’s highest-profile crises including the avian bird flu epidemic, H1N1 swine influenza, public health issues, emergency operations planning and crisis management
preparedness, product tampering and product recalls.
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 Real Estate Investment Trust
, Translink
, BHP Billiton
, Whole Foods Market
, Dave Wireless, and Priszm
Income Fund. Mat is also a key member of the international crisis team for YUM! Restaurants International – a global organization of more than 12,500 restaurants under the KFC
, Pizza Hut
, and Taco Bell
banners.
Mat played a key role in the campaign to bring XM satellite radio
to Canada
and launched its subsequent IPO, managed communications during an intense three-month labour disruption at BHP Billiton
’s Ekati Diamond Mine
, led the restructuring and closure of eastern operations for SuperPages and was on the strategic leadership team to manage Canwest’s $800 million acquisition of WIC television stations. Mat provided ongoing leadership and communications strategy to Telus
Communications during one of the most turbulent periods in telecommunications history, which included offering 6,500 employees an industry-leading voluntary separation and early retirement package, the meltdown to telecom stocks and the four-and-a-half-year-long contract negotiations that culminated in a strike of more than 15,000 unionized employees across Canada.
A testament to her inspiring community leadership, Mat spearheads major pro-bono projects committing thousands of team hours to raise awareness for health issues, environmental projects and community initiatives.
In 2008 and 2009, Mat was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by the Women’s Executive Network. She has also been privileged to be a finalist for PR News' Crisis Communicator of the Year award and named as an Influential Woman in Business.
Mat is a Board Director for XM Canada/Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings and S’Cool Life Fund. She also sits on the advisory board for Wellington Financial LP., a non-profit Board which has given away more than $2 million dollars to Canadian school children. She previously sat on the Boards of Vancouver’s Telus World of Science
and the Trans Canada Trail
.
In addition to regularly contributing to the Globe and Mail, Mat sits monthly on the Globe and Mail’s business advisory panel for business incubation. You can see the Report on Business
panel at: http://www.reportonbusiness.com/incubator.
Wilcox Group
Wilcox Group is one of Canada’s largest national, independent firms dealing in corporate communications, social media and crisis management consulting. Founded in 1995 by Mat Wilcox, the Wilcox Group has offices in Vancouver and Toronto.-External links:...
, one of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
’s largest national corporate communications
Corporate communications
Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate...
, social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
and crisis management
Crisis management
Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. The study of crisis management originated with the large scale industrial and environmental disasters in the 1980's.Shrivastava, P....
firms.
With unmatched issues management, crisis communications
Crisis communications
Crisis communication is sometimes considered a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation...
and labour relations experience, Mat has managed communications and strategy around 54 labour disruptions and overseen some of Canada’s highest-profile crises including the avian bird flu epidemic, H1N1 swine influenza, public health issues, emergency operations planning and crisis management
Crisis management
Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. The study of crisis management originated with the large scale industrial and environmental disasters in the 1980's.Shrivastava, P....
preparedness, product tampering and product recalls.
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
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
Canada, Obelysk Inc., Scott's Real Estate Investment Trust
Scott's Real Estate Investment Trust
Scott's Real Estate Investment Trust is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in Canada that owns over 200 retail properties comprising more than in 7 provinces across the country...
, Translink
TransLink (South East Queensland)
The TransLink Transit Authority is the authority introduced by the Queensland Government in June 2003 as a section of Queensland Transport to coordinate and integrate rail, bus and ferry services. TransLink works with Airtrain, Brisbane Transport, Brisbane Ferries, QR Citytrain and 17 other...
, BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
, Dave Wireless, and Priszm
Priszm
Priszm LP is the largest operator of Canadian fast food restaurants. The Priszm Income Fund, an income trust, owns 60.2% of Priszm.Priszm is one of the largest franchisees of Yum! Brands in the world, owning 446 restaurants of various Yum!-owned chains in Canada, namely KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell,...
Income Fund. Mat is also a key member of the international crisis team for YUM! Restaurants International – a global organization of more than 12,500 restaurants under the KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
, Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, and Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
banners.
Mat played a key role in the campaign to bring XM satellite radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and launched its subsequent IPO, managed communications during an intense three-month labour disruption at BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
’s Ekati Diamond Mine
Ekati Diamond Mine
The EKATI Diamond Mine is Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine. It is located north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and about south of the Arctic circle, near Lac de Gras. EKATI is a joint venture between BHP Billiton Canada Inc...
, led the restructuring and closure of eastern operations for SuperPages and was on the strategic leadership team to manage Canwest’s $800 million acquisition of WIC television stations. Mat provided ongoing leadership and communications strategy to Telus
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
Communications during one of the most turbulent periods in telecommunications history, which included offering 6,500 employees an industry-leading voluntary separation and early retirement package, the meltdown to telecom stocks and the four-and-a-half-year-long contract negotiations that culminated in a strike of more than 15,000 unionized employees across Canada.
A testament to her inspiring community leadership, Mat spearheads major pro-bono projects committing thousands of team hours to raise awareness for health issues, environmental projects and community initiatives.
In 2008 and 2009, Mat was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by the Women’s Executive Network. She has also been privileged to be a finalist for PR News' Crisis Communicator of the Year award and named as an Influential Woman in Business.
Mat is a Board Director for XM Canada/Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings and S’Cool Life Fund. She also sits on the advisory board for Wellington Financial LP., a non-profit Board which has given away more than $2 million dollars to Canadian school children. She previously sat on the Boards of Vancouver’s Telus World of Science
TELUS World of Science
Telus World of Science is a "brand" for a number of science centre, planetarium, and space centre facilities in Canada sponsored by Telus, a Canadian telecommunications company...
and the Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It is expected that when complete, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world...
.
In addition to regularly contributing to the Globe and Mail, Mat sits monthly on the Globe and Mail’s business advisory panel for business incubation. You can see the Report on Business
Report on Business
Report on Business, commonly referred to as simply ROB, is the financial section of The Globe and Mail, a large Toronto-based Canadian newspaper. It is the most lengthy completion of economic news in Canada, and is considered an integral part of the newspaper...
panel at: http://www.reportonbusiness.com/incubator.