| contact us |  |
 |
Wilcox Group LEADERSErin McConnellPresident, Wilcox Group As president, Erin McConnell champions and upholds the firm’s values, with a steadfast commitment to integrity, exceptional service and providing best-in-class results to Wilcox Group clients. Erin works closely with Wilcox Group’s talented practitioners to deliver a dynamic combination of experience, skill and professionalism that mean the best possible results on every single project, regardless of scale. A fundamental part of the Wilcox Group team since 2001, Erin has led multifaceted strategies for companies in the mining, retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, energy, restaurant and legal sectors that span the communications spectrum. From corporate communications to media relations to internal and stakeholder relations, Erin formulates bold, practical and strategic solutions for communications challenges by examining and considering all facets of an issue. With unparalleled expertise in crisis communications planning and execution, Erin has helped some of the country’s best known companies to prepare for and navigate high-profile corporate issues. Erin has asserted herself as a highly-respected media trainer, providing key executives and spokespeople with the required skills to deliver their message during the most challenging situations. Erin McConnell in the media: "How to plug a leak," BCBusiness Magazine, March 2008. "WestJet Airlines acts quick to quash union talk," PRWeek Canada, September 15, 2008. Follow Erin on Twitter: erinmcconnell Mat Wilcox CEO and founder, Wilcox Group In 1995, Mat founded Wilcox Group, one of Canada’s largest national corporate communications 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 REIT, 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 facilitated 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 Mat was named one of Mat is a Board Director for XM Canada
Satellite Radio, Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings and S’Cool Life Fund, a
non-profit Board which has given away more than $2 million dollars to Canadian
school children. She also sits on the advisory board for Wellington Financial
LP. She previously sat on the Boards of Vancouver’s TELUS World of Science and
the Trans Canada Trail. Mat Wilcox in the media: "Grow Your Business with Twitter," Vancouver Sun Digital Life, October 28, 2008. "Losing your shirt and embracing your dreams," Report on Business Magazine, December 2008. "Good customer service in a bad economy," The Globe And Mail - Report on Business, Incubator Podcast, February 18, 2009. "Charting the right course through an outbreak," The Globe and Mail - Report on Business, Incubator Feature, May 4, 2009. "Feedback: Experts weigh in on Cubes & Crayons," Reuters - Small Business News, May 31, 2009. "What’s next for Cubes & Crayons?" Reuters Blogs - Entrepreneurial, June 2, 2009. "Life-shattering cancer sent PR 'rock star' to hell and back," The Globe and Mail - Top 100 Women, November 30, 2009. "Twitter at Work," Canadian Corporate Counsel Association Magazine, Winter 2009. "Tapping the social media keg," Canadian Lawyer Magazine, February 2010. "After months of silence, Tiger ready to talk," The Globe and Mail, February 19, 2010. "To Tweet Or Not To Tweet," The Mark News, February 24, 2010. "What Toronto can learn from the Olympics," The Globe and Mail, February 27, 2010. "I'm With a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here," Brandweek, March 8, 2010. Follow Mat on Twitter: matwilcox |