Written by: Tassan Sung, Women's LEAD Chair
Two things are clear when speaking to Andrea Mestrovic, the founder of a global creative and communication studio, Very Polite Agency — she is tenacious and intelligent. She also has a sense of humour, hence the name Very Polite Agency, which came about as a cheeky nod to Canada’s reputation as unfailingly polite.
Mestrovic began her marketing career in 2004, founding Styledome PR in Vancouver and London, UK, when she was young and inexperienced but admittedly very confident. Styledome was short-lived but launched a highly successful, so-far 20-year career in marketing and PR. Her rise was meteoric and included acting as VP of marketing for The Mark Anthony Group, running marketing for Oak Bay Marine Group, writing about fashion for style-arbiters like Olivia Palermo and Vogue, running global PR for Kit & Ace, and then founding Very Polite Agency in 2017 with three other business partners including Dylan Rekert. It’s Dylan, whom Andrea credits with the agency’s conversation-starting name. Immediately, their firm hit its stride with a platform serving multiple industries, including technology, fintech, real estate, and health and wellness. Business boomed globally, and then the pandemic hit, challenging their resolve but showing their strength as they made it through with prudent management, careful planning, and consistent relationship development.
Today, business has picked up again. Very Polite opened an office in Toronto, and Andrea’s position at the helm of a global marketing firm looks like the glamorous pinnacle of a Park Avenue pedigree - her Wintourian style, eloquence, and self-assurance seem emblematic of success built on advantages and genetic good fortune. However, these appearances could not be further from the truth, belying her grit, fortitude, years of hard work, and challenging upbringing. Born in Croatia but immigrating to Canada from Bosnia, where she and her family lived during the war in Sarajevo, Andrea’s early years were far from conventional. While she often jokes that she was a child of the war, she indeed was, and at only 11 when the war started, she saw some horrible things at a very young age. Fortunately, she and her family were able to escape and build a new life in Canada, and Andrea now reflects that while those early experiences could have destroyed her, they instead made her stronger. “I don’t feel there’s anything anyone could throw at me where I couldn’t figure out a way to survive it. I think that stems from the tough experiences I had as a child and some difficult and heartbreaking things I’ve seen.”
Starting over in Canada was difficult for Andrea and her family, but she was steadfast in pursuing a better life through education. Andrea would not have anticipated her career in marketing early on as she was committed to studying sciences in university, completing a degree in Molecular Biology, and focusing on a medical career. However, communication courses caught her interest, and she quickly pivoted to the dynamic field of PR, completing a communications degree on top of her science degree.
A career in marketing leveraged Andrea’s intelligence, strategic thinking, and affinity for systems and processes, but it also allowed her to express her creativity and natural talent for relationship building. Her experience working with Summer and Chip Wilson at Kit and Ace was incredibly fertile ground to hone her skills and talents, proving very valuable given the company’s exponential growth in a short period. During Andrea’s three years as the global head of PR, Kit and Ace opened 62 retail locations in five international markets. This experience was invaluable as she managed the media buys with heavy-hitting global outlets such as Condé Nast and The Wall Street Journal. “We had a great story to tell,” emphasizes Andrea. “We had institutional knowledge which came from The Wilson family, ample resources and a clear understanding of the retail landscape, and a story that transcended multiple verticals. We could talk to the press about growth and scaling at an extraordinary rate, our 150 proprietary fabrics, and a completely new category of technical apparel that supports what we called a full-contact life..” Through this experience, Andrea deepened and expanded her relationships globally, and she also honed her ability to identify and deliver countless stories for a brand. “There are various stories a company can yield,” states Andrea. “ There’s a product story. There’s a founder story. There’s a partner story, a manufacturing story, a fabric story. There are a plethora of stories that are neglected because people focus on a niche or a certain type of publication. In everything I’ve touched in my career, I try to uncover these unusual connections and bring the editor a story that is so much more than just the product you’re seeing or the service you’re talking about.”
Beyond honing her PR skills, Andrea emphasizes that Kit and Ace was her best training ground based on what she learned from Chip and Summer Wilson, especially about company and brand integrity. From the Wilsons, Andrea learned to identify who you are and what you stand for as a business, stick to that, and not try to be anything or anyone else. She recognized that magic happens when these elements are aligned; this is the ethos and sensibility Andrea brought to the Very Polite Agency. Today, she combines these learnings with a unique approach that blends art and science, relying on extensive market research and consumer data to uncover unlikely connections between brands and the consumers they want. Crediting her degree in Science for informing her thinking, Andrea admits that her approach sets her apart. She and her team rely on data, trend research, and focus groups, which shape a hypothesis and methodological approach to executing brand management.
As Very Polite Agency grows globally in the post-pandemic world, Andrea demonstrates the importance of self-belief and feels their biggest challenge is behind them. During the pandemic, she and her partners took the opportunity to relaunch their website, investing in areas that would matter in the long term, including social media channels and leasing more space to build an in-house photography studio. They also launched two new companies in verticals that seem to excel no matter the economic circumstances: Maater Cosmetics – a line of clean beauty products currently sold at Holt Renfrew across Canada. And Billion Trillion Sake Fizz is a ready-to-drink cocktail in a can sold across BC and Alberta. Their strategy paid off, and their stable of clients has grown. “I’ve always had audacious goals, but I wasn’t always a risk taker,” states Andrea. “I’ve learned that you have to take risks and believe in yourself.”
When asked about her experience as a female leader, Andrea admits that although she has felt judged, she has not felt impaired by her gender. “To this day,” she states,” when I walk into a boardroom with my male partners, I am dismissed until I speak, and then it’s empowering to see the change in people.” After stating this, Andrea admits that there is still a big gender gap and a lot that needs to change, pointing to the pressures of parenthood and the disproportionate burden that falls on women. She recognizes the societal expectations that impose impossibly high standards on women for perfection in all aspects of life — as mothers, leaders, wives, and nurturers. Not only are there unrealistic expectations that women often internalize, but women often suffer career setbacks when taking time off to care for children. Andrea credits the shifting role of fathers and paternity leave for offering women greater balance. After her second child was born, she returned to work two days later and was afforded the opportunity because her husband opted for paternity leave. Her husband, also from Croatia, and her partner from age 15, has his PhD in medical physics, works in oncology at the BC Cancer Agency, and teaches at UBC. Andrea highlights that they both had busy and thriving careers and that sharing child care benefited their family and career growth. “I think it’s admirable and amazing and very rare in the world of men, and if we can normalize it, then it would equalize things. And what a beautiful time for the dads to spend with their kids, and to this day, my husband is grateful for that time.”
Over time, Andrea’s leadership style and self-awareness have grown. Today, she emphasizes that one of the most important things she can do as a leader is to surround herself with people who are better than her in certain areas. “I want people in the room who are better than me, no matter their age or experience,” she concedes. While Andrea admits that she is assertive and opinionated, she has learned over time that being flexible and open to team input is critical to success and strong leadership. “When you are an owner,” states Andrea, “ you simply want the best outcome. You don’t want to be right; you simply want the best solution for the client. It doesn’t have to come from me, and that’s important to recognize as a leader.” Astute and forward-thinking, Andrea cautiously looks ahead, knowing that with time, success, and growth, leaders tend to value their opinions and contributions more than others. “I really hope that my ego will not get in the way,” she states, and this very self-awareness suggests she will continue to lead collaboratively.
When asked about her most significant accomplishment to date, she states that although she is very proud of some of her work, her biggest accomplishment likely lies ahead. She takes pride in her philanthropic work, including her past work with the Vancouver Native Health Society and her board positions with Fertile Future, St. Paul’s Foundation (she is the event chair for their Art of Innovation Gala), West Coast Kids Cancer Foundation, and BC Women’s Health Foundation. This type of community-focused effort resonates with Andrea, particularly given her background. Through this work, she hopes to show her daughters a different perspective, stating, “I want my girls to see the world through different lenses and learn how fortunate they are.”
Reflecting on her path so far and considering what is ahead, Andrea states that she is not seeking balance, that she does not silo and compartmentalize, that her work, life, and family are parts of a whole, and that there is no such thing as balance. She loves all of it and tries to maintain integration, involving her two daughters and husband in her agency to the extent possible. “One of the best things I’ve learned is that there’s no such thing as balance. You shouldn’t be seeking balance. It’s all one thing. You should love all of it, and it’s all together, and all of it should be incredible and challenging!”
