PUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVE Catherine Saxton loves to explain that her career leaves her little free time. "My free time is my work and my work is my free time," she says lightheartedly with a tongue-in-cheek tone. "I complain that I have to go with clients to Palm Beach or Palm Springs and fly first class."

With a mother from Tubercurry, Sligo, Saxton was born and raised in England, but has developed much of her career here in the United States. As Chairman of the Saxton Group Limited, she has nurtured a public relations agency that specializes in special events, marketing, promotion and publicity. A born planner, Saxton is a natural in the pr field. "I always loved organizing and my mom let me organize my birthday party when I was 17 and I loved it," she says. Saxton then went to work with British Lion and her first event was a Royal Film Performance where she worked for Queen Elizabeth II. "On my first job I got to work for the Queen:' she says. "I thought this is great. It combines all the things I love." Not satisfied with simply meeting the Queen, Saxton left England to "see the world." She traveled to Germany where she fell in love with a young American man. She followed him to the United States in order to get married, but Saxton called it off, realizing it wasn't going to work out.

Since then Saxton's success has grown over her past 25 years in the business world. She lives a busy, glitzy life attending approximately 200 social functions a year, but unlike the celebrities who get couture dresses loaned to them by designers, Saxton has developed her own style. "You get very good at making things look great," she says. Of her many job duties Saxton likes the glamorous parties she has to attend the least. "I go to all the events," she says. "But it's hard work. I'm not there to enjoy myself" Saxton is most proud of her work on the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a cause that is close to her heart. Saxton's father was killed serving in World War II and Saxton feels a responsibility to help veterans and their families because she knows the difficulties they face firsthand. Then-Mayor Ed Koch wanted Saxton and her associates to raise one million dollars for the memorial they raised three and a half million dollars. Because of the remarkable fund raising, two million dollars was put in a job program for veterans. "I have my name on the sidewalk near the memorial in downtown New York," she says with considerable pride.

Though Saxton likes to be helpful where she can, her job isn't all charity work. She has worked closely with Ivana Trump as her public relations person for the past 11 years, but despite the hobnobbing with celebrities that her job affords her she does not aspire to add other Hollywood types to her list of clients. "l'm not thrilled with working with entertainment celebrities," she says. " I love the ones I've worked with but the new ones are too high maintenance." Some of the celebrities she's worked with include, Neil Armstrong, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.

With Saxton's many and varied accomplishments, including coordinating the attachment of King Kong to the Empire State building in 1983 to mark the ape's 50th anniversary, she finds it hard to determine the best part of her work. " They always say you love your job most when you are able to enjoy it," she says. " And I meet the most wonderful people in the world and go to the most wonderful places, what can be wrong with that!

Currently Saxton is working on a March 28th awards gala celebrating British excellence at the Plaza Hotel for the Walpole Committee--a group of leading British companies promoting their quality products and services. "Some of the most famous people in New York and Britain are coming:' she says referring to the scheduled appearances by award winning actress Dame Judy Dench, Sony of America CEO Sir Howard Stringer and Denise Rich among others. Proceeds from the event will benefit the G&P Foundation for Cancer Research and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. "It's an awards ceremony, real big and glitzy." With her busy schedule the never married Saxton finds little time for a life outside the office." I think it's hard for a woman to have a career and a marriage," she says. "But more power to the women who can."

This uber-successful industry leader, who has worked on high-profile events ranging from United Nations Heads of State dinners to MTV's Human Rights Watch Film Festival is still uneasy about some topics. Saxton does not disclose her age. "Recently I read an article about myself in a British magazine and they had shaved ten years off my age," she says, "So why should I disagree."

--Ilana Schweber