With a career spanning events, PR, content, partnerships and community building, Claire Ferreira has built a reputation for connecting people, ideas and outcomes. As the founder of Mums in Marketing (MiMs), she has created a community that brings together employed, self-employed and in-between mothers under a shared purpose.

In this conversation, she reflects on the experiences that shaped her approach to marketing, the realities of building a community from scratch, and why businesses need to rethink how they support and retain working mothers. From commercial growth to human connection, her perspective challenges traditional thinking on what marketing—and community—should look like today.

Your Career

You’ve had a really varied career across events, PR, content, partnerships and community building. Looking back, how did those early roles shape the way you approach marketing today?
 

Working across different types of businesses and marketing disciplines has meant I have been a cheerleader in the ‘what is our shared outcome’ camp for a long time. Finding the thread to connect teams on an end goal, and understanding the importance of building relationships with brilliant people, exceptional in their specialisms, and respecting their experience. 

You see that in MiMs.  We are a community of employed, self-employed and in-between, all connected as mothers. Different roles, but aligned in what we stand for and what we’re building towards.

You’ve worked both in-house and self-employed before founding Mums in Marketing. What did going out on your own teach you that you couldn’t have learned in a traditional role?
 

When you’re building a business, you see the full picture.

Alongside delivery, You’re across commercial decisions, sustainability, growth and how everything connects. It gives you a much clearer understanding of what it takes to build something that lasts.   It also means you realise you can’t do it alone. To scale properly, you need the right people around you.

From running large-scale events and partnerships to building online communities, audience engagement has been a constant. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about what really brings people in?
 

It starts with being clear on who it’s for and genuinely understanding what matters to them.

Not just through data, but through real insight into what matters to them and what connects them, as HUMANS

When that understanding is in place, everything else fits and becomes more effective.  From how you communicate to how you design an experience.

Mums in Marketing

Was there a particular moment or turning point that led you to launch Mums in Marketing and did you see it becoming what it is today?
 

In 2020, when my son was one and my eldest was seven, I lost my job. Despite 20 years in marketing, my confidence was at a low point. I found it difficult to be open about what I didn’t know, and even harder to recognise what I did.

That was the turning point. I wanted to create something where no mum in marketing felt isolated, questioned their value, or felt overlooked.

The aim was to build a space where people could be ambitious, learn from each other and feel supported.

The response has been significant. Today, MiMs is a large and growing community, and as it grows, more people are recognised, connected and retained within the industry.
 

Building Communities & Commercial Growth

Mums in Marketing has grown from zero into a highly engaged community and successful paid membership. What do you think most people underestimate about building a community from scratch?
 

It takes time, and care. Trust is such a high currency, worthy of time, actively listening and learning to reach that point

Building a community is understanding and creating something that reflects what they actually need.

There’s also a real role in connecting people in a way that creates value for them, whether that’s through content, events or opportunities.

You’ve successfully combined free community with a paid offering. What makes people move from joining to investing?
 

My goal was always co-creation; our paid membership is built together.  For me, MiMs are the experts. What matters right now, what has real value, they input. With this approach, we are able to reflect industry, circumstances and learning

If you listen properly, be flexible and adapt, a paid offering is useful and worth investment

You’ve described Mums in Marketing as a space where “nothing is off-topic.” Why was it important to create something that goes beyond just work conversations?
 

Because work doesn’t exist in isolation.

Having a space to talk about both professional and personal lives, where there’s no judgement, we have seen how MiMs reduce isolation, think differently, back themselves, and each other, creating a ripple effect of impact and action. MiMs values. Provide the right environment for marketers and humans, and see creativity, confidence, ambition, and clarity come through.

We’ve seen through our MiMpact data that this doesn’t just create a positive environment, it drives measurable outcomes, including significant contribution to the creative economy.

You work closely with and support working mothers in marketing. What are the biggest challenges they’re facing right now and what should businesses be doing better?
 

The industry is under pressure, and one of the clearest impacts is that experienced mothers aren’t always in the roles they should be.

We’re seeing senior talent step back or be overlooked, not because of capability, but because roles and expectations haven’t evolved around real life.

If businesses want to retain that talent, it requires more than surface-level flexibility. It’s about rethinking progression, performance and long-term support.

This isn’t just a “family” conversation, it’s a future-of-work issue.

If a brand wanted to build a meaningful community today, what would you tell them to prioritise first and what should they avoid?
 

Start with purpose. Be clear on who it’s for and what role it plays in the business.

Test that thinking with the people you want to bring together.

Define how success will be measured. Engagement alone isn’t enough, it depends on the outcome you’re working towards.

And don’t rush the process. Connection takes time.

As communities grow, maintaining quality and trust becomes harder. How do you scale without losing what made it special in the first place?
 

Stay anchored in why it exists, the values and the culture.

Focus on connection over speed of growth and let the community shape how it evolves.

Quick-Fire

Go-to coffee order (or drink of choice)?

Very strong coffee, then liquorice tea. (younger me is laughing at the tea bit. Who am I?)

3pm slump snack of choice?

Crisps. Always.

Morning person or night owl?

Early mornings, which still surprises me, after years of hoping for a sleep in when my kids were babies)

One app you couldn’t live without (work or personal)?

WhatsApp.

If you weren’t running Mums in Marketing, what would you be doing?

Probably versions of now.

Advising on community with brands and organizations,  and likely building something alongside

Having a brilliant team in MiMs, means venture-building is still part of what I do.

A marketing channel you think is underrated?

Gaaahhhhh I am not sure I can do quick reply here

Social media - community over broadcast

Events (see the community theme here)  and email when done well

Beyond channels, I’d add account-based marketing and research as some real heroes in our kit.