Claire Harper's biography
- Transformed Ocado's marketing and customer focus
- Revitalised Sainsbury's brand and multi-channel strategy
- Founded award-winning childrenswear brand, IndiaCoco
Claire Harper is a business leader with a career spanning senior marketing and brand roles at some of the UK's most recognised retail organisations, from Argos and Ocado to Sainsbury's and Mamas and Papas.
Claire joined Ocado at 26 as Head of Customer Acquisition and was quickly promoted to Head of Marketing, helping shape the brand's identity during the formative years of online grocery retail. She later joined Sainsbury's under CEO Justin King to help reinvigorate the brand, where she led the successful launch of their multichannel customer experience. At Mamas and Papas, she became the company's first female board director, charged with growing the brand in the UK and internationally.
In 2012, Claire founded IndiaCoco, an award-winning multichannel childrenswear retailer, from her dining room. The business became a market leader in its category before Claire moved back into retail, consultancy, and Non-Executive Director work.
Across her speaking work, Claire draws on this breadth of experience to address the realities of leading change, building brands, and navigating entrepreneurship. Audiences leave with practical frameworks for customer-centric thinking, the hard lessons of start-up growth, and an honest perspective on what it takes for women to advance in business.
Her talks connect real-world commercial outcomes to the human decisions behind them, making her a credible and grounded voice for leadership teams, marketing professionals, and entrepreneurial communities alike.
Claire's showreel and videos
Topics, sessions and talks
Claire Harper discusses the essential tools for capturing the hearts and minds of both new and loyal customers. She emphasises the importance of customer engagement in today’s social media landscape, where positive interactions and reviews can significantly enhance brand loyalty. Claire shares lessons from her own experience, highlighting the value of building relationships with clients and understanding their needs. Attendees will learn strategies for fostering customer retention and innovative approaches to stay ahead in a competitive market.
Claire Harper emphasises the necessity of adapting customer strategies in today's dynamic retail and digital environment. She illustrates how customer segmentation, embracing change, and leveraging technology contribute to successful brand launches and growth. Attendees will learn to effectively segment their customer base, embrace innovation, and prioritise customer feedback, equipping them with essential tools for sustainable brand development.
Claire Harper discusses the ongoing challenge of the male-dominated business and retail sectors, highlighting the persistent gap in female leadership. She stresses the significance of self-belief, confidence, and risk-taking for women aiming for success. Drawing from her retail experience, Harper underscores the impact of male leaders who support women in senior roles. Attendees will learn effective strategies to empower women and foster meaningful change in the business landscape.
Change Management And Leadership
Claire Harper emphasises the importance of leading from the front, embracing change, developing talent, and empowering colleagues to build a motivated and energetic team. Drawing from her experience in change management at brand leaders like Sainsbury's, she highlights the necessity of cultural shifts to support transformation. Attendees will learn effective strategies for implementing change management and fostering a supportive organisational culture.
Claire Harper shares her journey of transitioning from a corporate marketing director at Mamas and Papas to launching her own children's wear brand, India Coco. Balancing family life with her passion for entrepreneurship, Claire emphasises the challenges of startup life and the importance of learning from failures. Her experience highlights the significance of making decisions on one's own terms and the inspiration drawn from working with innovative founders. Attendees will learn how to navigate the ups and downs of starting a business.
Why we recommend booking Claire
Claire brings board-level retail credentials and hands-on founder experience to her talks. For audiences navigating brand transformation, digital disruption, or building a customer-centric culture, those insights make for a session grounded in genuine commercial consequence.
Claire has an inspirational story to tell and the feedback we received from the attendees was exceptionally positive. I would not hesitate in recommending Claire for any event and look forward to working with her again in the future.
Ed Sutcliffe
Director, MET Marketing
Claire was a fantastic speaker. Her experience and stories are exceptionally inspiring and she truly brought that to her speech. Claire's down to earth and can do attitude touched so many, and we couldn't have been happier.
Attendees found it both insightful and engaging.
