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Who is May Britt Mobach
May-Britt Mobach belongs to a generation of media-makers who did not merely witness the shift from traditional to digital media, but actively shaped it. Her career traces a compelling journey through different forms of public storytelling: from television, where pace, immediacy and reach are everything, to print, where editorial identity, tone and curation take precedence, and finally to digital platforms, where content, brand and entrepreneurship are ever more intimately entwined.
She began her career in television and was among the founding forces behind RTL Boulevard. It is a telling point of departure, placing her in a media environment that was not only informative, but performative and culturally influential. Her move into magazines such as Beau Monde, La Vie en Rose and Flair, followed by her role as editor-in-chief of Marie Claire, marked a shift into a landscape where style, positioning and editorial signature carried greater weight. During this period, she developed a profile that was not simply journalistic, but distinctly curatorial: an instinct not only for shaping stories, but for creating the aesthetic and cultural framework in which those stories resonate.
The most defining turn in her recent career, however, has been her move into digital publishing. With the launch of AMAYZINE.com, her position shifted from leading established media titles to building a platform of her own. It was more than a career step; it reflected an altogether broader vision of media, one in which editorial leadership and entrepreneurship become inseparable. The expansion into AMAYZINEKiDS.com, together with her association with Franska.nl, further confirms that trajectory. Mobach is not simply a writer or editor, but a builder of editorial worlds shaped around distinct audiences, lifestyles and identities.
What makes her work especially striking is the rare combination of creative intimacy and structural command. She has not retreated into a purely managerial or strategic role; her continued visibility as a writer suggests a woman still deeply engaged with the written word itself. The result is a professional identity in which thinking, creating and leading exist in elegant alignment. Her path reflects not only a shift in medium, but a broader transformation in the nature of cultural work: from participating in established media to designing original editorial formats, audiences and brands from the ground up.
In that sense, May-Britt Mobach is more than a journalist or editor-in-chief. She stands at the intersection of media, taste-making and digital entrepreneurship. Her career mirrors the wider evolution of the media industry, where authority no longer rests solely on institutional titles, but increasingly on the ability to create a coherent editorial universe and sustain a meaningful, lasting connection with an audience.
A quote of May Britt resonated with us:
At LIYA ANTWERP, we believe in the quiet power of women coming together - supporting one another, coaching one another, and offering encouragement not only in life, but in business too. It is about creating a space where women can exchange ideas, share experience, give guidance and help one another move forward with confidence, clarity and purpose.
But it is just as much about the joy of being together. About sitting down for long conversations, sharing a meal, going out together, or having a cocktail and letting ideas, laughter and honesty flow naturally. Because real connection is built not only in ambition, but also in presence - in the moments where women truly see, understand and uplift one another.
That sense of warmth, generosity and shared momentum lies at the heart of LIYA ANTWERP. It is a collective shaped by meaningful conversation, mutual support and the belief that when women come together with openness and intention, they create something far greater than themselves.
That is precisely why May-Britt's words resonate with us so deeply:
At times, it may seem as though woman are wasting time by talking, but those conversations create a fertile layer from which everything else can grow.
Her words capture, beautifully and instinctively, the essence of LIYA ANTWERP: women supporting women, strengthening one another, and finding inspiration, connection and growth in each other's company.
Women in LIYA ANTWERP
The women of LIYA ANTWERP are the women Rebekka, Chiara and Claudia meet, work with, admire and learn from.
They are intelligent and imperfect. Ambitious and deeply human. Strong, yet still searching. They lead. They create. They nurture. They decide. They dare. They doubt. And still, they continue.
Their voices bring clarity and comfort - a quiet reminder that strength leaves room for vulnerability. That elegance need not come at the expense of sharpness. That one can be composed, and still carry a touch of rebellion.
Questions we would love to ask you
1. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE, AND HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR WAY INTO THIS FIELD?
Above all, I am a storyteller. I was one even as a young girl, writing from my bedroom, disappearing entirely into the worlds I created, and later through my work in television, magazines and, for the past thirteen years, AMAYZINE. I do not mind stepping onto a stage, but never to place myself in the spotlight. I do it to tell as many people as possible - often women - about the things that might make life richer, lighter or simply more beautiful.
As a little girl, I dreamt of becoming a children's author. The irony is that I was deeply resistant to computers and wanted to do everything on a typewriter, indefinitely if possible. When my mother gently suggested that one day I really would have to learn how to use a computer, I would reply, "Then I shall simply find someone who can do it for me." There was, clearly, a small princess in me - and yet, rather wonderfully, I went on to become a pioneer in online entrepreneurship.
After secondary school, I had intended to study journalism, but at the time there was a numerus fixus, and luck was not on my side - twice. I was turned away, so I chose to study Dutch, followed by General Arts. During a conversation with a dean, I said that I wanted to tell stories to the widest audience possible, and she advised me to study Film and Television Studies. So that is what I did.
2. IN WHAT WAYS HAS YOUR WORK SHAPED YOUR IDENTITY AND PERSONAL GROWTH?
Storytelling and listening are inseparable. To do this work well, you must understand, deeply, who it is you are creating something for. In television, that meant the presenter: I would imagine what I myself would want if I were standing in their shoes. How would I want the information to be delivered, and what information would I need? In magazines, and now at AMAYZINE, it is about truly knowing your audience - sensing them, understanding them, knowing what they want from life and what lies within their reach.
At magazines, I was sometimes irritated by the casual way dresses and handbags with at least three zeros in the price tag were mentioned, as though women routinely bought a designer handbag and a Prada dress every month without a second thought. That assumption troubled me, and it was one of the reasons I founded AMAYZINE: to create a curated lifestyle platform that genuinely understands women.
Through my work, I have become increasingly fascinated by the socio-cultural dimension of fashion. We live in a visual society, and the way you present yourself says a great deal about who you are; it can even guide you towards where you belong. If there is a disconnect between your outer appearance and your inner self, you make life unnecessarily difficult. I love giving talks on the importance of a signature style, and to me that has nothing to do with being fashionable. Over the years, I have become more willing to believe that I truly have something to say, and to accept that there are people who genuinely love what I write, as well as others who may dismiss it as superficial nonsense. I have made peace with both, although naturally the former gives me greater joy.
3. HAS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS CHANGED OVER TIME?
At the beginning of my working life, titles mattered to me. Becoming an executive editor in television, and later an editor-in-chief in magazines, felt like something to be proud of. Now, I rarely even include my title beneath an email. What matters infinitely more is that people value something I have made, rather than the title printed on my business card. It is far less about me now, and far more about others.
My husband and I rent out our house in Italy, and we can both be genuinely delighted when the towels for our guests are folded perfectly and chilled drinks are waiting for them in the fridge - with the labels neatly turned to the front, of course. God is in the details.
4. WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED AND MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE DOING WHAT YOU DO, AND GIVES YOU THE ENERGY OR PASSION TO EXPAND INTO OTHER FIELDS?
I draw enormous inspiration from all the beautiful stories still waiting to be told. I have never experienced writer's block; if anything, I suffer from a lack of time, never a lack of inspiration. Stories are now told across so many different channels. I adore writing and I adore long reads, but I also greatly enjoy the podcast Peggy en May in de Mode, which I have been making for the past six months with Peggy Weijergang, the eminence grise of the Dutch fashion world.
Exploring new fields gives me tremendous energy. A few years ago, I finally wrote that children's book as well. New projects keep the current moving.
5. DO YOU HAVE A ROLE MODEL, FEMALE OR OTHERWISE? WHAT LESSONS FROM THEM HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR PATH?
My hard-working father, who was a captain in the merchant navy, had an extraordinary work ethic and taught me always to arrive at the office before my superiors and leave after them. He also taught me to think beyond the obvious. One sentence of his returns to me almost daily: "You should not listen only to what someone says, but to why they say it."
My mother taught me that fashion and beauty mean far more than simply looking attractive, and she impressed upon me the value of education: "Knowledge is something no one can ever take away from you."
6. HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED CHALLENGES OR RESISTANCE CONNECTED TO BEING A WOMAN IN THE WORKPLACE?
Undoubtedly, but I have never allowed myself to be defined by it. In the television world, there were at times rather harsh jokes that were not always especially kind to women. Yet I think that, having grown up with a seafaring father and brother, I was already accustomed to a certain roughness, and I held tightly to that same lesson: do not listen only to what someone says, but to why they say it. Those men were often simply repeating what had once been modelled to them.
I also believe that being a woman has, at times, worked in my favour. There were moments when I could achieve more - and mediate more effectively - through softness than some of my tougher male colleagues. Of course, I have also encountered superiors who were far from woman-friendly, but in those moments I adopted a simple principle: prove them wrong.
I was also fortunate to work in television and magazines at a time when many leadership roles were held by women, and in my experience it was an environment in which women were very much seen as equals. I was only twenty-eight when I became editor-in-chief of RTL Boulevard, a daily live programme with around forty people working on it. In that sense, television may be refreshingly opportunistic: the person best suited to the role gets the job, regardless of gender.
7. HOW HAVE THOSE EXPERIENCES SHAPED YOUR APPROACH TO WORK OR LEADERSHIP?
By nature, I am a deeply optimistic person. I always try to look for the silver lining around the thundercloud. Here too, one of my father's lessons comes to mind. If I complained about a difficult colleague - and that could just as easily be a woman - he would always say, "You learn the most from the people who make life difficult for you, not from the easy ones."
Although I have learned a great deal from the lovely people around me, I have also tried to polish awkward encounters into something useful. What I have truly learned is that, in moments of conflict, it is always better to have a real conversation. Calling someone usually leads to a resolution; sending an angry email is rather like pouring oil onto a fire. If something is weighing on me, I try to speak about it. That may be in a professional setting, but equally with friends, or even with another parent from my daughter's hockey team.
8. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE IN THE WORKPLACE, AND HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH IT? COMMUNICATION? MANAGEMENT? TIME MANAGEMENT? MOTIVATION? WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
I have given up trying to find the elusive work-life balance, haha. I am writing these answers at 23:19 from a hotel where I am staying for work. Fortunately, I love almost everything that comes with my work, and I love the people I work with too. So those intertwined lives actually suit me rather well.
My seventeen-year-old daughter, for instance, edits our podcast, and I love sitting behind the laptop with her on a Sunday evening. What I find most difficult is saying goodbye. Sometimes it has to happen because the budget demands it; sometimes because things simply are no longer working. You have to remain honest about finances and performance. I can feel physically sick before an exit conversation, and I often sleep badly beforehand. And yet, in the end, things always seem to settle where they should, and people often go on to find work that suits them at least as well - if not better.
Thankfully, I have worked with many members of my team for a very long time. Lilian, Lotte and Daniëlle have been part of my life for years, and I treasure that deeply.
9. WHAT UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES OR QUALITIES DO YOU THINK WOMEN BRING TO THE WORKPLACE, AND HOW DO THESE INFLUENCE TEAM DYNAMICS?
Women tend to share a great deal, which means relationships often deepen quickly. Because of that, we understand one another more fully, and we are often more generous with one another too. At times, it may seem as though we are wasting time by talking, but those conversations create a fertile layer from which everything else can grow.
I also think women tend to work very efficiently, partly because we want to prove ourselves and partly because, if we have children, our time is often limited. Whatever we do, we tend to do well. I always take it as a compliment when I read, for example, that John de Mol prefers working with women because they are so efficient. And, well, most of the time we do also look that little bit better than the average man, don't we?
10. WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN GIVEN WHEN YOU WERE JUST STARTING OUT?
That, however difficult things may seem, it will all work out in the end. And that I should have started keeping my receipts far earlier so I could reclaim VAT - I could have bought an awful lot of beautiful clothes with that money.
11. WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUNGER WOMEN ENTERING YOUR FIELD WILL FIND MOST EXCITING?
That it is now so easy to reach - and move - so many people, to measure at any given moment how many people are reading your piece, to understand exactly how your audience is made up, and to be in direct contact with your readers and followers with such ease.
Back in the Marie Claire days, we carried out an expensive readership survey twice a year. Now I have that information at my fingertips twenty-four hours a day. And yes, those wonderful beauty packages we receive still make your heart beat a little faster.
12. WHAT IS YOUR MOST CHERISHED ITEM OF CLOTHING?
I think it would have to be a bag. When I recently bought a bracelet from Hermès for my daughter's birthday and to celebrate her exam results, the charming sales associate took me upstairs - into the holy of holies - where, to my delight, a Kelly bag was waiting for me. I believe she is my favourite now, and will remain so for quite some time.
13. WHAT RULES DO YOU FOLLOW WHEN BUYING CLOTHES?
I pay very close attention to quality, and to whether something has a twist - a distinctive detail that gives it life and makes it unique. It can be something as simple as a slightly longer sleeve on a T-shirt, but there must be love in the design; it has to be more than just a garment. It must express something, and I need to feel that the designer intended to achieve more than merely covering the body.
14. WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS STILL MISSING FROM YOUR WARDROBE?
Since this shoot, without question, your hand-knitted cardigan and those perfect black jeans.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF JEWELLERY FROM YOUR OWN COLLECTION, AND FROM THE LIYA ANTWERP COLLECTION, AND WHY?
My Cartier engagement ring is immensely precious to me. On my fiftieth birthday, my husband ended his speech with a little red box - and a proposal. I recently spent an entire sleepless night after losing it. My joy was indescribable when our cleaner found it on a pile of magazines beneath the sink in the downstairs loo. After washing my hands, it had slipped from my finger onto the magazines, which is why I had not heard it fall.
From the LIYA ANTWERP collection, I completely fell for that beautiful necklace with the long vertical pendant.
