Semiha POLAT

DeFacto: One of Turkey’s largest fashion retailers, with 500+ stores in more than 30 countries, recognized for its fast fashion collections and customer-oriented growth strategy. Promoted to oversee Women’s Outerwear, achieving 30% budget and quantity growth, later expanding to lead Homewear & Underwear portfolios. Implemented a $30M annual budget, delivering 25% profit growth and 20% LFL increase through new product launches and pricing adjustments. Streamlined OTB budgeting for 30% of total spend, allocated resources, and minimised overspending by 10%, strengthening financial performance. Directed and mentored a cross-functional team of 9, fostered supplier relationships, andenhanced delivery timelines by 12%. Assessed competitors and market demand, driving a 20% improvement in product andsupplier portfolios. Conducted agreements with 50+ suppliers across Europe and Asia, ensured 95% compliance with industry standards, and reduced lead times. Applied Category Management to improve assortment planning and collaborated withstakeholders across merchandising, logistics, and design, resulting in a 15% increase in sell-through rates.

A leading Turkish fashion retailer with 1,200+ stores in over 50 countries, offering affordable apparel and accessories for diverse markets. Established a customer-focused buying strategy, aligned with market trends and business objectives, and achieved a 20% sales increase. Managed budget allocation and analysed financial performance, improving forecast accuracy by 12% and decreasing variances by 8%. Coordinated with stakeholders and provided data-driven insights, enhancing supplier performance and advancing operational efficiency by 12%.

Oversaw a customer-focused buying strategy, aligned with market trends and business objectives, and generated a 20% sales increase. Administered budget allocation and evaluated financial performance, increasing forecast accuracy by 12% and reducing variances by 8%. Facilitated collaboration with stakeholders, supplying data-driven insights, optimising supplier performance and supporting decision-making efficiency, cutting reporting time by 12%.

Team Leadership & Career Growth: Advanced to Merchandiser, improving team efficiency by 30% Capacity Planning & Production Management: Developed plans, enhancing production efficiency by 15% Logistics & Cost Optimization: Optimized shipments, reducing overseas costs by 20% Financial Analysis & Pricing Strategy: Evaluated Landed Price, achieving 10% cost advantage International Merchandising & Market Adaptation: Collaborated with overseas teams, boosting international sales by 15% Product Development & Innovation: Led fabric and trim projects, accelerating collection development by 20%

Semester 1 Design, Development, Creativity Digital Infrastructure Skills for Business Enquiry Semester 2 Cultural & Political Perspectives Outsourcing and Offshoring The Ethereum Ecosystem Semester 3 Cybersecurity Knowledge, Power, Agency and AI Project Management in the Digital World

Semester 1 and 2 included these courses: Advised Fibre Since, Mechanics of woven fabrics, New spinning systems, Engineering Mathematics, Textile Quality, Technical Textiles and Advanced Management Approaches Master’s Thesis Subject; A Research on optimization of hydrogen peroxide bleaching using cationic bleach activator for cotton knitted fabrics.

Erasmus student at Universita Degli Studi Di Bergamo / ITALY

Semester 1 and 2 included these courses: Mathematics, Physics, Static, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Statistics, Material Science, and Essential Computer Applications & Programs Semester 3 and 4 included these courses: Dynamics, Textile Chemistry, Strength of Materials, Principles of Spinning, Principles of Knitting, Weaving, Principles of Dyeing&Printing, Textile Finishing, Principles of Apparel Manufacturing, Machine Elements. Semester 5 and 6 included these courses: Cotton Spinning, Wool Spinning, Physical Textile Testing, Weft Knitting, Warp Knitting, Woven Fabric Construction, Mechanism of Machines, Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, Technical English, Nonwovens, Business Law. Semester 7 and 8 included these courses: Weaving Machines, Modern Spinning Processes, Chemical Textile Testing, Quality Control, Fabric Analysis, Technical textile.