My name is Andrey and I head the Merchandising department at H&M in Moscow, Russia. I recently made several decisions that changed my life. I would like to take the chance to share these with you and in addition update you on an exciting job opening on my team.
 
1.  After I graduated from the Mechanics and Mathematics department at Moscow State University, I started a career in the Fashion retail industry. This is why:

• It is really fast paced industry with a lot of processes involved
• It is multinational industry since most of the biggest brands operate all across the globe
• According to MarketLine, the global apparel industry has been growing at a 4.78% yearly rate since 2011 up until 2017
• It is never out-of-fashion because it is fashion!

More info about the industry: https://cdn.businessoffashion.com/reports/The_State_of_Fashion_2018_v2.pdf
 
2. I joined H&M after trying out a couple roles at other companies. This is why:

• The H&M group is one of the biggest fashion retailers in the world with a clear vision how to become No.1
• At the end of the financial year 2017 the H&M group had 69 sales markets of which 43 with online
• The H&M group has unique culture and atmosphere with focus on leadership and values
• According to BoF’s “Best 16 companies to work for in Fashion Retail 2017” H&M is said to be a top performer in terms of leadership and development opportunities. I absolutely agree!

More info about our company and how it developed in 2017:  https://about.hm.com/content/dam/hmgroup/groupsite/documents/en/cision/2018/01/2110334_en.pdf
 
3. I joined the Merchandising function at H&M. This is why:

• Merchandise is garments that H&M creates, produces and sells. So, Merchandising is key function operating with garments which is the essence of H&M
• Very many processes are kept within Merchandising: Planning, Buying, Supply chain, Allocation, Sales
• The function has 800 employees from all across the globe. Since the company is really multinational we do now and will always have access to best practices from all across the globe
• Possibilities for personal and career development are limitless. My route within H&M was the following: Merchandise Planner based in Moscow (2 years) -> Head of Merchandising based in Vienna (1 year) -> Head of Merchandising based in Moscow (current)

 
Have a look at this movie in order to understand what Merchandising is all about: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLnaD7Y0zGw
 
About that exciting job opportunity I mentioned - you can have a look here at the job ad and reach out to us if you would be interested in joining our team!
 
Look forward to hear from you! 
Andrey, Head of Merchandising, H&M Russia