Dana Chatman

Focused leader with merchandising, global sourcing, and owned brand development experience. Excellent problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to lead and perform successfully within a team. Strong track record in delivering quantifiable results in category growth and relevance.

Results-driven business professional prepared for leadership roles in dynamic environments. Extensive background in managing cross-functional teams and executing growth strategies. Renowned for team collaboration and adaptability in achieving business objectives. Proficient in strategic planning, financial oversight, and team leadership.

• Aligned with supply chain by negotiating critical cost concessions and rebates with global vendor partners.
• Increased owned brand investments, in-store space allocation and online assortments through deepened partnerships with Omni channel buying teams and effective influencing strategies.
• Steered multiple business expansions and brand launches from bedding and cookware to canvas and yarn.
• Consistently grew margins by 2-5ppt over three consecutive years while maintaining or lowering cost of goods thru vendor consolidations and strategic partnerships.
• Reinvented numerous categories of business with upgraded quality, cohesive assortments, value pricing and targeted packaging and marketing.
• Successfully led the management of product development and production from trend and design through positioning at retail.
• Progressed up the merchandising ranks, ultimately leading concept – to – market efforts for soft and hard home businesses.

• Hands-on Change Management leader with broad functional expertise who can build organized, agile teams to support company growth and build on individual performance success.
• Excellent financial acumen, with an analytical approach to product development and merchandising.
• Passion for product with a wide range of development and merchandising experience in apparel, textiles, hard home, and crafting categories.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute vision at a tactical level.

• Director, Chief of Staff, Macys Inc., $2.2B, 04/01/24, Current, Lead change management initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional teams (Buying, Planning, Marketing, Digital) to align strategies and drive sales growth., Enhanced sales and profit objectives by implementing innovative marketing best practices across the merchandising division., Ideated and executed strategic initiatives, aligning division-wide operations with Macy’s customer-centric mission and vision for digital and instore growth in the Big Ticket business., Lead analytical recaps and recommendations for seasonal plans and strategy sessions., Drive vendor collaboration by being the face of Macys to the vendor community, articulating the company’s strategy and negotiating optimal assortment and pricing., Established clear team communication channels and oversaw key deadlines, ensuring the seamless management of division-wide calendars and deliverables., Created and implemented end-to-end calendars for cross functional teams.
• Vice President, Product Development, Michaels, Inc., $3.3B, 01/01/21, 12/31/23, Analyzed and managed KPI’s and assortment architecture on a portfolio of 12 owned brands totaling $3.3B in sales or 70% of business., Developed and maintained an ongoing sales volume and item analysis of over 40,000 private brand skus to drive productivity by planogram and to maximize efficiency across product categories., Partnered with consumer insights team monthly to continually monitor consumer feedback to develop new ideas, pivot unsuccessful programs and continue to improve consumer experience., Cultivated key merchant partnerships in Merchandising and Planning to drive strong assortments and deliver results in monthly planogram resets., Built a 2-year growth plan by assessing current trends, shifts in consumer interests and creating future goals by brand., Led market competitive analysis sharing key insights and how to align new product categories with existing merchandise., Led a team of 40 in creating an agile development process through product life cycle management encompassing several different materials / vendors in arts and crafting solutions for adults and children., Worked closely with other private brand leads in sourcing and packaging to drive cross functional vision by category in quality, value, and experience., Active involvement in Joint Business Planning meetings to strategize on annual financial roadmaps for core vendors.
• Vice President, Product Development | Merchandising, Macys Inc., $700M, 01/01/15, 12/31/20, Led global sourcing and product development teams for Macys and Bloomingdale’s owned hard home brands., Managed a diversified vendor portfolio with a consistent rigorous assessment of current strategies and implementation of new practices and onboarding for emerging global & domestic sourcing opportunities., Leveraged strategic relationships with internal/external brand partners to drive strong financial results., Curated exclusive product categories thru strategic seasonal assortment planning for in store and online., Built functional, agile teams while creating an open, collaborative –and fun—work environment grounded in clear business ownership, performance accountability and continual challenge., Consolidated supplier matrix by 30% to strengthen agility and gain greater cost leverage and deeper market intelligence from core partners., Customized product – to – market calendar to meet specific business needs which drove greater discipline, efficiencies, and efforts in integration with product managers, overseas teams, and vendors., Analyzed data by vendor / factory / country to obtain actionable information in optimizing productivity., Influenced, negotiated, and aligned on costing, end of season funding and exclusives with vendors.
• Financial Strategy Brand Director, Macys Inc., $900M, 01/01/13, 12/31/15, Spearheaded in-season and long-range financial planning, partnering with cross-functional teams to establish sales, margin, SKU, and pricing goals and ensure merchandise assortments delivered targets., Aligned as a valued advisor to Macy’s Omni channel buying teams to address white-space opportunities, inform merchandise investment decisions and achieve private brand volume, margin, and penetration objectives., Responsible for building financial snapshot and communicated analysis monthly to the EVP of private brand home., Instituted new costing model and approach for profitable assortment development promoting end- to- product thinking and greater financial discipline for product managers., Created short and long term CAGR financial goals by category to achieve margin and sales growth., Partnered with inventory teams to balance fulfillment channels in key categories keeping inventory levels optimal for productive sales and margin., Direct P&L accountability for total private brand soft home.