We Had an Enjoyable Conversation with Zeynep Semiz

A Pleasant Conversation with Zeynep Semiz Color&More Commercial Director Zeynep Semiz spoke with us in an engaging interview. Semiz discussed Color&More, which has achieved significant growth in a short period.

First, we would like to get to know you. Could you tell us about your education, professional career, and personal interests?

I completed my degree in Chemical Engineering at Boğaziçi University in 2004 and my master's degree in Environmental Technologies in 2009. I wrote my master's thesis on renewable energy projects during a year I spent working at Washington University in Saint Louis, United States. I then returned to Turkey and began my professional career, working in business development and sales in various industrial sectors. I worked at Kemiropa (now Ravago Chemicals Turkey), Lloyd's Register, Total Energies, and since 2019 at Color&More, also a Ravago company. As Commercial Director, my role is to increase our company's market share and establish it as a recognized and trusted player. Color&More was founded within the Ravago group in 2018. I am married and have a 7-year-old daughter. Among my personal interests, the most important and favorite is dancing. Since my high school years, I have been involved in ballroom dancing as an amateur. I also enjoy traveling and city tours. [caption id="attachment_155045" align="aligncenter"] Color&More Commercial Director Zeynep Semiz[/caption]

We know that Color&More has achieved significant growth in a short time. How has Color&More developed since its inception, and what are its targets?

When Color&More was founded within the Ravago group in 2018, it was a distributor serving primarily the paints sector with 6 suppliers. Today, with 13 representatives, we supply effect pigments and specialty products to industrial and decorative paints and coatings sectors, as well as to masterbatch, textile and leather chemicals manufacturers. Starting in 2021, we also began supplying products primarily to colored cosmetics manufacturers in the life sciences field. We continue our efforts to become a recognized and trusted business partner in the cosmetics sector. We are increasing our market share every day. Our main objective is to become the first business partner and supplier that our customers seeking pigments and specialty chemicals or additives will contact.

Could you provide detailed information about the products Color&More offers, particularly in the Life Sciences field?

The products we offer in the Life Sciences field are effect pigments, pigments, dyes, fillers, and additives. We introduced pearlescent pigments from our supplier Kuncai, one of the world's largest manufacturers, to the cosmetics sector, and have achieved excellent results. Demand has increased 100 percent compared to the previous year. We have been selling coated aluminum pigments from our French-Japanese supplier Toyal for a long time. In addition to these suppliers, we provide a wide range of organic and inorganic pigments from our Indian manufacturer Koel Color, fillers such as titanium dioxide and talc, and specialty additives from our Italian supplier Milano Colori. Our product range also includes biodegradable Bioglitter products from our British company and phosphorescent pigments suitable for cosmetic use from our Portuguese-Japanese manufacturer Nemoto. We continue to work on developing our product range and are in continuous discussions with new potential suppliers.

What are your views on the environment and sustainability, and what is your company's approach to these issues?

Since environmental protection and sustainability are personally very important to me, I pursued my master's degree in Environmental Technologies. My thesis was even focused on renewable energy. With this perspective, within Color&More and the Ravago Group, we continuously work on increasing what we can do on this subject. We complement our product range with suppliers who work on environmentally and socially responsible and sustainable products. We require our suppliers to share the work they do related to sustainability. Inquiries about working environments that respect people and the environment, minimizing carbon emissions, sustainable waste processes, and facilities operating with efficient automated closed-system production lines are part of our supplier acceptance procedures. Sustainability and our ongoing work on this topic are investments we are making for future generations, and Ravago Group places great importance on this. Globally, Ravago has many projects and continues to develop new ones.

As Color&More, what kind of innovations do you offer your customers from an innovation and R&D perspective?

First, I would like to mention the R&D approach of our founder, Ravago Group. In recent years, Ravago has become a player that has pioneered many areas and made a name for itself in the chemicals sector. Ravago Petrokimya, one of Ravago's companies, ranked in the top 200 R&D investors in Turkey in 2021. Within this framework, innovation and R&D are on the agenda of all companies within the Ravago Group. As Color&More, from an innovation and R&D perspective, we invest time in adding innovative products to our range and differentiating ourselves. We support our customers' R&D activities and develop new projects. We are confident that with value-added and distinctive products, we will be one step ahead in our field in the market and in the near future, our name will be part of many projects.

What criteria does Color&More prioritize when drawing up investment plans? Are you planning investments for the short and long term?

Our most important criterion is that the areas we invest in are sustainable and reliable. We select our suppliers carefully and do not move forward without being confident in the products we offer. Within our short-term plans, we are investing in new suppliers and team members. For us, the value of team members equipped with technical knowledge is invaluable. In the long term, we have laid seeds and continue to lay them to expand the sectors we are involved in and our product range. Color&More is a distribution company and we do not yet have blending or production lines within our company, but this does not mean it will not happen. Ravago Group is a global company very open to new ideas and initiatives.