Sharmila Katre
Dean, Academic Development and Innovation

With a professional career spanning 37 years in the Fashion, Clothing and Textile Industry in India, my areas of specialism include back end Merchandising, Product Development and Sourcing, Implementation of Management Systems for Garment Production and Textiles. Over the years I have headed Merchandising and Buying organizations with principals in Europe and Australia, and taught on postgraduate and Undergraduate programmes as a senior faculty at National and Private Institutions training professionals for the Clothing and Textile Industry. I have conducted Industry Workshops, EDPs and seminars, and have been a core member of the research team responsible for fashion, colour and textile forecasting for international textile fairs held in India bi-annually in the nineties. I have also been an active team member of a collaborative project funded by the ODA (Overseas Development Agency of the British Government) for the development and design training of the Powerloom weavers of Salem, Tamilnadu – India, as well as the UNDP project with the weavers at Chanderi, MP. I superannuated from Pearl Academy in August 2016 where my last assignment was as the Head, Academic Development Office for the past two and a half years. In the two year break that I took after my official retirement I continued to work as an Industry trainer and a consultant in Design Pedagogy with various institutions pan India, who are engaged in delivery of Design Education.  I have now rejoined Pearl Academy as Dean (Academic Development & Innovation).