Yılmaz Yılmaz was graduated from the Naval Academy in 1984 as First Lieutenant. He served in the Navy until 1992, and prior to his resignation, he was the commander of a Special Forces tea m. Yılmaz enlisted the help of his wife, Gülden Yılmaz, to create the Koton brand, and the c ouple expanded a small brand to an international chain that operates over 400 stores across 24 countries. In 2008, Koton received an award in the “Retail Success Story” category of MAPIC and was awarded the grand prize in the “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition held by Ernest & Young in 2009. Yılmaz Yılmaz is currently the CEO of Koton, and chairman of United Brands Association (BMD) and co-president of Istanbul Shopping Fest. He has also memberships in trade associations such as the Association of Textile and Apparel Exporters of Istanbul (İTKİB), Trade Council of Shopping Centers and Retailers (AMPD), and the Association of Apparel Industrialists of Turkey (TGSD).