Michael’s executive leadership spans over two decades across multinational organisations and high-growth technology firms. Most recently, he was Chief Digital & Information Officer at Henkel, also chairing Henkel dx Ventures, leading the company’s digital transformation and venturing agenda. Prior to this, he held a series of transformational roles at Schindler Group, including Chief Digital Officer, Executive Board Member, and CEO of Schindler Digital Business AG, where he pioneered digital platforms and IoT solutions for industrial services globally. Earlier, he served as CIO and in senior technology leadership roles at Schaeffler AG and Bosch Rexroth, where he spearheaded digitalisation and global IT strategies across complex, engineering-led businesses.

Alongside his executive work, Michael has held prominent governance roles for global organisations, including Non-Executive Director appointments at Adevinta, Lufthansa, and FogHorn Systems, where he chaired technology and transformation committees. He has also brought strategic oversight to emerging technologies as an Advisory Board Member of the IOTA Foundation, dedicated to distributed ledger technologies, and served on boards of innovative ventures such as Predikto and Medela.

Michael brings deep cross-sector expertise in:

• Digital platforms & AI-powered businesses – driving innovation, large-scale digital transformations, and growth of enterprise software and SaaS ventures

• Industrial technology & IoT – establishing connected systems and advanced automation across global industrial and infrastructure sectors

• Venture capital & private equity ecosystems – advising on investments, value creation strategies, and scaling technology-led businesses

• Board-level governance & transformation leadership – contributing to technology, innovation, and risk oversight across listed, private, and PE-backed organisations

He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Business Administration from the University of Cologne and is an Executive Scholar in Business Administration from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management. Highly regarded for his thought leadership in digital and AI-driven business models, Michael has earned multiple distinctions, including the MIT Sloan Leadership Award and CIO of the Year.