After graduating from the Technical University of Aachen with a degree in manufacturing engineering, Mr. Schmitz-Justen worked at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT from 1976 until 1991, where he also earned his doctorate in 1986 and served as managing chief engineer until 1991.

In 1991, he moved to BMW AG, where he served in different executive positions until 2007, most recently as president of BMW Manufacturing LLC in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. In 2008, Mr. Schmitz-Justen was named director of international programs and adjunct professor at the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. He is a member of several boards and has been an adjunct professor at Chemnitz Technical University since 1998. He joined the supervisory board of flexis AG in 2008.