Olaf Schmidt holds a diploma in textile engineering as well as an MBA. Schmidt started his professional career at rohi stoffe GmbH, a German textile company for wool fabrics for various industries. Following positions in international sales, he became a member of the board of management and was responsible for sales and marketing. In 2003, Schmidt moved to Spinnerei Lampertsmühle AG in Germany, where he became a member of the Board of Management and took over the responsibility for Operations, Marketing and Sales. The company is one of the leading producers of technical yarns. In October 2006, Schmidt became the Vice President of Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition, the largest exhibition company with own venue worldwide. In this function, he is responsible for about 50 events worldwide in the fields of technical textiles, home textiles, garment textiles, fashion and textile processing. Schmidt's area of responsibility thus includes not only the leading international trade fairs Heimtextil, Techtextil and Texprocess in Frankfurt am Main, but also trade fairs at the global textile hotspots in Paris, New York, Shanghai or Tokyo. Schmidt is also member of the Board of Directors of Fashion Council Germany.
