Markus Schmidt

Principal Researcher | Customer Research, Insights & Strategy | Driving Customer-Centric Business Decisions

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

About

Conducting customer research to build customer-centric strategies that enable sustainable business impact is my core focus. I work at the intersection of customer understanding and business decision-making, helping organizations translate insights into clear priorities and action. I design and lead qualitative and quantitative research to inform strategic direction, product development and organizational alignment with a strong focus on relevance, feasibility and value creation. In in-house roles, I partner closely with leadership, product, marketing, and design teams to ensure research meaningfully supports decisions, roadmaps and execution. My expertise is grounded in 25 years of professional experience across qualitative and quantitative research and foresight practice, combined with a deep understanding of corporate structures and decision-making dynamics. My working style is collaborative, structured and forward-looking with a mindset of reflection and improvement.

Experience

  • Principal Researcher at Steelcase
    Feb 2025 - Present · 1 yr 5 mos

  • Senior Manager Consumer Insights at BSH Home Appliances Group
    Apr 2010 - Dec 2024 · 14 yrs 9 mos

  • Market Research Project Manager at PHILIP MORRIS GMBH (PMG)
    Jan 1999 - Mar 2006 · 7 yrs 3 mos

    new products, ad tracking, market information, brand performance, strategic consultancy