From a concrete and asphalt house in Niedersachsen to refineries in Sweden, asphalt terminals in Brazil and downstream engineering in Russia — the Schmidt family has been at work in heavy industry since 1928.
The founding house in Niedersachsen — the largest local producer of concrete, asphalt and modular Bauhaus-period ready-mixed construction materials, with proprietary retail across the region.
The house was sold to one of Germany's largest construction-materials groups. The proceeds funded the second generation: the Schmidt brothers (Bruno & Dieter) built the largest construction-machinery export and after-sales service operation in the Middle East — four factories, twelve service centres, more than four thousand employees.
The second-generation flagship represented more than 180 primarily German industrial manufacturers in the Middle East — Wirtgen, Putzmeister, KABAG+Wiggert, Pascal, FAUN among them — with cumulative sales in excess of USD 30 billion over the period. The third generation grew up inside this business.
The third generation's first house — a diversified UAE conglomerate across aerospace, Soviet-aircraft MRO, Siberian forestry, gold mining, asphalt production, real estate and infrastructure across the former USSR. Divested ahead of the 2009 cycle.
The third generation built BITUMINA into a leading international bitumen & asphalt distribution, technology and manufacturing group operating in more than 100 countries. Acquisitions on three continents; the most complex Nordic restructuring of the period; over USD 2 billion of investment placed into the Russian Federation through PPP partnerships.
The third generation's current vehicle. A house of strategic advisory, capital, ventures and artificial intelligence — serving billionaires, sovereign entities and major corporations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the United States.
Third-generation German industrialist. Thirty years of operating experience across more than 150 countries. Builder of industrial groups in aerospace, forestry, bitumen, downstream petroleum and machinery. Adviser to billionaires, sovereign entities and major corporations on strategy, origination, special situations, restructuring and physical-commodity trade. Distinguished-level practitioner of enterprise artificial intelligence.
Doctorate in Business Administration with Honours (Finance & International Commercial Law). Master of Business Administration. Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Maritime Law certification. CIS Oil & Petrochemical Trade & Logistics professional certification. Issuing institutions and full curriculum vitae are released only to verified counterparties through the gated Deal Room.
Eleven languages, with native fluency in German, Persian and English, and full working capacity in Russian and Dari. Based between Moscow, Germany and Hungary; international by default.
Board seats and senior advisory positions across the house's partner firms in energy, downstream petroleum, and engineering. Active mentor to a small number of founders and senior executives, by referral only. Long-standing engagement in philanthropy — the founder's commitments are described on The Schmidt Foundation.
The founder has long believed that the discipline a person brings to the office is shaped by what they do outside it. Three pursuits sit alongside the practice.
Professional show-jumping rider and trainer. Course designer and judge at CHIO Aachen — the principal international equestrian championship in Germany. Horses are the founder's longest-running discipline outside of business; the operating habits the sport demands — preparation, restraint, timing — are recognisable in the way the house works files.
A lifelong interest in flight that began with the family's aerospace mandates in the late 1990s and remains today as a private pursuit. Light aircraft, in clear weather, alone.
Music and the visual arts are the founder's deepest non-business interest. Patronage is conducted privately through the Foundation and through long-standing personal relationships with individual artists and institutions across Germany, Russia and Central Asia.