Waldemar Schmidt

WALDEMAR SCHMIDT, a global businessman with considerable experience as CEO from the service industry and chairman of companies from a wide range of industries across 3 continents.

Waldemar Schmidt got his first CEO job when he was 29 and progressed to become CEO of ISS, the Copenhagen-based facility services group that is amongst the largest corporate employers in the world. During his long career at ISS, Waldemar held positions from Country Manager/CEO in Brazil to CEO of the global group.

Waldemar is born on 4th July 1940 in a small town in Denmark. He has lived and worked outside Denmark most of his working life in Italy, Brazil, UK and Switzerland; and has been involved with business on all continents.

Waldemar surprised many when he resigned early from his final CEO job to start a second full-time non-executive career, holding a variety of positions, including chairmanships and directorships of more than 20 private and public companies on three continents. He is also a prolific writer and lecturer, and is an adjunct professor of strategy and service leadership at Copenhagen Business School. He was inspired to write his third book FROM MBA TO CEO after having taught leadership to MBA students at leading business schools for a number of years.

He has been an executive-in-residence at IMD in Switzerland where he undertook a research project that resulted in his first book, WINNING AT SERVICE. He is also co-author of THE NØRBY REPORT—a study commissioned by the Danish government to establish the first guidelines for good corporate governance in Denmark.