Ed Schmidt

Ed Schmidt has a diverse work experience spanning over several industries. Ed is currently the EVP Global Operations at Superpedestrian, where they oversee global operations and the implementation of advanced small vehicle technologies for urban transportation. Prior to this, they co-founded and worked as a partner at 100nxt, a company that assists startups with international growth and optimizing their global operations.

From 2018 to 2020, Ed served as the Chair of Sustainability Committee and later as the CEO EMEA at Wind Mobility, a micro-mobility share company that offers short distance transportation solutions in urban areas.

Before joining Wind Mobility, Ed held the position of VP Operations at Rakuten, where they established and managed the Business Operations team, implemented strategic operational processes, and designed a multi-country operational toolset. Ed also worked at Groupon, where they served as the Senior Director Operations Central Europe and later as the VP Operations China. During their time at Groupon, Ed led various projects and implemented automated sales performance reporting.

Ed's previous experience includes co-founding and working as a Senior Partner at mandarinnet - intercultural services, a consulting company providing headhunting, localization, and market-entry services. Ed also served as a Senior Partner and was responsible for the planning, funding, realization, and management of Club Obiwan, a successful restaurant/lounge/club venture in Beijing.

Ed started their career as a Senior Partner and Owner of DaVinci Computersysteme, an IT systems provider specializing in customized solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ed Schmidt completed their education with a Master's degree in Sinology, Economics, and Psychology from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg from 1997 to 2004. During their studies, they also attended Beijing Language and Culture University for a summer program focused on Chinese language and culture in 2001-2002. In addition, Ed Schmidt obtained a certification in MA Sinology & Economics from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in February 2004.