Bianca Schmitz is a lecturer (member of the faculty) at ESMT Berlin and has been one of the founding directors of the Hidden Champions Institute (HCI). Additionally, she is a director of knowledge transfer at the Bringing Technology to Market (BTM) Center. Since March 2022 she is also a member of the Supervisory Board of TÜV NORD AG.

Her research has been published in journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing and Journal of Family Business Management. Beyond academic research, Bianca has published a number of case studies with Harvard Business Publishing as well as managerial articles on hidden champions and digital transformation with journals such as European Business Review or Forbes.

Her research and teaching focus is on impact of global trends on hidden champion’s business practice and innovation management, incl. agile methods such as Design Thinking. Bianca is a firm advocate and and practitioner for designing individualized learning journeys to create sustainable impact.

Bianca worked for three years at the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS), a non-profit organization based in Cologne, Germany, with branches throughout the world. Bianca’s international profile is supplemented by two-years of work experience in Spain.