Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1968, Dr. Schindler studied economics at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, from where he graduated in 1994. Between 1995 and 1998 he worked as personal assistant of two Members of Parliament in the German Bundestag, Bonn. In 1998 he joined the Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade (BGA) in Bonn/Berlin as personal assistant and speechwriter of the Association's Presidents.

Between 2001 and 2004 he studied at the Institute of Economic Policy at the University of Cologne, Germany, where he wrote his thesis and obtained a doctorate degree in 2004.

Dr. Schindler was appointed Economist of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation on October 1, 2004 and was promoted to the position of Director in January 2006. At the Federation's Annual Conference in Dubai, UAE, in September 2006 he was nominated and elected Director General as of January 1, 2007.

Organization/Company Profile

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) is the international forum of the global textile industry. ITMF was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Its members are associations and companies from the textile and allied industries. The mission of ITMF is to:

• Connect its members by providing meeting grounds to strengthen relations along the entire textile value chain from fibre to fashion,

• Inform its members by collecting, analysing and distributing relevant data and by providing neutral forums for discussions and the exchange of best practices,

• Represent the textile industry towards governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by actively participating in discussions about the evolution of the industry.