After completing two apprenticeships, Michael studied physics at the University of Regensburg, earning a doctorate in biophysics. He began his career at Fogra, where he founded the predecessor of the International Color Consortium (ICC) and served as its first technical secretary.

Michael has served on various supervisory and advisory boards, including Linotype and several start-ups, publishing extensively on color management, workflow, and sustainability. After joining Océ, he held senior roles in R&D, portfolio planning, and marketing.

In 1996, he joined EFPG (Grenoble INP-Pagora) and was awarded his Habilitation in 1998 by the University of Grenoble, where he continues to teach strategy and sustainability as a Distinguished Professor. He also studied at INSEAD Business School.

Inspired by time spent with Indigenous communities in Canada, Michael has long been active in human rights, serving on boards such as the Society for Threatened Peoples and the Stiftung Vielfalt der Kulturen, which he now chairs. His interests in tourism, resource conservation, and circular economy have informed his work in the printing industry and led to a 2022 textbook.

Since February 2022, he has been a partner at a management consultancy in Düsseldorf.