Born in 1963, Meier studied Information Technology at the Rheinisch-Westfälische University of Applied Sciences in Aachen, after which he completed his PhD at the University of Hawaii in its interdisciplinary program in Communications and IT. From 1990 to 1998 he worked in a variety of positions for McKinsey & Co. in their Hamburg, Hong Kong and Munich offices. In 1998 he became a member of the Executive board of GE CompuNet Computer, responsible for the areas of IT, Service and International Management. From May 2000 to April 2003 he served as chairman of GE CompuNet Computer.