Dr. Michael Peterson was born on October 11, 1970.

After earning a degree in industrial engineering, Dr. Peterson joined Booz & Company, a management consulting firm, in Düsseldorf in 1997. There, he served most recently as a partner and managing director. Dr. Peterson joined Deutsche Bahn in 2014. At DB Fernverkehr AG, he headed up product management before being appointed Chief Marketing Officer in 2016. Dr. Peterson was appointed CEO of DB Fernverkehr AG in August 2019 after initially serving as interim CEO starting in late 2018. In July 2022, he was named DB Board Member for Long Distance Passenger Transport.

Dr. Peterson is a husband and father.