William F. Schmied served as president and chief operating officer of the Singer Company from 1980 to 1987 when he became chairman and chief executive officer. He joined Singer in 1969 as general manager of the Kearfott Division, which designed and manufactured aerospace electronics equipment, including inertial navigators, digital computers, and related control systems. He became a group vice president responsible for the Aerospace divisions in 1971 and a corporate executive vice president in 1974.

Before joining Singer, Schmied served in senior management and engineering positions with Litton Industries' Guidance and Control Systems Division and the Autonetics Division of Rockwell International.

Schmied received his BSEE from Purdue in 1951 and joined the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D. C. He served with the United States Air Force and then resumed his business career.

Schmied is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Link Foundation, the NATO Industrial Advisory group, and the Board of Visitors of the Defense Systems Management College at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is a director or former director of several corporations including the Northrup Corporation and Tiger International and Flying Tiger Line, Inc. Schmied served on the Engineering Visiting Committee at Purdue and received an honorary doctorate from the university in 1987.