Ralph Lenkert has served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Thuringia since 2009.

He graduated from the polytechnic secondary school in 1983 and then trained as a toolmaker at Carl Zeiss in Jena.

From 1986 to 1991 he worked in this profession at Zeiss, interrupted by 1.5 years of basic military service at the NVA.

From 1991 to 1995 Lenkert completed a distance learning course with a technical college degree as a state-certified technician specialising in mechanical engineering.

From 2002 to 2006, he worked again for Zeiss as a technologist; among other things he was responsible for outsourcing jobs to China against his political convictions.