Christopher Philipp was born in 1967 and grew up near Schwäbisch Hall. After graduating from high school, he first began vocational training as a banker and then he studied business administration at the Duale Hochschule in Stuttgart, graduating with a degree in business administration (Dipl.-Betriebswirt (DH)). From 1990 to 1993 he studied architecture at the University of Stuttgart as part of an intermediate diploma course and at the same time assumed responsibility in his parents' timber construction company. In 1994 he joined Philipp Architekten and became involved in the management of the company. From 1995 to 1999, he studied at the Danube University in Krems, Austria, part-time and completed a Master of Business Administration with an MBA.