• 1945 – Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• 1948-1951 – Worked as an engineer for the Chrysler Corporation in the USA
• 1956-1972 – General Manager and Director of Volvo in Sweden
• 1972-1979 – Managing Director of the Danish naval and maritime yard Odense Steel Shipyard
• 1980-1984 – Second Director General of ESA

When Quistgaard took up duty as Director General in 1980, the ongoing programmes of the Agency were nearing fulfilment, and one of his first tasks was to start discussions on ESA's future and its role within the European space community. His emphasis on a clear and coherent plan for Europe's activities in space brought considerable success with the first use of Ariane by a commercial customer, the launch of the Exosat scientific satellite and Ulf Merbold's flight, as the first ESA Astronaut, aboard Spacelab-1 achieved under his mandate.