Christophe Fouquet’s ASML must reinvent itself

The departure of Martin van den Brink and Peter Wennink in a few months marks the end of an era. They shared the top position at ASML for more than a decade. Van den Brink headed up development, constantly pursuing the latest technology to serve the needs of his customers. Co-CEO Wennink took care of the finances and acted as the company’s diplomat and figurehead. He also cared about his employees, from the factory floor to the top.

The year 2024 and the month of April carry symbolism: it’s forty years after ASML was founded. Van den Brink, who was hired by Philips not long before ASML was spun out, has spent his entire career with the lithography company. Because of the way he led the technology development, ASML rose to stratospheric heights. Today, there’s no company in the world with a comparable market position and (for now) impressive technological lead. It’s hard to imagine ASML having to relinquish that position to a competitor in the foreseeable future.