ASMPT announces key global and SMT leadership changes to prepare it for the future

The Group is pleased to announce significant developments in its leadership team that will help it further strengthen the strategic implementation of its corporate goals and vision.

"As a truly global company with a unique, broad portfolio and technology leadership in many areas, ASMPT must continue adapting in order to continue growing and thriving," said Robin NG, Group CEO. "We are continually reviewing and adjusting our plans, bearing in mind our global footprint and the ongoing dynamic macroeconomic environment we are operating in. We are strengthening key areas such as corporate strategy, digitalisation, sustainability, and company culture, which are foundational for our future, allowing ASMPT's SMT Solutions and Semiconductor Solutions to embark on a path to develop an integrated organisation that will best serve its customers and partners needs, while enabling it to continue growing and competing well."

With more than 25 years in the business, Guenter Lauber, an Executive Vice President, has been the CEO of the Group's SMT Solutions Segment since its inception, successfully growing it to become one of ASMPT's key businesses and the clear leader in the SMT market, while deepening its technology footprint in key industries such as automotive, EMS and industrial. The SMT Segment also reported its highest ever annual revenue for the year 2022 recently.

Guenter Lauber took on two additional portfolios in 2018. As ASMPT Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Digitalisation Officer he has been coordinating key strategic growth and cost optimisation initiatives, major corporate projects such as digitalisation, strategic investment decisions, and driven ASMPT's change and transformation work, including ESG and sustainability. His visionary and strategic leadership has been instrumental to ASMPT´s continued success.

Looking forward, Guenter Lauber will focus even more on the growth and progress of ASMPT's strategy and digitalisation journey, which includes developing a leading market position in software solutions for the semiconductor and electronics industry. In this regard, Guenter Lauber will pass the baton as CEO of the SMT solutions segment to Josef Ernst, a Senior Vice President and SMT COO, with effect from 1^st May 2023. Guenter Lauber will continue to serve as Chairman of the SMT Board to provide continuity and guidance to the SMT management team as needed.

"In my focused global roles, I will help bring our 'One ASMPT' culture to life in order to drive our success in key areas such as our business and people strategy, digitalisation, ESG and sustainability, including DEI," said Guenter Lauber. "I am convinced that, beyond the right strategy, it is the company culture that will underpin the success of ASMPT. My vision is for all members of ASMPT - whether Business Units, Regions, Departments or individual employees - to be empowered, motivated, and armed with the right tools and resources, to make decisions and take actions that are best for the company, and by doing so, help to make our strategies a reality."

Josef Ernst will take over from Guenter Lauber as CEO for the SMT Solutions Segment after two years as Segment COO. A Senior Vice President of ASMPT, Josef Ernst has experience across the company in various global management roles and deep industry knowledge of the SMT business. Josef Ernst began his career with the company in Quality Management-Technical Analysis before moving on to work in SCM, where he was instrumental in setting up the Group's SMT factory in Singapore. He then headed the segment's global R&D organisation for about eight years before taking on the role of head of the Global SMT Solutions CRM organisation, where he spent 4 years, before taking on the Segment COO role.

Josef Ernst's excellent management skills, his extensive hands-on SMT expertise, his knowledge of the SMT market, and his customer-focused approach make him ideally suited to lead the SMT Solutions Segment to maintain its technology and innovation leadership in the SMT market.

"The success of our customers is always my top priority; their success is our success," said Josef Ernst, CEO, SMT Solutions Segment, ASMPT. "The electronics market and our world of the 'new normal' in general demand a lot of openness and cooperation from us as colleagues, fellow market players, and partners. It is my goal to lead teams of experts across the world to success, efficiently and effectively with a focus on individual customer and strategic long-term market requirements. What counts for us is quality paired with innovation speed based on a focused approach. That's what I stand for."