ASML Holding vs Procter & Gamble: Founders, CEOs and History
ASML Holding was founded in 1984 by Philips Electronics, Arthur del Prado and is led by Christophe Fouquet. Procter & Gamble was founded in 1837 by William Procter, James Gamble and is led by Shailesh Jejurikar.
Company facts
ASML Holding
- Founded
- 1984
- Headquarters
- Veldhoven, Netherlands
- Current CEO
- Christophe Fouquet
- Employees
- 44,209
Procter & Gamble
- Founded
- 1837
- Headquarters
- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Current CEO
- Shailesh Jejurikar
- Employees
- 109,000
Founders
ASML Holding
Philips Electronics
ASML was not founded by an individual with a vision. It was an underfunded joint venture between a conglomerate that wanted a project off its books and a smaller equipment company that wanted into lithography.
Arthur del Prado
Del Prado contribution to ASML was structural and financial rather than technical.
Procter & Gamble
William Procter
William Procter was an English-born candlemaker who settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, and built a candle-making business there. In 1837, on the advice of his father-in-law, he went into partnership with his brother-in-law James Gamble to form Procter & Gamble.
James Gamble
James Gamble was an Irish-born soap maker in Cincinnati who joined William Procter in 1837 to form Procter & Gamble. He concentrated on soap formulation and efficient production, and the company later launched Ivory Soap, known for floating in water.
CEOs and their tenures
ASML Holding
- Willem Maris1990–1999
President and Chief Executive Officer
Willem Maris was recruited from the Philips managerial ranks to run ASML in 1990, when the company was still loss-making and dependent on parent funding. His first task was keeping it solvent through the early 1990s downturn.
Source - Doug Dunn1999–2004
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Doug Dunn took over as president and chief executive on April 1, 1999 and ran ASML through the dot-com boom and the sharp semiconductor downturn that followed.
Source - Eric Meurice2004–2013
President and Chief Executive Officer
Eric Meurice was appointed president and chief executive effective October 1, 2004, joining from Thomson where he ran the television division.
Source - Peter Wennink2013–2024
President and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Wennink joined ASML as chief financial officer in 1999 after a career at Deloitte Accountants covering semiconductor clients, and became chief executive on July 1, 2013, leading the company jointly with technology chief Martin van den Brink.
Source - Christophe Fouquet2024–present
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Management
Christophe Fouquet became president and chief executive on April 24, 2024, succeeding Peter Wennink and Martin van den Brink.
Source
Procter & Gamble
- Jon Moeller2021–2026
Chief Executive Officer; later Executive Chairman
As CFO and later CEO, he successfully stabilized P&G's declining revenue by enforcing strict pricing power during severe global inflation.
Source - Andre Schulten2021–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he maintained the company's industry-leading gross margins and managed the complex financial exit from the Russian market in 2022.
Source - Shailesh Jejurikar2026–present
President and CEO
Mumbai-born P&G veteran of more than 37 years who previously led Fabric & Home Care and served as Chief Operating Officer.
Source
Timeline: ASML Holding and Procter & Gamble side by side
1837Procter & Gamble
Company Founded in Cincinnati
William Procter and James Gamble sign a partnership agreement on October 31, 1837, establishing Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, with combined capital of approximately 7,192 dollars.
1862Procter & Gamble
Civil War Army Contracts Fuel Expansion
P&G wins contracts to supply the Union Army with soap and candles, generating significant revenue that enables manufacturing expansion and introduces millions of American soldiers to P&G products for the first time.
1882Procter & Gamble
Ivory Soap Launches Nationally
Harley Procter and James Norris Gamble introduce Ivory soap, promoted as 99 and 44/100 percent pure and notable for its floating characteristic.
1890Procter & Gamble
Company Incorporates and Expands Nationally
Procter & Gamble incorporates in Ohio with capital of 4.5 million dollars and begins building manufacturing capacity outside Cincinnati, establishing the operational infrastructure for national distribution that the Ivory soap advertising campaign had created…
1911Procter & Gamble
Crisco Shortening Introduced
P&G launches Crisco vegetable shortening, the first hydrogenated vegetable oil product marketed to American consumers as an alternative to lard and butter.
1931Procter & Gamble
Brand Management System Invented
P&G executive Neil McElroy writes a famous internal memo proposing that each brand have its own dedicated management team responsible for competing against all rivals including other P&G brands.
1946Procter & Gamble
Tide Detergent Launches
P&G introduces Tide synthetic detergent, which rapidly becomes the best-selling laundry product in the United States and establishes the template for all future P&G brand development: superior product performance, heavy consumer advertising, and sustained mark…
1961Procter & Gamble
Pampers Diapers Introduced
P&G introduces Pampers disposable diapers, transforming the infant care category and creating what will become one of the company's most globally significant brands.
1984ASML Holding
Founded as ASM Lithography in Eindhoven
ASM Lithography starts operations on April 1, 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International, with the mandate to commercialize the PAS 2000 wafer stepper developed inside Philips.
1986ASML Holding
PAS 2500 stepper and the Carl Zeiss partnership
ASML brings the PAS 2500 stepper to market with a new wafer alignment system developed by first chief scientist Steef Wittekoek, and establishes the optics partnership with Carl Zeiss that still supplies every ASML lithography system.
1988ASML Holding
ASM International withdraws and Philips funds a rescue
With few customers and heavy cash consumption, ASM International decides to stop funding the joint venture while Philips launches a company-wide cost-cutting program.
1991ASML Holding
PAS 5500 platform turns the company around
ASML launches the PAS 5500 platform, whose productivity and resolution win the first large orders from Intel and IBM under chief executive Willem Maris and take the company to profitability. PAS 5500 systems are still running in customer fabs decades later.
1995ASML Holding
IPO in Amsterdam and on Nasdaq
ASML becomes a fully independent public company with a dual listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Philips sells half of its shares at the IPO and divests the remainder over the following years.
2001ASML Holding
TWINSCAN platform launched and Silicon Valley Group acquired
ASML introduces the TWINSCAN dual-stage architecture, which exposes one wafer while the next is measured and aligned, lifting throughput and overlay accuracy above competing systems.
2003ASML Holding
First immersion lithography system
The TWINSCAN AT:1150i debuts as ASML's first immersion machine, projecting 193 nanometer light through a layer of ultrapure water between the lens and the wafer to raise resolution.
2005Procter & Gamble
Gillette Acquired for 57 Billion Dollars
P&G completes the acquisition of Gillette Company for approximately 57 billion dollars in an all-stock transaction, adding Gillette razors, Braun appliances, Oral-B dental products, and Duracell batteries to the P&G portfolio.
2010ASML Holding
First EUV prototype shipped
ASML ships the TWINSCAN NXE:3100, its first extreme ultraviolet lithography tool, to the research facility of an Asian chipmaker.
2012ASML Holding
Customer Co-Investment Program with Intel, TSMC and Samsung
Intel, TSMC and Samsung acquire newly issued ASML shares equal to an aggregate 23 percent minority stake for ~$4.35 billion (3.85 billion euros) in cash, and separately commit ~$1.56 billion (1.38 billion euros) of R&D funding over five years dedicated to EUV…
2013ASML Holding
Cymer acquisition completed and second-generation EUV shipped
ASML completes the acquisition of Cymer, the San Diego supplier of the light sources used in its lithography systems, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at ~$2.2 billion (1.95 billion euros) when it was agreed in October 2012.
2014Procter & Gamble
Portfolio Transformation Announced
CEO A.G. Lafley announces P&G's plan to divest more than 100 brands and focus the company on approximately 80 core brands in ten product categories.
2017ASML Holding
EUV enters high-volume manufacturing
ASML begins shipping the production-ready TWINSCAN NXE:3400B after customers started ordering the NXE:3400 generation in batches in 2016, roughly two decades after EUV research began.
2019ASML Holding
Dutch government stops EUV exports to China
The Netherlands does not renew ASML's export licence for EUV systems to China, the start of a widening export control regime.
2019Procter & Gamble
Portfolio Simplification Completed
P&G completes the brand portfolio simplification, having divested more than 100 brands and consolidated around approximately 65 core brands.
2023ASML Holding
First High-NA EUV system shipped
ASML ships the first of its next-generation EUV systems with a numerical aperture of 0.55, the TWINSCAN EXE:5000, to Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon.
2024ASML Holding
Christophe Fouquet becomes chief executive
Peter Wennink and Martin van den Brink step down as presidents of ASML on April 24, 2024 and Christophe Fouquet becomes president, chief executive officer and chair of the Board of Management.
2024Procter & Gamble
Fiscal Year 2024 Net Sales Reach Approximately 84 Billion Dollars
P&G reports fiscal year 2024 net sales of $84.0 billion and net earnings attributable to P&G of about $14.9 billion, and raises its quarterly dividend 7% to $1.0065 per share, its 68th consecutive annual increase.
2025ASML Holding
Record year, first EXE:5200B and Mistral AI investment
ASML reports total net sales of ~$37 billion (32.7 billion euros), up 15.6 percent, net income of ~$10.8 billion (9.6 billion euros), a gross margin of 52.8 percent and 535 systems sold, and closes the year with a backlog of ~$43.8 billion (38.8 billion euros)…
Acquisitions
ASML Holding
- Berliner Glas Group2020Undisclosed
- Hermes Microvision Inc. (HMI)2016$3.1B
- Cymer Inc.2013$2.6B
- Brion Technologies2007$270M
- Silicon Valley Group (SVG)2001$1.6B
Procter & Gamble
- Gillette2005$57B
- Gillette2005Undisclosed
- Richardson-Vicks1985$1.2B
Questions about ASML Holding vs Procter & Gamble
Who is the CEO of ASML Holding NV and The Procter & Gamble Company?
ASML Holding NV is led by Christophe Fouquet and The Procter & Gamble Company is led by Shailesh Jejurikar. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was ASML Holding NV founded vs The Procter & Gamble Company?
The Procter & Gamble Company was founded in 1837 — 147 years before ASML Holding NV, which was founded in 1984. The Procter & Gamble Company's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger ASML Holding NV.
How many employees does ASML Holding NV have compared to The Procter & Gamble Company?
ASML Holding NV employs approximately 44,209 people, while The Procter & Gamble Company employs approximately 109,000. The Procter & Gamble Company has the larger workforce at 109,000 employees, compared to ASML Holding NV's 44,209. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are ASML Holding NV and The Procter & Gamble Company headquartered?
ASML Holding NV is headquartered in Netherlands and The Procter & Gamble Company is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded ASML Holding NV and The Procter & Gamble Company?
ASML Holding NV was founded by Philips Electronics, Arthur del Prado. The Procter & Gamble Company was founded by William Procter, James Gamble.
Which company has a longer operating history — ASML Holding NV or The Procter & Gamble Company?
The Procter & Gamble Company has been operating for approximately 189 years, making it the more established of the two companies. ASML Holding NV has been in operation for around 42 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the ASML Holding vs Procter & Gamble overview