IMEC Changes Leadership, Broadens Scope
Luc Van den hove was named CEO at IMEC, taking over the role held by Gilbert Declerck for the past decade. Under Declerck's leadership, IMEC has played a key role in IC R&D while developing technology in new areas such as photovoltaics and biomedical electronics. "Under Gilbert's management, IMEC has grown into an internationally renowned institute with solid partnerships around the world," Van den hove said.
Laura Peters, Editor-in-Chief -- Semiconductor International, 6/3/2009
At a technology forum in Leuven, Belgium, that celebrated IMEC’s 25th anniversary, Anton De Proft, chairman of the board of directors of IMEC, announced the selection of Luc Van den hove as its new president and CEO. Gilbert Declerck will continue to serve as executive officer, concentrating on key government and industrial relations and strategic advice.
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| Luc Van den hove, incoming CEO, IMEC |
The transition in leadership comes at a time when IMEC could be viewed as changing direction, with a move beyond microelectronics to using technology to address many of the grand challenges of society. “The future of society will be determined by our answers on the grand challenges for humanity — primarily on energy, food and water,” said Rene Penning de Vries, senior vice president and CTO of NXP Semiconductors, a long-time partner of IMEC. He credited the organization with creating a business model for an ecosystem that brings cross-learning and cost affordability together under one roof. He added that from 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow from 6.3 billion to 10 billion. “The needs of society cannot be addressed without the capability for cooperation that exists in this industry. The next innovation will not be a device, but the use of pervasive computing and alternative energy sources to address the security, safety, health and lifestyle of this larger population of people.”
De Proft noted that every major change in history was predicated on a significant advance in technology, such as the steam engine marking the beginning of the industrial revolution. He said that the first step is technology, followed by the political and social changes that occur as it and related technologies are implemented. “If we look back over history, these are unstable, turbulent times, but that’s when new industries are born and new financial wealth is created.”
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| Gilbert Declerck, IMEC |
De Proft spoke of Declerk, who has served as CEO for 10 years, as a gentle man who is firm in business, a great combination. Declerk will stay on at IMEC for at least two years. With his position becoming effective July 1, Van den hove said, “It’s a great honor to manage one of the world’s greatest research centers, with a proud history of 25 years of innovation and outstanding talent. Under Gilbert’s management, IMEC has grown into an internationally renowned institute with solid partnerships around the world. Since my start at IMEC, I have closely teamed with Gilbert and I’m looking forward to continue this fruitful collaboration and to build further on its success. I’m confident that IMEC will play an important role in providing leading-edge nanotechnology R&D which will enable solutions for a sustainable society.”
“I’m proud of what IMEC is today,” Declerck said. “By providing independent and quality research, IMEC has become probably the world’s largest research partnership in IC technology scaling and has extended successfully in areas like photovoltaics and biomedical electronics.”
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