Blaire Bergman is the Strategic Communications Manager in Global Manufacturing and a board member of Women at ASML, one of the company’s employee networks dedicated to fostering gender equity. Blaire’s journey from Wisconsin to ASML, Europe’s most valuable tech company, is remarkable for its unconventional beginnings and her ability to thrive in a global environment.
Blaire is not your conventional tech leader, and she did not have the same upbringing as many of her peers. However, what she calls “a very unexpected turn into her career path” took her from Wisconsin, where she was born and raised, to work for ASML, a key player in the global semiconductor industry.
“I realized there was a whole big, wide world out there that I wanted to see,” she says. It was this curiosity and thirst to discover new things that pushed her to live and work in many cities in the U.S. before her big move to Europe more than ten years ago.
Honesty makes Blaire a unique communicator, and she’s not afraid to talk openly about how, even though she always felt at ease learning new things at school, she did not have a lot of direction when she attended University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Blaire didn’t have the typical upbringing or academic background associated with tech professionals. She pursued a BA in French Studies and Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, drawn to creative and people-oriented skills rather than technical expertise.
While studying in Wisconsin, she jumped at the opportunity to spend a year abroad in Aix-en-Provence. “I had great childhood memories, a small town upbringing, not a lot of travel. And then suddenly I had the opportunity to study abroad.” This pivotal opportunity sparked her love for exploration and set the stage for her global career.
After graduating, Blaire joined Epic Systems, where she worked for 12 years in the U.S. and Europe. During that time, Blaire again seized the opportunity to help Epic open its first office in Helsinki in 2016. Her role went beyond project management; it included business analytics and operations during a period of growth and market expansion. "I was not just a project manager; I was actually doing business analytics and a bit of operations too," she said. This experience helped her develop critical skills that would later serve her well at ASML.
Blaire Bergman, pictured in the green dress in the center, and her team for Manufacturing Day 2025.
More than ten years ago, Blaire made the leap to ASML, embracing – again – an international career path that has challenged her to navigate cultural differences. “No matter how many times you move abroad to a new place, there's everything to learn,” says Blaire, who has had the opportunity and the challenge of being surrounded by different cultures and languages throughout her career.
"At ASML we’re so international and so multicultural that I can’t take for granted how a group is going to come together," she said. Clearly, Blaire’s ability to adapt and communicate effectively has been instrumental in her success as a project lead.
Blaire currently works within the manufacturing sector, and Manufacturing Day is one of her biggest events of the year. “I'm essentially the global project lead across an event day that happens in all the cities where ASML has factories – Linkou and Tainan, Taiwan, Pyeongtaek, Korea, Berlin, Veldhoven and Wilton and San Diego in the U.S.”
Her enormous task is to orchestrate the global program, but this is right up her alley, she says. “I'm finding this perfect crossroads. I'm someone who loves the global aspect of it; it’s helping me learn more about the sector I'm in, but it's also connecting people.” There’s that word again – “connecting.”
Above all, Blaire remains a humble person. Blaire grew up spending much of her childhood at her grandfather’s farm, a close connection to nature, which shaped a meaningful part of her work ethic and understanding of the world. Even though she had the privilege to attend college, she is also aware there is much to discover in the world beyond a degree and “what looks glossy on paper.”
“I didn’t have this vision of success from someone but from a lot of people who worked hard, were passionate about what they did in whatever capacity, and it didn't need to be on this high achievement scale,” she says when asked about her role models. Role models include her father, a dedicated Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and her mother, who, by taking a diverse career pathway, motivated Blaire to find something about which she was passionate and explore her options.
It’s no secret many women in tech often downplay their achievements or believe they aren’t qualified if they don’t tick every requirement on a job application. Blaire confesses she’s also struggled with this and that she’s always learning how to develop her personal narrative.
She is also a “woman in tech” who doesn’t come from a traditional academic background, but Blaire believes women can be valuable assets to any tech company by bringing different types of skills sets. Instead, it’s about developing soft skills such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving.
“What everyone calls ’people skills’ is something we call ‘soft’ skills. But now we’d like to reimagine it as ‘essential skills.’ ”
When it comes to leadership, Blaire thinks we need to be open to different kinds of leadership styles. “It goes beyond shouting in a meeting to try and get something done. The skills women bring to the table are equally, if not more, beneficial than the traditional male-centered ones.” This is something she tries to promote working on the board of Women at ASML. Blaire encourages women to pursue leadership roles even if they don’t see as many women in such roles.
Blaire advocates for gender equity in the tech world, leveraging her own experiences to inspire others. Her story shows success in tech isn’t limited to those with traditional technical backgrounds. Instead, it’s about developing soft skills such as communication, adaptability and problem-solving which are also valuable in tech organizations.
Blaire Bergman’s journey reminds us there is no “perfect” moment for life-changing decisions; they happen when we seize opportunities and step outside our comfort zones. Her roles as a leader at ASML and an advocate for women in tech makes her an inspiring female tech hero.