Enterprise Chamber orders investigation into Nexperia, keeps CEO suspended

The Enterprise Chamber at Amsterdam’s Court of Appeal has called for an investigation into chipmaker Nexperia, keeping Chinese businessman Wing Zhang suspended as CEO of the Nijmegen company. Any resolution to the international conflict involving the firm is still a long way off.

In October, tensions flared over Nexperia between the Netherlands, China, and the company’s operations in both countries. The Dutch government temporarily blocked major changes at the firm, fearing Wing Zhang could relocate the European branch to China.

Soon after, Nexperia’s board approached the Enterprise Chamber, accusing Wing of a conflict of interest. The court responded by temporarily suspending him and limiting the influence of his company, Wingtech, as a Nexperia shareholder. Beyond just accusing Wing Zhang of a conflict of interest, the ruling notes that he had actually "announced the dismissal" of the European managers and restricted their powers before the court intervened.

The Enterprise Chamber says there are clear signs that Wing acted “with a conflicting interest.” Judges also criticized his abrupt strategic changes, which could have exposed Nexperia to U.S. export restrictions. Furthermore, the Chinese CEO did not follow through on agreements with The Hague aimed at strengthening Nexperia’s European presence.

The court highlighted that the internal conflict has "severely disrupted" the company's production chain, not just its general operations. The ruling explicitly mentions that the rift has led to a "large number of financial and legal disputes" within the global enterprise itself.

The conflict led to a de facto separation between Nexperia’s European and Chinese operations, which now function almost like two distinct companies. The Enterprise Chamber emphasized that the priority is restoring calm within Nexperia so it can “rebuild internal relations, its supply chain, and customer deliveries.”

The court has officially decided to appoint two independent investigators to conduct a formal probe into the "policies and course of affairs" at Nexperia.