Switzerland remains headquarters, says Logitech CEO
Lausanne will “definitely” remain the headquarters of computer accessories manufacturer Logitech. “Switzerland is the heart of Logitech,” explained company boss Hanneke Faber in a newspaper interview on Saturday.
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“If anything, we will continue to strengthen the location,” said the 55-year-old Dutchwoman in an interview with Schweiz am Wochenende. She will also spend a lot of time in Switzerland. Faber first moved to Lausanne in French-speaking Switzerland at the beginning of the year when she took up the CEO position. This summer, however, she relocated to Silicon Valley.
“The Board of Directors considers it important that the majority of my time is spent in Silicon Valley, because that’s where the big players like Apple, Google and Meta are,” says Faber. It is helpful to be on the ground in this ecosystem. In addition, the largest Logitech office is located in San Jose, California.
Faber wants to develop Logitech into an “iconic brand, just like Apple, Starbucks or Chanel”. In her opinion, gaming is one of the key areas here. Online gaming will even be an Olympic sport at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. “That will be a great opportunity for us,” says Faber.
+ Logitech cuts jobs in post-Covid slump
Faber, who is the only female CEO of a company in the Swiss Market Index, also commented on Logitech’s dispute with its co-founder Daniel Borel. Borel has been criticising board chairperson Wendy Becker over the past two years. He is calling for her removal and proposing another candidate. “Daniel Borel obviously plays an important role in our company’s history, which I greatly respect,” says Faber.
But as CEO, it is her job to focus on the current business and the future of the company. “In the end, the shareholders will decide on his proposal at the Annual General Meeting on September 4.”
However, Faber addresses Borel’s criticism that there is a toxic corporate culture at Logitech and that business performance is not good: “The figures speak for themselves, we have two good quarters behind us. And I personally think we have a fantastic corporate culture, one of the best I have ever experienced.”
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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