Profiles: Bracken Darrell
Logitech's hard-nosed design thinker leads a digital charge
Dear Insider,
Sometimes cowboys do it best.
And in Bracken Darrell, Swiss computer hardware leader Logitech has a cowboy that it can love.
Of course, it might seem strange that a brash, sometimes straight-shooting CEO would end up leading a demure producer of PC accessories. But, as they say, success comes in all shapes and sizes.
This latest Profiles piece from The Swiss Insider takes a closer look at one of the most successful executives of a Swiss company - one that has successfully reinvented itself multiple times…and most importantly, positioned itself perfectly for the times we live in today.
With a combination of vision and no-nonsense pragmatism, Bracken Darrell is one of the best examples of a successful American-Swiss combo that business has ever seen.
Bracken Darrell could just let the numbers speak for themselves.
Since stepping in at the helm of Logitech, the Swiss makers of webcams, keyboards and various other digital tools for computer users, in 2013, Darrell has presided over tremendous growth and innovation.
Overall revenue has jumped 70%
Shares are up more than 1000%
Despite the pandemic hitting sales across the board and disrupting supply chains, Logitech managed to record 85% growth in sales in Q3 of 2021, with annual sales growth for 2021 predicted at more than 40%.
His approach to success sometimes comes across as a bit unconventional. He famously conducts a simple thought experiment from time to time.
He fires himself.
Not literally, of course. But Darrel regularly imagines what his successor might try to do if he was replaced as CEO. The exercise helps him “step outside the box” and think from a fresh perspective.
As noted already - the results have been rather spectacular.
His odd approach also applies to strategy. Much in the style of other Silicon Valley pioneers, Darrell does not set out to achieve perfection at the first shot.
“Start with a blurry vision of what you're going for…”
This approach has helped Logitech’s leader to chart a course that is both flexible but directionally focused, given the company the needed momentum but also the “wiggle room” to innovate when needed.
What do you think? 🧐
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Power in the words
At first glance, Bracken Darrell does not seem like the kind of person who would turn out to be a visionary CEO of an extremely successful Swiss company. His background and education come across more as a twisted parody of the American lone ranger: he studied English at a small liberal arts school in Arkansas.
But much like some other visionary CEOs who eventually conquered the world, Bracken Darrell truly believes in the power of words. In fact, he believes in it so much that he apparently goes out of his way to hire English majors - for the very reason that they inherently possess better interpersonal skills than most in the tech industry.
“The most successful guy in Silicon Valley in the last decade was Steve Jobs and he supported the liberal arts..."
As an English major himself, Darrell didn’t just content himself with understanding words. He also later moved on to numbers, getting his MBA from Harvard Business School - a diploma that certainly didn’t hurt him when ended up at Logitech.
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Not about to fold
Despite a more than 8-year tenure at Logitech and a stellar record during the coronavirus pandemic, Darell is not about to throw in the towel.
Some analysts and observers jumped to exactly that conclusion when it became public knowledge that he had sold more than $4 million in Logitech stock.
Darrell put out the fire of that speculation rather quickly:
"I am super optimistic, and I have every intention to be here as long as they let me.”
And in all fairness to the straight-shooting Swiss cowboy - why would he?
Having built Logitech into a world-class firm with a very Swiss reputation for reliability and a very American penchant for agility, the future is (still) wide open for Bracken Darrell.