Logitech selects Bracken Darrell as president right now, next CEO in 2013
When current CEO Guerrino De Luca took the reins at Logitech following huge losses on Google TV and its business in the EMEA region, we knew it was only temporary and now Logitech has appointed a successor. Bracken P. Darrell is coming over from Whirlpool (where he lead its efforts in, you guessed it, Europe, Middle East and Africa) to be its new president effective April 9th. The plan is for him to take over for De Luca on January 1st, 2013 (who will return to his former role as Chairman), while leading an improved, slimmed down product roadmap -- the theme is said to be quality over quantity -- for the second half of the 2013 fiscal year. On the conference call De Luca indicated more would be revealed during an upcoming earnings announcement in April which, combined with a hint at a Harmony remote refresh during the last call in January, has us marking our calendars already.
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Logitech Names Bracken P. Darrell President
FREMONT, Calif. & MORGES, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced that Whirlpool EMEA leader Bracken P. Darrell will join Logitech as president, effective April 9, 2012. Reporting to Guerrino De Luca, Logitech chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Darrell will assume responsibility for research and development, sales and marketing, manufacturing, supply chain, IT, human resources and legal functions. The company's finance organization and LifeSize division will continue to report to Mr. De Luca until January 1, 2013, at which time Mr. Darrell will succeed Mr. De Luca as chief executive officer.
"Bracken Darrell and Logitech are an excellent match," said Guerrino De Luca. "Bracken has a proven track record in highly successful global companies, with experience in operations, product innovation, marketing, service and brand management. He is a change agent, having driven innovation and transformation for iconic consumer brands. Bracken brings a passion for keeping the consumer at the heart of decisions as well as a fresh perspective on our business. The board of directors and I believe that Bracken is the right individual to drive our company to renewed profitable growth, and I am thrilled to work with him on his transition from president to CEO."
Bracken Darrell, age 49, joins Logitech from Whirlpool Corporation, where he has been serving as executive vice president of Whirlpool Corporation and president of Whirlpool EMEA. Prior to joining Whirlpool in 2008, Mr. Darrell was with Procter & Gamble, most recently as president of Braun globally, based in Germany. In addition to serving in Procter & Gamble for twelve years, Mr. Darrell spent five years with General Electric Company, most recently as general manager of Consumer Home Service for GE Appliances. Mr. Darrell previously held positions with PepsiCo and Arthur Anderson. He received an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University in 1991 and a B.A. degree from Hendrix College in 1985.
"I'm very excited to take on this role," said Bracken Darrell. "Logitech's strong history of innovation, design, and leadership in this space makes it extremely compelling to me. I've been a fan of Logitech products for years, so I'm eager to join Guerrino in driving the company toward renewed growth and increased profitability."
