As the chief executive of Logitech, Hanneke Faber has been busy sharpening the Swiss-American computer accessories maker’s design-led, software- and AI-enabled approach to extend human potential in work and play. She is bullish on the Indian market opportunity, seeing significant potential for growth in PC penetration, gaming, and video conferencing. In an interview with Sudhir Chowdhary, she speaks about the company’s innovation strategy, the Indian market, and its commitment to sustainability. Excerpts:
How has your global strategy evolved in the last few years, and where does India fit in today?
Over the past two years, we’ve sharpened Logitech’s strategy around a clearer mission: extending human potential in work and play. That mission guides our focus on three core categories — personal workspace, gaming and video collaboration — where we see significant room to grow in markets far larger than our current $5-billion scale. We’re also doubling down on B2B, which now makes up about 40% of our business, driven by the strong enterprise demand we saw during the pandemic.
At the same time, we made a deliberate choice to build around one iconic brand, Logitech, and to double down on operational excellence given today’s global complexities. And finally, sustainability is now built into our strategy end-to-end, with industry-leading commitments in low-carbon and sustainable design.
How is Logitech embedding AI into its product ecosystem?
Internally, AI is driving significant productivity gains. We have built over 1,000 AI agents that automate and accelerate workflows. Many of these were developed at our software and AI innovation centre in Chennai, which has become our global hub for software and AI.
On the product side, AI is reshaping how people interact with technology. Logitech has always operated at the human-machine interface, and as AI evolves, it needs high-quality audio and visual inputs. Our cameras, headsets, mice and keyboards essentially become the eyes, ears and hands of AI systems. Logitech Sight, for example, acts like an AI director — interpreting audio and video inputs, framing conversations and ensuring the right people are in focus.
Logitech sits at the intersection of hardware, software and human experience. How does that position shape your approach to AI innovation?
We follow a design-led, software- and AI-enabled approach that begins with one question: what does the human need? Our 300 designers focus on ergonomics and usability, while our 500+ engineers in Chennai bring intelligence, personalisation and AI capabilities into every product.
In the age of AI, hardware is the new essential. Large technology companies are recognising the importance of well-designed hardware interfaces, which has led to deeper collaboration opportunities for us across the industry.
What is your strategy to tackle supply-chain disruptions and geopolitical shifts?
Resilience today requires diversification, financial strength and a strong team – and we anchor this in five key pillars. First, we have a diversified global business mix, with only about 30% of our revenue coming from the US, which helps insulate us from sudden tariff or policy shifts. Second, we built a diversified manufacturing footprint years ago, moving to a “China-plus-five” model across China, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia and Mexico. This has allowed us to shift production rapidly, for example, bringing China’s share of US-bound products down from 40% to 10% in just six months — strengthening resilience for markets like India as well.
Third, being a trusted brand gives us loyalty and pricing power, enabling us to navigate difficult periods without disrupting demand. Fourth, our fortress balance sheet, with $1.5 billion in cash and zero debt, gives us the flexibility to invest and respond to volatility with confidence. And finally, our experienced team including leaders who have navigated crises from Covid to geopolitical disruptions is the foundation of our ability to adapt quickly and keep the business moving forward.
How are you embedding sustainability into your business?
We embed sustainability through Design for Sustainability. With nearly 40 product launches a year, we integrate sustainable choices from the very start — from materials to packaging to component design. Today, 78% of our products use recycled plastic, and we’ve moved most of our mice to paper-based packaging. We’re also adopting low-carbon printed circuit boards through a partnership with Elephant Tech.
What excites you most about Logitech’s opportunity in India in the near future?
India is a dual opportunity for us — a world-class innovation hub and one of our most exciting growth markets. On the talent front, our software and AI innovation centre in Chennai is central to building the intelligence behind our global products, and the depth of engineering talent here lets us innovate at scale. On the market side, India’s sheer size, rising middle class and massive tech workforce make it a natural fit for our productivity, gaming and hybrid-work solutions. Add to that the surge of quick commerce reaching smaller cities, and our ability to serve a much wider consumer base accelerates sharply.