Logitech Bid A Fond Farewell to Russ

As Logitech bids farewell to its longest-standing members of staff, we sit down with Russ Owens to reminisce about his journey with the company. Russ shares insights into his time at Logitech, reflecting on the many roles he undertook, as well as the highs and lows he encountered along the way.

Take us through your time at Logitech and how has your role evolved over your many years at the company?

I started out at Logitech in 1976, just over 10 years after Logitech was founded in 1965, as a spin-out from a research project into advanced semiconductor materials at the University of Glasgow. I was employed as an engineer, one of only four employees in the company at the time. By then, Logitech was advancing from solely R&D and moving into the next phase of developing leading edge laboratory and training facilities, and developing their first line of customer products.

There is probably no role that I haven’t undertaken throughout my time at Logitech! I started as an Engineer. As we began to sell more products to our customers, I headed up Engineering and Production. I have done a little bit of everything, from attending trade shows, implementing various systems and even packing of the products on a Friday.

After a few years at the company, in 1981, I became Managing Director. Soon after, there as a huge focus on the US market, and I spent a lot of time there (more about that later). We opened our first US office in New Hampshire, and we grew our USA business significantly, going from 3% to around 40% in under two year, it was a great achievement for Logitech!

During the 1990s, I took a step back from sales, working in technical customer service roles. As always, I was involved in the deployment of many new systems, from CRM to ERP, whilst managing IT overall. I enjoyed the IT side of things, and in my later years right up until my retirement, my main focus was as IT Manager.

Tell us about some of the highlights from your time at Logitech?

Throughout my career at Logitech I was heavily involved in the development of our Jigs, from engineering drawings, to the design. These products are still very much a key part of our product line to this day, with Logitech now supplying a vast range of jigs across every application area we serve.

I also found great satisfaction in playing a significant part in the development and implementation of our customer training programmes. These programs continue to be crucial in providing our customers with essential information and guidance on utilising and maintaining Logitech machines. Personally engaging with customers in one-on-one training sessions was particularly enjoyable for me. This aspect remains an integral part of the business even today.

What challenges have you faced during your time at Logitech?

Similar to many small companies, cash flow challenges may arise from time to time, particularly during recessions and global financial crises. Nevertheless, I believe that our robust R&D connections have consistently served us well during such periods. When it comes to competitors, although we are in a highly competitive market, our niche has remained constant, defined by our core values of innovation and engineering excellence, our teams are continuously innovating and harnessing emerging technologies to elevate the quality of our products and services.

One stand out memory?

As I mentioned before, we experienced rapid growth in the US market, and as we embarked on this journey, I will never forget a US trip that saw me visit 20 states in 20 days, way back before e-boarding passes and email hotel confirmations were a thing; it was quite a logistical feat! I came back from that trip feeling proud, as Logitech, as a small start-up company, was beginning to sell to large companies not only in the US but all over the world

What are your plans for your retirement?

I plan to dedicate more time to indulging in my passion for playing the guitar, unwinding, and embarking on exciting holidays filled with adventure and relaxation.

                                 The Logitech Team                                                     Logitech’s 50th Birthday

As Russ enters retirement, everyone at Logitech would like to express our appreciation for his strong leadership and valuable guidance over the years. Without Russ, Logitech wouldn’t be the company it is today. We sincerely wish him a happy retirement, filled with joy, good health, and the relaxation he deserves.