Guerrino de Luca

Guerrino De Luca is the Executive Director and chairman of the board of directors of Logitech International S.A., a computer peripherals manufacturer and software provider.

He was formerly the CEO of Logitech and spent many years at Apple Inc., surviving as Apple's executive VP of Worldwide Marketing.

Early Life and Education

Born in Italy in 1952, Guerrino De Luca holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rome.

He began his career with Olivetti S.p.A., an Italian computer company that was famous for its innovative design and progressive employment policies. He rose through the ranks to end his tenure there as the director of the networking products division.

Notable Accomplishments

Apple Inc.

De Luca joined Apple Computer (AAPL) in 1987 and eventually became the director of European marketing and vice president of business marketing. He was appointed president and chief executive officer of Claris Corporation, a personal computing software vendor and a former subsidiary of Apple, from 1995–97. In 1997 he became the Executive Vice President for Worldwide Marketing at Apple.

Logitech International S.A.

De Luca was President and CEO of Logitech (LOGI) from 1998 to 2008 before being succeeded by Gerald P. Quindlen. As CEO, De Luca grew Logitech both through acquisitions and organic growth.

During his tenure, De Luca increased annual revenue from $400 million to more than $2.1 billion and operating income from $16 million to more than $230 million. He helped Logitech expand its business from manufacturing computer mice to webcams, video game controllers, computer speakers, handheld accessories, and headsets.

De Luca struck deals with Hewlett Packard and Dell Computer to make the computer peripherals, including mice and monitors, as part of packages sold to consumers. He also pushed to diversify the company by acquiring QuickCam® PC, the video camera unit of webcam manufacturer Connectix for $25 million in 1998.

Webcams became a major part of Logitech's business, and Logitech's focus on peripherals helped it weather the bursting of the dotcom bubble in 2001.

Retirement as CEO of Logitech

In 2008, after ten years as CEO of Logitech, De Luca retired. According to the Logitech website, "From 2008 to September 2019, Mr. De Luca served solely as chair of the board, except from July 2011 through December 2012, when he resumed the executive leadership role prior to turning it over to Bracken Darrell in January 2013."

Since 2019, De Luca has been the Executive Director at Logitech and serves as chairman of its board of directors.

Reputation and Legacy

De Luca is known as an innovator in products and design for computer products that focus on the human interface. From his early experience at Olivetti and Apple to his transformation of Logitech to a major producer of computer peripherals, De Luca developed a reputation as a producer of revolutionary products.

In addition to his current role as the Executive Director at Logitech, De Luca is also on the board of Nielsen Holdings PLC. since 2017.

The Bottom Line

Guerrino De Luca is credited with growing Logitech from a relatively small computer hardware producer to one of the world's largest and well-known peripherals companies, leading Logitech into new markets such as Webcams, game controllers, and remotes. Taking cues from his time at Apple under Steve Jobs, De Luca paid extra attention to design and ergonomics, creating products that consumers snapped up for their functionality and style.