JLR design boss Gerry McGovern leaves amid Jaguar EV rebrand shake-up

JLR’s long-serving design chief Gerry McGovern has left the company with immediate effect, marking a dramatic change at the top of Britain’s biggest car maker just days after a new chief executive took charge.

Industry sources told Autocar that McGovern, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer and one of the most influential designers in modern British automotive history, departed on Monday.

His exit ends a 21-year association with the business and comes at a pivotal moment for Jaguar, as its reinvention as an electric-only luxury brand nears its first major product launch.

McGovern had been the driving force behind the new Jaguar Type 00 concept EV, the polarising centrepiece of the brand’s “Copy Nothing” rebrand that was unveiled last year. The design strategy – bold, minimalist and deliberately detached from Jaguar’s heritage – drew fierce criticism from some quarters, including high-profile mockery from former US President Donald Trump and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk. Others hailed it as a necessary, high-stakes bet to rescue a marque that had long struggled to find its modern identity.

The timing of McGovern’s departure is striking. The production version of the Type 00 is due next summer and had been positioned as the launchpad for Jaguar’s all-electric future. His exit raises questions about continuity in design leadership as the brand pursues its most radical transformation in decades.

It also follows the retirement last week of former JLR chief executive Adrian Mardell. His successor, PB Balaji,  formerly Tata Motors’ finance chief and a senior figure within Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company, is understood to be preparing a major strategic shake-up. Balaji has spent more than ten years inside Tata Group and is viewed as a highly hands-on operator who may seek to reshape JLR’s leadership, culture and product direction.

McGovern has been one of JLR’s most powerful and recognisable creative voices. His influence extended far beyond Jaguar, shaping the rebirth of the Land Rover Defender, repositioning Range Rover as a global luxury brand, and ultimately elevating both divisions to record profitability. His designs helped define the modern aesthetic of British SUV luxury and won him the loyalty of the late Ratan Tata, who personally backed McGovern’s creative vision.

McGovern joined the board as chief creative officer in 2020, cementing his authority over brand direction across the business.

JLR declined to comment on the departure.