Jaguar’s Greatest Mystery Solved: Design Chief McGovern IS Leaving JLR
Last December, headlines blared across the automotive media landscape that Jaguar Land Rover had fired its Chief Creative Officer and longtime design leader, Gerry McGovern. However, no one would confirm it — until now.
CEO PB Balaji ended speculation Friday, according to Automotive News Europe, that McGovern is leaving to start his own consultancy after two decades with the company — and nearly four months of silence.
“Gerry’s creative leadership, vision, drive and passion have left an indelible stamp on our brands,” Balaji said in the statement. “I would like to thank Gerry for the significant contribution he has made to JLR and wish him every success in his next creative chapter.”
McGovern started as the design chief for Land Rover in 2004, helping grow that brand’s portfolio with creative, edgy designs like the Evoque and Velar that brought the brand new levels of attention. The company named him Jaguar Land Rover Chief Creative Officer in October 2020, where he continued to push the boundaries with Jaguar and Land Rover design.
However, that drive to be edgy may have been his undoing as the company rolled out the poorly received Jaguar Type 00 concept in Miami in December 2024. Jaguar had already announced its plan to move to an all-electric lineup, and this new concept was going to lead the way. The new look missed the mark, according to critics. Jaguar was already struggling and this only served to complicate things
In 2025, JLR CEO Thierry Bolloré was replaced by Balaji, who elected to make several management changes, including — reportedly — McGovern. The design chief was allegedly walked out of the company’s headquarters, according to multiple reports. However, several days went by and there was … silence.
Nearly two weeks later, officials at the luxury automotive company decided to address the issue. They denied firing McGovern. However, they also declined to confirm if he still worked for the company. And now four months later, everyone’s … cordial.
“It has been a great privilege to work at JLR across two extraordinary decades,” McGovern said in the statement. “The dedication and passion of thousands of people across the business have made these brands what they are today, and I am enormously proud of what we have built together.”
[Images: Jaguar Land Rover]
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Michael Strong has spent more than 25 years writing about the automotive industry. A Detroit-area native, he’s written about everything from local car shows to product reviews to financial news. Currently he writes and edits for a variety of national and local publications. He’s also a longtime member of the Automotive Press Association and the International Motor Press Association, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Hail Southern! Despite a love for ’70s land yachts and BMWs from the late ’80s and early ’90s, his personal vehicle is neither of those.
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“Gerry’s creative leadership, vision, drive and passion have left an indelible stamp on our brands,”.... And indelible stamp....of failure.
You might want to correct the CEO info.
Adrian Mardell was the CEO before Balaji not Thierry