Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, has departed the company, marking another high-profile exit following CEO Adrian Mardell’s retirement in August this year, a story first broken by Autocar and Autocar India. According to sources, McGovern was sacked and ‘escorted out of the office’, though details remain unconfirmed. An email to the company seeking confirmation of the news went unanswered.
- McGovern shaped iconic models like the Evoque, Velar and Defender
- He bore significant responsibility for Jaguar’s controversial rebranding exercise
Gerry McGovern’s tenure at Jaguar Land Rover
McGovern’s sudden exit comes swiftly after PB Balaji assumed the CEO role on November 17, 2025, succeeding Mardell after a structured transition. McGovern, long regarded as a favourite of the late Ratan Tata, enjoyed strong backing during Tata’s influential tenure at Tata Group, which owns JLR; with Tata’s passing, that key support waned, leaving him more exposed to internal shifts.
McGovern bore significant responsibility for Jaguar’s controversial rebrand under the Panthera project, which drew widespread criticism for diluting the brand’s heritage. Autocar India reported deep internal dissent, with a leaked 2022 letter from 25-30 design team members to McGovern protesting the outsourcing to Accenture Interactive, which they felt sidelined their expertise and collaborative culture.
With over two decades at JLR, rejoining Land Rover in 2004 as advanced design director and rising to chief creative officer in 2020, McGovern shaped iconic models like the Range Rover Evoque, Velar and the rebooted Defender, earning acclaim for his bold Land Rover aesthetics. He leaves behind a strong legacy of transformative design and bold reinvention.
Anurag Chaturvedi
