JRL’s Design Boss Leaves: Report

It looks like JLR’s long-time design boss, Gerry McGovern, is officially leaving the company. For real, this time. His departure from the automaker, scheduled for the end of March, follows a report late last year alleging he had been “escorted out of the office.” JLR denied it at the time, but maybe it was just a bit premature.  

JLR allegedly told employees in a memo about McGovern’s departure from the company. Autocar obtained the memo, which the automaker confirmed. He plans to establish his own creative consultancy.

McGovern started his career at the Austin Rover Group before a stint with Ford. He then worked at Jaguar and Land Rover for over 21 years, during which he was responsible for models such as the Land Rover Defender and the Range Rover Evoque. He also led the design team for the Type 00 concept, which has been highly controversial.  

McGovern said in the memo, “It has been a great privilege to work at JLR across two extraordinary decades,” thanking the Tata family. JLR’s new CEO, PB Balaji, thanked McGovern for his “significant contribution” to the automaker.  

Motor1’s Take: With the back and forth surrounding McGovern in recent months, it’s nice to finally get some confirmation from the company. McGovern has had a great design career in automotive, but JLR likely believes it is time to move in a new direction.