Gerry McGovern, a long-time Land Rover executive and most recently the chief creative officer at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), will leave the British carmaker, it has – finally – been officially confirmed.
In a statement, JLR said McGovern would leave the company at the end of March and establish a new creative consultancy firm, ending his long near-50-year-old career of working directly within car brands.
“Gerry’s creative leadership, vision, drive and passion have left an indelible stamp on our brands,” JLR CEO PB Balaji said in a statement, reported by Automotive News Europe.
“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 said it “ has been a great privilege to work at JLR across two extraordinary decades. 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.”
The announcement of McGovern’s departure puts a full-stop of a confusing period over the past three months, which was sparked by a report by Autocar India in December that the executive had been “escorted out of the office” and sacked by JLR.
At the time, days went by without acknowledgement of the report by JLR, however the carmaker later issued a statement to Automotive News Europe, categorically denying McGovern was fired, though it stopped short from commenting on whether he remained employed by the company.
Earlier this month, Car Design News reported that an internal email sent to JLR staff said McGovern was still working for the brand, though without mentioning his role.
McGovern was made chief creative officer – a position he may still hold – of Jaguar Land Rover in 2020, after joining Land Rover itself in 2004 and spearheading the design of the Range Rover Evoque, Velar and new Defender, among other projects.
Most recently, McGovern oversaw the design development of the Jaguar Type 00, the first production model under the British marque’s premium push.
It’s worth noting McGovern and his team were not at the forefront of Jaguar’s controversial rebranding campaign which drew international attention, with reports claiming his staff had criticised Jaguar’s employing of an external company to undertake the marketing process.
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