Line finally drawn under Gerry McGovern era
Closure for JLR after the confusion; former Chief Creative Officer will now establish his own consultancy
Following much speculation in the aftermath of an exit rumoured to be so abrupt it required an escort, today Gerry McGovern’s exit from JLR has finally been made official. A company-wide release, shared with PH, confirmed he will leave the business at the end of March. Hardly unexpected given the nature of the fallout, but that does at least draw a line under the saga: Gerry McGovern, a man who’s headed up a hugely successful design revolution for his employer, is no longer part of the company after 22 years.
Much like Ian Callum, albeit in rather different circumstances, McGovern will now form his own creative consultancy. Given all that was achieved, from Evoque to Defender to Discovery, it’s easy to imagine McGovern’s expertise will be in demand - especially given the world’s love affair with the SUV doesn’t show too many signs of abating.
In the staff memo, his quote reads: “It has been a great privilege to work at JLR across two extraordinary decades, and I would like to thank the Tata family in particular, for the opportunities they gave me.” The statement continues: “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.”
While the ‘why’ of his departure remains unanswered, there is no less intrigue involved in the identity of his replacement; McGovern’s will be colossally big shoes to fill, that’s for sure, and his influence on JLR will certainly not disappear overnight. He was central to the 2021 Reimagine strategy, and was a leading figure in the creation of the Type 00 concept that will underpin Jaguar’s electric rebirth. Moreover, any and all upcoming facelifts in the Land Rover lineup will likely be recognisably McGovern-era designs.
JLR CEO PB Balaji, a man said to have played a leading role in the drama, added: “Gerry’s creative leadership, vision, drive and passion have left an indelible stamp on our brands. 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.”
Of course, it is merely speculation to suggest that a new advertising campaign (posted above), one that credits Jaguar’s previous design triumphs in a way that it was not inclined to previously - and flagrantly lacking in controversy - might have been timed to appear in the same week as confirmation of McGovern’s departure. Ditto the thought that no video featuring the happy chug of a combustion engine would've been signed off by JLR’s former Chief Creative Officer in a month of Sundays. Nevertheless, as hard evidence of a change in direction, we can probably call it Exhibit A.
- jaGUar (or whatever it is now) officially accepts that generating loads of negative press is actually negative
- they don't know anyone who's going to buy their new toy
- they're desperately fishing for a customer base with this inoffensive & unoriginal new ad.
Maybe they'll find some previous Jag board members who are still alive & have mahoosive pensions to burn ?
Big trouble down at t' mill.
The XJS was as revolutionary as the new car, as was the E Type, XJ220, the C-75, XE and XF.
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