JLR sacks design chief Gerry McGovern; second high-profile exit in months

Seen as a Ratan Tata favourite, McGovern had strong backing at Tata-owned JLR. After Tata's death, that support disappeared, leaving him more vulnerable to internal power shifts

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Gerry McGovern, Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) chief creative officer, has departed from the company, days after PB Balaji took over the charge as the new chief executive officer. McGovern’s departure marks another high-profile exit from the company following CEO Adrian Mardell’s retirement in August this year, Autocar India reported.

 

According to the report, McGovern was "sacked" and “escorted out of the office”. However, details regarding his departure remain unclear. The development brings an abrupt end to McGovern’s association with JLR, which spanned over two decades.

 

McGovern, a long-considered favourite of former industrialist Ratan Tata, enjoyed strong backing during his tenure at the Tata Group, which owns JLR. However, with his passing, McGovern’s key support vanished, thereby leaving him more exposed to internal shifts.

 

McGovern was closely associated with Jaguar’s contentious Panthera-era rebrand, which faced heavy backlash over claims it weakened the marque’s heritage. Autocar India reported that the exercise triggered internal pushback, including a leaked 2022 letter in which about 25–30 members of the design team objected to the work being outsourced to Accenture Interactive, arguing it undercut in-house capability and a collaborative studio culture. 

 

A JLR veteran of more than two decades, McGovern returned to Land Rover in 2004 as advanced design director and rose to chief creative officer in 2020. Over the years, he helped define modern Land Rover styling through models such as the Range Rover Evoque, Velar and the revived Defender. He exits with a reputation for ambitious design shifts and major brand reinvention.

 

According to a report in The Times of India, McGovern was known to be part of Ratan Tata’s close automotive circle. Tata, who was deeply passionate about cars and was personally invested in the company’s product development, had allowed McGovern considerable creative freedom. Citing people familiar with their association, the report said that Tata trusted McGovern’s instincts and encouraged his design choices.

 

Besides his association with JLR, McGovern also contributed to design and creative strategy at Norton Motorcycles, the British motorcycle brand owned by TVS Motors.