JLR design boss Gerry McGovern – the driving force behind Jaguar’s ‘woke’ rebrand – officially leaves the car firm

Jaguar Land Rover design boss Gerry McGovern, the driving force behind Jaguar’s ‘woke’ new brand, will officially leave the carmaker at the end of March following months of controversy over his tenure.

Reports emerged in early December that McGovern’s two-decade tenure at the company had ended abruptly, but the news was quickly followed by statements from JLR refuting the claims.

But nearly three months later, both JLR and McGovern confirmed he had stepped down as creative director, meaning the 21-year veteran had resigned as a board member.

McGovern has confirmed he will now launch his own creative consultancy.

The Coventry University graduate had led the design direction of Range Rover, Defender and Discovery since 2004, including the Range Rover Evoque, Velar, two generations of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, and today’s Defender.

But she will probably be best remembered for shepherding Jaguar’s electric rebranding, including the unveiling of the Barbie pink Type 00 concept in Miami and its breakaway launch video in 2024.

In an official statement shared with JLR staff and published in the Daily Mail and This is Money, he said: ‘It has been a great privilege to work at JLR for twenty extraordinary decades and I would like to thank the Tata family in particular for the opportunities they have provided me.’

McGovern added: ‘The dedication and passion of thousands of people across the business has made these brands what they are today, and I’m hugely proud of what we’ve built together.

‘I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my creative career.’

News of McGovern’s departure in December came less than a week after former JLR managing director Adrian Mardell retired and new managing director PB Balaji took over.

Balaji, who was previously the finance boss of JLR’s parent company Tata Motors, was parachuted into the top job in a bid to strengthen his management of the automaker as Tata negotiates a move away from internal combustion engine cars over the next decade.

This has led to suggestions that Balaji, who worked in senior roles at Tata for a decade, would tone down Jaguar’s bold small-production, electric-only strategy.

However, in an interview with the Daily Mail and This is Money in December, Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover revealed that Balaji had been involved in the rebranding process from the start of the project.

He also supervised the Type 00 concept and the four-door electric GT production car due in the summer from the very beginning of the design phase.

Reports emerged in December that McGovern’s two-decade tenure at JLR had ended abruptly, but the news was quickly denied by the car firm

McGovern set the direction for Jaguar’s electric rebranding, starting with the unveiling of the pink Type 00 concept in Miami in 2024; This includes a “woke” social media campaign.

In the memo shared with employees on Friday, Balaji said: ‘Gerry’s creative leadership, vision, determination and passion have left an indelible mark on our brands.

‘I would like to thank Gerry for his significant contribution to JLR and wish him every success in his next creative chapter.’

When we contacted JLR for comment on McGovern’s conduct in late 2025 we were told: ‘It is not true that we have terminated Gerry McGovern and we do not intend to comment further on speculative stories.’

McGovern will officially leave the job on March 31.

Jaguar Land Rover said it would not comment further on its release.

Jaguar’s relaunch as an electric-only luxury car maker in 2024 has drawn plenty of criticism, with US President Donald Trump calling the promotional ad for the Type 00 launch “woke” and “stupid”.

The social media clip, which featured slogans such as Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons’ famous words ‘don’t copy anything’, ‘create with enthusiasm’, ‘break the mould’, live vibrant’ and ‘erase mediocrity’, as well as various models dressed in bright clothes but not cars, also led to derogatory remarks from Tesla boss Elon Musk.

Responding to criticism about the Type 00’s release, McGovern said: ‘Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everyone, it has already stirred emotions and will continue to stir them.’ he said.

Of his dramatic concept car, he said: ‘Some might like it now. Some may love it later. And some may never love it. And that’s okay. Because that’s what fearless creativity does. This is the original essence of Jaguar.’

He added: ‘English creativity, even at its best, has always been surrounded by controversy.’

McGovern led the design team that penned Jaguar’s ‘Barbie pink’ Type 00 electric concept (pictured). The production version of the car is planned to be released in the summer

Arguably McGovern’s biggest achievement was his involvement in the design of the new Defender (pictured), which became the car firm’s most profitable product.

McGovern’s biggest achievements came with reinventing the new Defender and establishing Range Rover as a luxury sub-brand.

In 2020, he was appointed chief creative officer and board member of JLR.

That same year McGovern received his OBE. For his services to automotive design.

He studied Industrial Design at Coventry University and Automotive Design at the Royal College of Art and has since had an international career spanning over 40 years.