Jaguar Land Rover Fires Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern: Reports

Gerry McGovern, Chief Creative Officer of Jaguar Land Rover and one of the people most involved with last year’s controversial rebranding of Jaguar, has reportedly been fired without notice. Autocar reports that the termination was sudden and unexpected. Neither JLR nor its Indian parent company Tata Motors have released any statements yet. 

The move, if confirmed, is likely to be one of newly appointed CEO PB Balaji’s first major changes after taking charge less than a month ago. Balaji, had previously served as Chief Financial Officer for Tata Motors since 2017. He replaces former JLR CEO Adrian Mardell, who retired in a surprise announcement earlier this year. 

McGovern, who had been with the company for 21 years, has overseen several changes including its ambitious 2021 “Reimagine” business plan aimed at reviving and transforming the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, pivoting both towards electric cars. He also led the development of the current Land Rover Defender and Range Rover models. 

Most recently, he was in the news for spearheading the complete rebranding and repositioning of the storied Jaguar brand as a more youthful, electric-only luxury carmaker, during Mardell’s tenure. He is also credited with the radically modern design of the Type 00 Concept two-door coupé. The reinvented company’s first new model, a high-performance, ultra-luxury electric GT, is now expected to debut in 2026.  

The effects of McGovern’s departure on JLR’s short-term and long-term plans are not likely to be fully known for some time.