Last year’s rumours have been officially confirmed. Longtime designer at Jaguar Land Rover, Gerry McGovern, is stepping down. One of the most powerful creative voices in the British car industry is heading out on his own, launching a design consultancy.

JLR has confirmed that McGovern will formally leave the company at the end of March 2026, bringing to a close a chapter that lasted more than 22 years.

The news, first reported by Autocar after an internal memo was shared with staff, ends months of speculation, denials, and corporate drama that had been quietly simmering since late 2025.

McGovern joined Land Rover in early 2004 as Director of Advanced Design. He steadily rose through the ranks to become Chief Design Officer and, in 2020, Chief Creative Officer for the entire JLR group. That role also saw him join the company’s executive committee. In short, few people have shaped the look of modern British premium cars more than he has.

Shrouded in mystery

The circumstances of McGovern’s exit are not entirely straightforward. In December 2025, reports emerged suggesting he had already been “escorted out of the building.” JLR flatly denied those reports at the time, and in early 2026, Car Design News indicated he was still active internally. 

Now that his departure is confirmed, the precise sequence of events remains unclear. Whether he had already decided to go independent or whether the management shakeup that brought in new CEO PB Balaji at the end of 2025 played a role, JLR remains stiff-lipped.

What JLR did say was generous in tone. In the internal memo, Balaji marked McGovern’s impact on the brands: “Gerry’s creative leadership, vision, drive, and passion have left an indelible stamp on our brands. I want to thank Gerry for the significant contribution he has made to JLR and wish him every success in his next creative chapter.”

McGovern himself was equally gracious: “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. (…) I am enormously proud of what we have built together.”

A portfolio that speaks for itself

The list of models that bear his creative fingerprint reads like a greatest hits collection. Its Range Rover Evoque opened the brand to an entirely new, younger, and more female audience. The Velar brought a sleeker, more minimalist sensibility to the lineup. And then there was arguably his biggest achievement: the revival of the Land Rover Defender. It is now one of the brand’s biggest successes.

More recently, McGovern guided the design direction of the Jaguar Type 00 Concept, the polarising but attention-grabbing showcar that previewed Jaguar’s transformation into a fully electric ultra-luxury brand. Splitting opinions it did, but its style also gathered a following, like Audi’s concept version of a future TT, the Concept C. 

No successor named

One thing that stands out in JLR’s announcement is the conspicuous absence of a named successor. It is also worth noting that McGovern’s team was reportedly not involved in Jaguar’s widely discussed rebranding campaign, which an external creative agency handled. 

Details about his new consultancy have not yet been made public. McGovern isn’t the first design chief to go this route: his predecessor at Jaguar, Ian Callum, did the same, and before them, BMW’s famed designer, Chris Bangle. Also, former Apple designer Jony Ive, currently involved in the design of the Ferrari Luce, took this route.