JLR has reportedly dismissed its longtime chief creative officer Gerry McGovern.
Many outlets reported the Tata-owned carmaker terminated McGovern’s contract with immediate effect on Monday and had him escorted off the premises. The move comes after the November appointment of PB Balaji as JLR’s new CEO.
McGovern, 69, who rejoined the company in 2004, oversaw the design of key models including the Range Rover Evoque, different Range Rover generations, Range Rover Velar and the latest Land Rover Defender.
Earlier in his career the mercurial car designer worked at Ford, the Rover Group — contributing to vehicles such as the MG-F roadster and Land Rover Freelander — and Chrysler.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year Honours for his contribution to automotive design.
More recently, McGovern led Jaguar’s ambitious and controversial electrification-led brand overhaul, which included plans to position Jaguar against top-tier luxury marques such as Bentley and the unveiling of the Jaguar Type 00.
JLR had not issued an official statement at the time of publication.
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