Jaguar Denies Firing Design Boss: 'It Is Untrue'

Long-time designer and executive Gerry McGovern was reportedly fired from JLR, but the company later released a statement saying it was 'untrue.'

Gerry McGovern Jaguar Fired

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Jeff Perez

By: Jeff Perez

Updated: Dec 12, 2025 at 7:53pm ET

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Update, 12/12: After reaching out to Jaguar a second time, the company issued a statement saying that it has not fired design boss Gerry McGovern. A company spokesperson told Motor1: "It is untrue we have terminated Gerry McGovern’s employment and we do not intend to further comment on speculative stories." The story has been updated to reflect that.

Jaguar’s recent rebrand has drawn heavy criticism. Fans pushed back against the automaker’s controversial ad campaign and had plenty to say about the Type 00 concept—mostly negative. Now, the company is reportedly firing long-time design boss Gerry McGovern in response.

According to reports from Autocar and Autocar India, McGovern was "escorted out of the office" early last week. We reached out to Jaguar for a statement, and a company spokesperson told Motor1 that "it is untrue we have terminated Gerry McGovern’s employment."

This news comes less than a week after the retirement of former JLR CEO Adrian Mardell. New CEO, PB Balaji, acted as the former finance boss at Tata Motors before taking over following Mardell’s retirement. Balaji brings 32 years of experience to the position, with more than a decade working at JLR’s parent company, Tata Motors.

While details on McGovern’s rumored exit from the company are still slim beyond what Jaguar and reports have said, it appears that Balaji could be looking to shake things up at JLR. That move shouldn’t be surprising given the negative feedback surrounding the Jaguar rebrand.

Jaguar Type 00 Concept

Jaguar Type 00 Concept

Photo by: Jaguar

McGovern has worked for 21 years with the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. McGovern is responsible for some of the most popular vehicles within the JLR portfolio, like the Range Rover Evoque, the Range Rover Velar, the Land Rover Defender, and the modern Range Rover line. McGovern also led the design team for the controversial Type 00 concept.

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McGovern started his career at the Austin Rover Group and was responsible for concept cars like the MG EX-E, as well as popular production cars like the MG F sports car and the Land Rover Freelander. McGovern then worked at Ford to help revive the Lincoln-Mercury brands.

We’ll update this story with more information as we get it.

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Sources: Autocar, Autocar India

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