Design Julian Thomson director leaves Jaguar

Less than two years into his role, the man who replaced Ian Callum as design director has announced he is leaving Jaguar.

Julian Thomson ends his tenure with Jaguar five months after Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern was promoted above him to join the Jaguar Land Rover board as chief creative officer across both brands. Callum tweeted his reaction when news first broke of his successor’s departure on 5 May. “So sad and disappointed to see Julian Thomson leave Jaguar Design, especially at a time when Jaguar needs directors of such a high calibre, leadership skills and talent. I wish Julian the very best for whatever he does next. He will be sorely missed.”

Thomson (right) started his career at the British company in 2000 after tenures at Ford, Volkswagen and Lotus, where he designed the original Elise from 1996. He spent the majority of his time at Jaguar as the brand’s creative design director, responsible for establishing the brand’s future look. He was responsible for the important R-Coupe and R-D6 concepts from 2001 and 2003, respectively, that broke away from the past and paved the way for a new style of Jaguar. It is not known where Thomson will move to and there has been no news yet as to who will replace him, although rumours suggest a Land Rover design executive will take over the reins.