Gerry McGovern

Gerry McGovern is Design Director and Chief Creative Officer for Land Rover. He creates some of the world’s most distinctive and desirable vehicles and is recognised as one of the world’s leading automotive designers.

After completing a degree in industrial design at Coventry University, McGovern studied for a Masters at the Royal College of Art in London, specialising in automotive design.  He began his career at Chrysler in Detroit, before returning to the UK as a Senior Designer for Peugeot and later joining the Rover Group. Through this period he was the lead designer of the critically acclaimed MGF sports car, the Land Rover Freelander – the bestselling compact SUV in Europe for 7 years, and led the team that created the third generation Range Rover.  McGovern then moved to the Ford Motor Company to head up and rejuvenate the Lincoln-Mercury brands, setting up studios in Detroit and Irvine, California, before returning to the UK to run a design consultancy in London.

Gerry McGovern rejoined Land Rover in 2004 as Director, Advanced Design, and was appointed as Land Rover Design Director in 2006.  Since then his position has grown to include the role of Chief Creative Officer and he is a member of the Jaguar Land Rover Executive Committee.

He and his team are in the process of creating an entire new generation of Land Rovers, redefining the brand and building on established heritage to make the product range relevant to the 21st Century.  The phenomenally successful Range Rover Evoque, developed from the globally-acclaimed LRX concept vehicle, was the first complete manifestation of McGovern’s design strategy since his return from the US.  This was followed by the all-new Range Rover which launched to critical acclaim in September 2012.

Responsible for guiding and visioning the future of this great British brand, McGovern is currently leading the team to develop opportunities to grow the business into new areas as well as the challenge of replacing icons such as the Defender.  As Chief Creative Officer McGovern’s wider remit is to guide all aspects of visual communications ensuring a consistent look and feel between vehicles and identity of the brand.

Gerry McGovern’s passion for design reaches much further than the automotive industry; he is an authority on modern architecture and furniture as well as a collector of contemporary art.  He has sat on many panels judging design, presented at numerous prominent international automotive and business events and represents the company on a global level.

Speaking topics include:

The Importance of an Integrated Approach – Lessons learned from the man who had to get design, engineering and manufacturing divisions to work together to create 3 world class vehicles, the Ranger Rover, the Range Rover Sport and the Evoque

How to bring Vision and Strategy to your Business -Through the art of great design and the process of improvement from the Design Director of one of the world’s most successful automotive brands.

10 Reasons why great Design can change the way your Business Works – Great design is the gateway to customer satisfaction as it fires people on an emotional level. As a creator of world class designs from the MGF to the Range Rover, Gerry shares his passion for design, the importance of creating a unique design language and its effect on our environment.

Evolution or Revolution – How do you take the best and make it better? – Gerry explains his strategy to get the right product for the right consumer. In 2 years he replaced 2 iconic automobiles and made them even better than they were and introduced a 3rd model, the Evoque, which has broadened the appeal of the brand, won over 100 awards and sold almost 400,000 vehicles worldwide in 3 years.

The Business of Luxury – The art of designing a luxury automobile requires inspiration and understanding of a whole range of luxury items that are unrelated to the automotive industry. Gerry shares his vision of the luxury goods market and why it can be replicated in any city around the world.