As Design Director for Land Rover and Range Rover, Gerry McGovern creates some of the world's most distinctive and desirable vehicles.
He and his team are in the process of creating an entire new generation of Land Rovers and Range Rovers, redefining each brand and building on established heritage to make vehicles relevant to the 21st Century. Gerry has said "Land Rover fascinates me more than any other car maker because it has its roots in pure design as opposed to styling."
Gerry completed a degree in industrial design before specialising in automotive design at the Royal College of Art. He worked for Chrysler and Peugeot, before joining the Rover Group, where he was the lead designer of the critically acclaimed MGF sports car and Land Rover Freelander (the best selling compact SUV in Europe for 7 years). He also led the team that created the current Range Rover. Ford head‑hunted him in 1999 but he rejoined Land Rover (as Director, Advanced Design) in April 2004. In 2006 he became Design Director for Land Rover, becoming a member of the Land Rover Board of Management in 2008 and the Jaguar Land Rover Executive Committee in 2009.
Gerry's influence became obvious with the introduction of 2010 Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Discovery.
Combined with the globally‑acclaimed LRX concept vehicle (now production ready as the Range Rover Evoque), this vehicle will be the first of a whole new group of vehicles that will shape the destiny of these great British brands.
Gerry's wider remit is to guide all aspects of visual communications ensuring a strong link between design and all relevant agencies, resulting in a consistent look and feel between vehicles and brand communications.
His passion for architecture and all aspects of design has resulted in the recent completion of his modernist home which contains a unique collection of mid‑century modern furniture, Italian glass and modern art.