Jaguar design boss Julian Thomson will leave at the end of this month.
His departure comes just two years into his current role, where he replaced Ian Callum in 2019. While his reasons for leaving aren’t clear at the moment, rumor has it he will make his way to EV startup Ola Electric, per an Autocar UK report.
If you aren’t familiar with Thomson’s name, you will likely recognize a large portion of his work. From the LRX Concept that morphed into the Range Rover Evoque to the XE, XF, E-Pace, F-Pace and F-Type, he was on the team for some of the best-looking cars around today. Basically running down Jaguar’s entire range, it’s little surprise he also played a role in the all-electric I-Pace‘s design. Before that, he even penned the original Lotus Elise during his tenure with that British automaker.
Callum tweeted: “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.” Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bolloré also gave his well wishes. “I would like to thank Julian for his great work, leadership, dedication and significant contribution and wish him every success in the future.
Moving forward, we’ll have to see what effect Thomson’s departure has on future Jaguar designs. With 21 years at the company, his departure will certainly be a shakeup, so it’s worth keeping an eye on which direction the company goes over the coming months.