Gerry McGovern
Pro-Chancellor, distinguished friends, colleagues, graduands and guests.
Gerry McGovern lives and breathes design. As Chief Design Officer for Land Rover, he creates some of the world’s most distinctive and desirable vehicles, including the bold and best-selling Evoque. He’s recognised as one of the world’s critically acclaimed automotive design leaders – a visionary for the future of the Land Rover brand and an inspiration to many.
Gerry’s passion for design and architecture started at a very early age. Born and raised in Coventry, he was hugely influenced by the post-war modernist style applied to the buildings in the city that his contemporaries took for granted. His parents were also influential in supporting his passion. His mother, despite having no formal training, had an eye for design, using colour and texture to influence the décor of the homes that Gerry grew up in. His father, the complete opposite, wasn’t creative but was tenacious and diligent, and instilled in Gerry a strong work ethic. As a young man, Gerry always wanted to be an artist; car design only really came to mind because he was told there was more money in it – something that resonated with a working-class kid from Coventry.
Whilst studying at Binley Park School, Gerry received an offer of an apprenticeship from the renowned and highly respected car designer Roy Axe of Chrysler Europe. Based in Whitley, on the site of Jaguar Land Rover’s current headquarters, Gerry worked in the US car giant’s UK design studios and was sponsored to take up Lanchester Polytechnic’s industrial design course. The course back then was very different to the one we know today. Gerry remembers using magic markers on layout paper and vellum to create his designs – something that is now almost entirely done on screen.
The undergraduate course at the Poly was the perfect foundation for ambitious Gerry to progress to the Royal College of Art in London. He studied a Masters in Automotive Design amongst a melting pot of British creativity. During this time he developed his own design sensibilities but the real journey started when he moved into a professional design environment.
Following a stint working for Chrysler in Detroit, Gerry returned to the UK as a Senior Designer for Peugeot and later joined 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 rejuvenate the Lincoln-Mercury brands, setting up studios in Detroit and Irvine, California. In this role he was responsible for several award winning concept vehicles that were pivotal in establishing a relevant design strategy for modern day Lincoln vehicles. He returned to the UK to run a design consultancy in London, developing design and communication strategies for several automotive brands.
Gerry re-joined Land Rover in 2004 and was appointed as Land Rover Design Director in 2006. Since then his position has grown to include the role of Chief Design Officer and he is an Executive member of the Jaguar Land Rover Board.
Currently, 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, was the first complete manifestation of Gerry’s design strategy since his return from the USA. This vehicle has not only changed the fortunes of the brand but has also helped bring about a cultural change, placing design at the core of the business.
In 2014 Gerry and his team developed the dramatic Discovery Vision Concept that was revealed in New York and Shanghai simultaneously, followed by the recently launched Discovery Sport. The Range Rover Evoque Convertible, unveiled in 2015, is the world’s first luxury SUV compact convertible. McGovern and his team have built on the character and distinctive design of the Evoque, and the convertible is set to make the brand even more desirable.
Gerry’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. In October 2014 he was appointed as a Visiting Professor at the prestigious Royal College of Art in London, demonstrating his commitment to design education.
Design in all its manifestations is what drives Gerry. He uses modernist inspiration with a uniquely British twist to create vehicles with an unmistakable persona. Elegance and formality blend effortlessly with presence in vehicles that could only come from the Land Rover brand.
We’re delighted that Gerry is able to join us here today for this very special occasion.
In recognition of his significant achievements as a leader of major innovation in automotive design, Coventry University, by decision of the Academic Board, has the privilege of conferring Gerry McGovern with an Honorary Doctor of Arts.