Ian Callum Leaves Jaguar Design After 20 Years Of Service

Jaguar announced that Ian Callum is leaving his post as Director of Design at the car maker after 20 years of service, with current Creative Design Director Julian Thompson to take the reigns of the Jaguar Design Studio, effective July 01.

“I have had an incredible career at Jaguar,” said Ian Callum. “One of my biggest highlights was creating XF because it represented the beginning of a new era moving Jaguar from tradition to contemporary design – it was a significant turning point in our story.”

Callum started working as a designer in 1979 with Ford Design Studios, where he stayed for 11 years before moving on to TWR Design. While at Tom Walkinshaw Design, Callum was partially responsible for penning the Aston Martin DB7.

Also Read: Jaguar’s Ian Callum Story Is A Must-Watch For Aspiring Car Designers

In 1999, he joined Jaguar as Director of Design. During those early years, Callum was also responsible for Aston Martin and its Vanquish and DB9 models, with the latter credited to Henrik Fisker.

“Designing the F-TYPE was a dream come true for me, and I-PACE was an opportunity to create something hugely innovative that would really challenge the perception of Jaguar – and its success is testament to just how far the brand has come”, Callum added.

“I came into this role with a mission to take Jaguar design back to where it deserved to be. It has taken 20 years, but I believe I have achieved what I set out to do. Given the strength of both our products and the design team I feel that now is the right time to move on, both personally and professionally, and explore other design projects.”

Ian Callum was awarded the title of Royal Designer for Industry from the RSA in 2005 and the Minerva Medal in 2014 for a lifetime’s achievement in design. He is stepping down from his post to “pursue other design projects” but he will continue to work with Jaguar as a design consultant.