Jaguar Land Rover Boss “resigns”!
This page is translated from the original post "Le Boss de Jaguar Land Rover “démissionné” !" in French.
- 01/08/2025 14:37
Behind the facade smiles, the thanks, and the praises of loyalty, it’s a quiet exit.
Officially, Adrian Mardell is leaving Jaguar Land Rover after more than 30 years of dedicated service, heading into a well-deserved retirement. Unofficially? It’s a pushed-out departure, carefully wrapped in corporate gift paper, but it strongly smells of a disguised dismissal.
Appointed CEO in November 2022 after managing the financial reins as CFO, Mardell embarked on an ambitious, and now controversial, transformation of Jaguar. The goal: to reposition the brand as a luxury electric manufacturer by 2025, with expensive, rare, and exclusive models. However, amidst a new visual identity deemed obscure and in poor taste, products missing from dealerships, and a loyal customer base completely disoriented, the seduction operation turned into a marketing shipwreck.
Land Rover is no longer enough
On the Land Rover side, the figures are more flattering, thanks to the ever-profitable Range Rover and Defender. But even there, the celebration was somewhat spoiled by the 25% tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on British cars. A forced pause in exports to the U.S. in April was enough to shake the certainties.
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And yet, on paper, everything was going well. Under Mardell, JLR recorded its best operational results in a decade and reduced its debt by £5 billion. But the truth lies elsewhere: when a brand like Jaguar loses its identity and can no longer sell dreams or volumes, Excel spreadsheets are no longer enough to save the captain.
As a cherry on top, Mardell’s presence this week at the inauguration of Donald Trump’s new golf course in Scotland came at the very moment when its Indian parent Tata is concerned about U.S. customs policy. One last photo, one last swing, and curtain. The brand with the feline will have to find its claws again. And it will be without Mardell.
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