Jaguar design director Ian Callum steps down to pursue other interests

He will continue to work with Jaguar as a design consultant.

Jaguar has announced that design director Ian Callum is stepping down after 20 years at his post.

Callum joined Jaguar in 1999 and is credited with spearheading a new design philosophy. His notable projects include the F-Type; XE, XF and XJ sedans; and the company's first SUV, the F-Pace, followed by the all-electric I-Pace.

"I have had an incredible career at Jaguar," Callum said. "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 ... 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."

The design executive's career started at Ford Design Studios before transitioning to chief designer of TWR Design where he penned the Aston Martin DB7 and DB9.

Callum will be succeeded by creative design director Julian Thomson, who has been with Jaguar since 2000 and oversaw development of design concepts for the company's entire product range. Thomson's career also started at Ford, with later design leadership roles at Lotus and Volkswagen