8:29 am, March 28, 2024
JLR has announced a major shake-up of its leadership team as part of the firm’s controversial ‘House of Brands’ strategy.
Announced last year, the car maker’s new approach will see the Land Rover name killed off in favour of four distinct brands – Jaguar, Range Rover, Defender and Discovery.
The plans attracted hefty criticism when they first went public but JLR is continuing to plough ahead with the proposed changes.
As part of that, the Midlands-based outfit has now confirmed several changes to its leadership structure, led by UK Managing Director, Patrick McGillycuddy.
Alan Nicolson, previously head of UK product marketing, has switched to the role of UK Brand Director, Range Rover, and will now report directly to McGillycuddy.
Nicolson has spent the past four years with JLR UK including stints with the firm’s central product team, as well as at the former PSA Group.
He will be joined as a UK brand director by Leonie Raistrick, who takes on the same title for both Defender and Discovery.
An established leader, she joins the firm having previously been Peugeot’s international brand strategy director.
Elsewhere, Santino Pietrosanti formerly director of strategic partnerships at JLR completes the leadership team as UK Brand Director, Jaguar.
Bosses say he will bring ‘significant experience of creating and executing brand strategies’ which will be’ vital’ for delivering the Jaguar product vision.
The new faces will now be tasked with executing the House of Brands approach and shaping the outfits’ ambitious electrification plans.
JLR UK Managing Director, Patrick McGillycuddy, said: ‘How clients view mobility and how they interact with luxury brands has changed vastly in recent years, so how we present our brands, products and services must also change.
‘As we move to a fully electric future, we must innovate at every part of the client experience to deliver a sustainability-rich reimagination of modern luxury.’
He added: ‘Alan, Leonie, Santino and I are united in our passion to position all of our brands in a cohesive yet distinctive way, to shape
the company’s future of automotive electrification defined by modern luxury at all touch points of the client journey.’
