Jaguar Design Director Honoured At Motorcity Industry Awards

WHITLEY, UNITED KINGDOM – Jan 17, 2014: Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum has this week been named ‘Industry Innovator of the Year’ at the 2014 Motorcity Automotive Industry Night (MAIN) Event Awards. Jaguar was recognised by the MAIN Event Executive Committee as the ultimate definition of automotive luxury and praised for its distinct design language, use of advanced technology and outstanding vehicle dynamics. The ceremony took place at Orchestra Hall, Detroit, in front of an audience of over 700 automotive executives, designers and international media.

Presenting the trophy to Ian, Keith Nagara, Executive Committee Chairman said: “Jaguars are beautiful vehicles that all generations aspire to own. They epitomise the ultimate in automotive luxury, desirability and craftsmanship. Ian Callum has led the design revolution at Jaguar that has helped transform the brand, most recently demonstrated by the launch of the stunning F-TYPE Coupé. This is a brand that is going from strength to strength.”

Ian Callum said: “It is an honour to receive this award. It is with the benefit of having such a great team around me that we have been able to deliver the cars and designs that define Jaguar today.”

Ian Callum has been at the forefront of the transformation of Jaguar's design aesthetic since joining the brand in 1999. Born in Dumfries, Scotland, he studied Industrial Design at the Glasgow School of Art. Upon graduating, Callum opted to specialise in vehicle design, enrolling at the Royal College of Art (RCA) on the Automobile Design course, and has since received five honorary doctorates from universities around the world. Callum is responsible for Jaguar design language created over the past decade, which includes the current Jaguar XK, XF, XJ and the recently launched F-TYPE sports car.

Staged in Detroit on the eve of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS),the annual celebration of automotive excellence allocates four awards across design and industry. Each year two industry executives whose achievements have made a substantial global impact, leading their institutions to set new standards of industry innovation, are recognised at the awards. Celebrating not only established excellence, the next generation of automotive talent is selected by the MAIN Executive Committee from current design students at Lawrence Technological University.