Land Rover is strengthening its design team with the appointment of Phil Simmons as the company’s first-ever studio director responsible specifically for the iconic Range Rover.

Simmons, currently Chief Designer at Ford of Europe, joins the Land Rover design team on 1 August and he will be responsible for future design direction of all Range Rover products.

Land Rover’s Design Director, Gerry McGovern, said: “This new position will help Land Rover to achieve even higher levels of creativity and design leadership for this iconic model and to meet the challenges and opportunities of the luxury automotive market.”

Simmons spent the first 10 years of his career at Land Rover, culminating in exterior design of the current (third) generation Range Rover. He subsequently moved to Ford Motor Company in the US, where he was responsible for Ford’s family of medium size vehicles such as the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ. He was appointed Chief Designer for Ford of Europe in September 1999.

Simmons’ focus on the Range Rover allows Dave Saddington, currently Land Rover Design’s studio director, to assume overall responsibility for future design of all other Land Rover vehicles.  Both Simmons and Saddington report to Gerry McGovern.

“With this move we’ll also be strengthening the design of future Land Rover models,” said McGovern. “Though Land Rover and Range Rover are part of the same family, they have subtly different values that must be reflected in their designs and by separating the two studio director jobs we are underlining the importance and distinctiveness of both nameplates.”

Julian Thomson will continue as studio director for Jaguar and Land Rover Advanced Design, reporting jointly to McGovern and Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum. He is responsible for advanced design work on all Jaguar and Land Rover brand vehicles.

Adriana Monk, former Chief Designer for Jaguar and Land Rover Advanced Design interiors, becomes Chief Designer, Land Rover Interior Design.

“Overall these changes strengthen the whole design team,” said McGovern. “Our Land Rover and Range Rover design is internationally celebrated and admired. I’m confident that our future vehicles will be even more trend setting, desirable and distinctive.”