JAGUAR Land Rover has made three key executive appointments in its move to the next phase of its electrification transformation that includes turning Jaguar into a more upmarket, all-electric brand.
It has hired Swarna Ramanathan as chief strategy officer from consulting firm McKinsey, where she was a leader in the company’s automotive and assembly division. Before that, she worked at General Motors as an engineer.
Ms Ramanathan takes over from Andrea Debbane, who served in the position on an interim basis. Ms Debbane continues in her role as JLR’s chief sustainability officer.
Both report to CEO Adrian Mardell.
JLR has also promoted Steve Marsh to lead JLR’s vehicle programs team, a move from his current position as director of global manufacturing operations.
He takes over the role vacated earlier this year by Nick Collins, who heads electric vehicle startup Forseven.
Mr Marsh joined JLR in April 2022 from Nissan where he was senior vice president of manufacturing and supply chain responsible for Nissan’s operations in the US and Mexico.
JLR has also appointed John Beswick joins in the newly-created role of chief transformation and performance officer, also reporting to Mr Mardell.
Mr Beswick, an engineer and accountant by background, joins JLR from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London where he is chief financial officer.
He has also worked at UK telecommunications giant BT Group after starting his career as a chartered engineer in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
The appointments come as JLR prepares to launch Jaguar as an all-electric brand with a new range of battery electric vehicles that it says will be “a copy of nothing”.
A concept for the first new Jaguar BEV, a sedan, will be unveiled before the end of the year.
With its flagship Range Rover and Defender models, JLR is moving more cautiously toward full-electric models.
The company said in 2021 it would launch six full-electric Land Rover models by 2026, but this year lowered the number to four.
By Neil Dowling