Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has a new boss in Australia, with a background in luxury retail.
Penny Ferguson joins JLR after more than 15 years with jewellery brand Tiffany & Co, and pearl specialist Paspaley.
Carmakers are increasingly looking to retail and luxury brands for inspiration. Cupra is launching in Australia with Garages, for example; retail spaces designed to make conventional dealerships look old-hat.
Polestar and Genesis have taken a similar approaches with their brand spaces.
Penny Ferguson
Ms Ferguson is tasked with driving the Reimagine business plan, announced in 2021 by JLR CEO Thierry Bollore, in Australia.
The plan will see Jaguar become a brand with a range of pure-electric vehicles by 2025, all of which will be built on a shared platform.
Land Rover will also be given an electric makeover under Mr Bollore’s bold new strategy.
The off-road brand will reveal six all-electric variants by 2026, the first of which will lob in 2024.
“With her broad expertise in multi-channel luxury retail operations and finance, customer-centric mindset, and modern leadership style, Penny is well-placed to drive our business transformation in line with the Jaguar Land Rover Reimagine strategy,” said Martin Limpert, regional director overseas for Jaguar Land Rover.
Ms Ferguson replaces Mark Cameron in the role. Mr Cameron will return to the UK after three years in Australia.
Jaguar has sold 413 cars to date in Australia, led by the F-Pace SUV, while Land Rover has recorded 2601 sales. The reborn Defender is the best-selling car under the Jaguar Land Rover umbrella, followed narrowly by the Range Rover Sport.
