🔴 When a strategy sounds right… but fails to convince

Adrian Mardell is stepping down from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) after three years as CEO, 35 years within the company, and a strategy that was financially sound — but symbolically volatile.

What few observers highlight: Mardell delivered exactly what he was brought in to do. He stabilized the organization, restored profitability, dramatically reduced debt, and repositioned the group under the “House of Brands” architecture.

But he also carried — or allowed to be carried — a radical transformation of Jaguar’s identity, on emotional and cultural ground he arguably mastered less than finance or product strategy.

The “Copy Nothing” campaign, the erased logo, the flashy pink aesthetic, videos without cars, a premium repositioning above £100,000… all of it was conceived as bold, disruptive, ultra-luxury.

But it came at the wrong time. And with no transition.

Clients didn’t follow.

Social media backlash erupted.

And the vacuum left between retired Jaguar models and upcoming EVs accelerated the rejection.

On paper, the strategy made sense.

In reality, it failed to resonate with those who don’t think in budget lines or branding theories.

The public saw a brand forgetting what it is — and being loud about it.

In an already unstable context (US tariffs, sluggish EV demand in Europe, plummeting sales in China), the abruptness of the shift felt like a miscalculated gamble.

A good CEO?

Yes.

But perhaps not the one meant to carry the story.

A solid operator to restore order — not the right voice to reignite a brand’s emotional power.

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What kind of profile is needed now?

Someone able to navigate across three levels of leadership:

— the industrial rationality of a shifting group,

— the cultural sensitivity of an iconic brand,

— and the narrative finesse required in a fragmented era.

A strategist of silence, able to move without noise while decoding the faintest signals.

An architect of emotional traction, not just business performance.

Someone who understands that image often precedes margin.

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We intervene where companies sense a turning point is unfolding.

Not always visible.

Not always technical.

But often decisive.

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