Ian Callum, Jaguar’s director of design, bags Minerva Medal

Ian Callum, director of design for Jaguar, has been honoured by the Chartered Society of Designers with the prestigious Minerva Medal for his outstanding contribution to automotive design. The Minerva Medal is the highest accolade given by the Society and was presented by the Society’s Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the Minerva Dinner in St James’s Palace in London yesterday evening.

David Callcott FCSD, President, Chartered Society of Designers, said: “The Society is delighted that the 2014 Minerva Medal has been awarded to Ian Callum who has successfully demonstrated the value of strategic design within an organisation.

“Ian follows in a long list of renowned designers who have all displayed the highest qualities in terms of aesthetics, function, process and innovation. The success of Jaguar Land Rover is testament enough to his design achievements and the Minerva Medal is recognition of them.”

Ian Callum said: “Receiving the Minerva Medal and being recognised for my contribution to car design alongside such outstanding designers is a real high point in my career. To have my life’s work on display and having the automotive car design industry recognised by such a prestigious society with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as its patron is a truly humbling experience.”

Ian joined Jaguar in 1999 where he led his team to create the exciting four-seater luxury R Coupe concept vehicle in 2001. It was the first vehicle to explore and demonstrate the new design philosophy for Jaguar – its proportions, stance and details influenced the production line-up of today.

Heralding an exciting new era for the brand, the first of the new models was the Jaguar XK, followed by the XF and XJ saloon cars. Ian’s latest work includes the C-X75 supercar concept, the C-X17 concept, the F-TYPE two-seater sports car, and the new XE mid-sized sports saloon revealed earlier this year.

Ian spent the first 12 years of his career working in Ford Design studios, where he contributed to the creation of the Escort RS Cosworth and the Ghia Via Concept. Later, as chief designer of TWR Design, he was responsible for the Aston Martin DB7, Vanquish and DB9.

During his time at Jaguar, Ian has collaborated with a number of luxury brands to expand his passion for design. These include a suite in the Taj Hotel in London, a bespoke watch celebrating the Lightweight E-Type for Bremont and a luxury speed boat concept to complement the launch of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake.

The Minerva Medal is the highest accolade the Society can bestow and is awarded to a designer for a lifetime’s achievement in design.

It was first awarded in 1955 to Milner Gray, a founding member of the Society. Since then it has been awarded to some of the greatest international figures in the world of design who have been responsible for so many iconic designs spanning the whole range of design endeavour.

The 2014 Medal has not been awarded to an automotive designer since 1981, when it was given to Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Previous winners have included British architect Lord Rogers of Riverside, who designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris, British fashion designer Mary Quant and Italian kitchen-ware designer Alberto Allessi.