Jaguar’s Ian Callum becomes second automotive designer to win Minerva Medal

David Callcott, president of the Chartered Society of Designers, said that Callum had "successfully demonstrated the value of strategic design within an organisation".

He added: "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."

Callum started his career at Ford in 1979, leaving in 1990 to join TWR design. Prior to joining Jaguar in 1999, his design credits included the Aston Martin DB7 (above), Vanquish and DB9, and Ford Puma, Escort RS and Ghia Via concept (below), as well as the Nissan R390 race car and Volvo C70.

Since taking the reins at Jaguar, Callum has given the brand a more modern visual design led by the XK coupe, and XF and XJ (below) sedans. The latest design overseen by the Callum is the XE, which will soon take the company back into the fray against the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.

Callum is only the second automotive designer to be handed the accolade after Giorgetto Giugiaro, who won the award in 1981. Giugiaro founded the ItalDesign studio, which has been involved in shaping everything from the Fiat Uno and Daewoo Matiz to the BMW M1 and Maserati 3200GT.

Previous winners of the Minerva Medal include architect of Paris' Pompidou Centre Richard Rogers, kitchenware designer Alberto Allessi and Mary Quant, who claims partial credit for the miniskirt and hot pants.