JLR has named P B Balaji as its new CEO – and has vowed that he will “accelerate” the company’s high-profile push into the electric vehicle market.
Mr Balaji, who has been chief financial officer at JLR’s parent Tata Motors Group since 2017, will succeed Adrian Mardell later this year at the Jaguar and Land Rover maker. Mr Mardell confirmed last week that he was to retire later this year after three years in the top job and 35 at JLR.
He led the sometimes controversial rebrand at Jaguar that saw the car brand ditch its cat logo and launch pink and blue concept electric concept cars with an advert featuring brightly dressed models but no familiar Jaguar branding. JLR has recently battled with the prospect of higher tariffs to the US, which represents a fifth of its sales, following President Trump's global tariffs plan.
JLR had to pause sending cars to the USA temporarily, and last month announced plans to axe up to 500 management jobs across its Ƶ operations as it faced pressure on sales due to tariff uncertainty. Just yesterday on Truth Social, President Donald Trump , while praising the Sydney Sweeney jeans adverts that have themselves sparked social media controversy.
The President said: “On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER!” He added: “Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad."
Announcing the company’s new CEO, both Tata Motors’ chairman and the incoming boss thanked Mr Mardell for leading JLR’s Reimagine transformation and for his long service with the company.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman at JLR, Tata Motors and Tata Sons, said: “I would like to thank Adrian for the stellar turnaround of JLR and for delivering record results.
“I am delighted to appoint Balaji as the incoming CEO of the company. The search for a suitable candidate to lead JLR has been undertaken by the board for the past few months and after careful consideration it was decided to appoint Balaji.
"He has been associated with the company for the past many years and is familiar with the company, its strategy and has been working with the JLR leadership team. This move will ensure that we continue to accelerate our journey to Reimagine JLR.”
Mr Balaji, who has 32 years of experience in the automotive and consumer goods industries said: “It is my privilege to lead this incredible company. Over the past 8 years I have grown to know and love this company and its redoubtable global brands. I look forward to working with the team to take it to even greater heights. I thank Adrian for his immense contributions and wish him well for his next innings.”
Mr Mardell oversaw the rebrand of the business, changing its name from Jaguar Land Rover to JLR, and led the House of Brands retail strategy which sees Jaguar, Range Rover, Defender and Discovery marketed as individual brands. The company reported a pre-tax profit of £2.5 billion in its 2024/25 annual results.
Mr Mardell said: “These three years have been a great privilege. Together with the incredible JLR workforce, we have cemented JLR’s position in the automotive industry during a time of incredible change. I would like to thank everyone in JLR and the extended Tata Group, and wish Balaji every success in his new role.”
JLR is based in Coventry and has manufacturing plants across the West Midlands and in Halewood, Merseyside.
Like this story? Why not sign up here for free to get the latest business news straight to your inbox.
