From Graduate Engineer to Senior Leader: My 25 Year Journey at JLR

Tell us about your time at JLR from the beginning.
When I walked through the doors of Jaguar Cars in September 2001 as a Graduate Engineer, I had no idea that the next two decades would take me across Manufacturing, Electrical Engineering, Digital, Quality, and into Senior Leadership. What I did know was that I wanted to learn, contribute, and grow and JLR has given me every opportunity to do exactly that.

My career began in Generic Facilities within Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, supporting multiple model and model year launches. Those early years were hands on, fast paced, and deeply technical. I became a subject matter expert in Wheel Alignment, Headlamp Aim, and Rolling Roads and soon found myself training teams, solving complex issues, and even presenting to Plant Directors. In 2008, I moved into Vehicle Configuration and Test Systems (VCATS), stepping into the world of electrical testing as a Project Engineer. Five years later, in 2013, I earned my first leadership role, heading the Castle Bromwich VCATS team. Life shifted in 2015 when I went on maternity leave to have our son. By 2019, I was leading both Electrical Process and VCATS Strategy Management, bringing together technical depth, operational experience, and long term planning.

After 19.5 years in Manufacturing Engineering, 2021 marked a defining moment, I pivoted into Quality, taking on Digital Platform Software Quality within the SOTA (Software Over the Air) organisation. It was a leap into a new world and one that immediately felt like the right move. In 2023, I was asked to support JLR’s response to a new software update. What began as a side task quickly became a passion. I helped drive our successful SUMS (Software Update Management System) certification and the type of approval of all 12 EVA2 architecture models by March 2024 — a milestone that shaped the next chapter of my career.
In August 2024, I stepped into a Senior Manager role in Product Engineering, leading Software Update. By November 2025, my remit expanded again to include Digital Platform Engineering Quality following the retirement of the previous Senior Manager.

What are your proudest moments?
Across my time at JLR, I’ve been fortunate to experience many moments that made me stop and think, “I’m really proud of this.” A few stand out:
•    Becoming a Subject Matter Expert early in my career and being trusted to train teams and present to senior leaders
•    Earning a place on JLR’s Emerging Leaders Programme (2012–2013)
•    Presenting to the Executive Board on the potential impacts and benefits of digitalisation in Manufacturing
•    Celebrating a major SOTA milestone in 2023: 10 million ECUs updated, achieved through a small, cross functional team running manual targeting and rigorous validation
•    Significant Warranty Cost prevention by delivering robust governance of changes - ensuring we deliver a positive customer experience
•    Watching SOTA scale to nearly 30 million updates, with a record 1.7 million in a single month

I’ve been lucky to work for leaders who supported me through challenges, setbacks, and big transitions. I’ve had unofficial mentors, advocates, and senior leaders who invested in my development and weren’t afraid to give honest feedback.
I’ve also been supported through major life events, moments when JLR felt less like a large organisation and more like a family.

Advice for someone early on in their career. 
A few lessons have stayed with me, firstly careers are rarely linear. Growth requires stepping outside your comfort zone, always welcome feedback, as other people’s perspective matters. Don’t be afraid to forge a different path and when the moment comes to make a leap — take it.