Giles Taylor
Taylor will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, the head of design for all BMW Group brands, and comes to his new role with more than 10 years of experience as a senior designer in the British automotive industry.
The 44-year-old designer joined Rolls-Royce just last year, leaving his previous post at Jaguar where he was influential in the design of models like the XF and XJ.
In fact, Taylor grew up in Coventry, England, Jaguar’s home town, and his poaching by Rolls-Royce was a major coup for the company, which is about to undertake the tough task of designing a successor for the Phantom as well as rumored coupe and convertible versions of the Ghost.
He is now faced with some very big shoes to fill. The outgoing Ian Cameron joined the BMW Group in 1992 and held leading design roles for several models, including the 3-Series model range, the Z8 and the Range Rover. In 1999 he was appointed to lead the new Rolls‑Royce design team, resulting in the launch of a series of models that has turned the once stuffy brand into a leader in the ultra-luxury automotive segment.
Speaking at today’s announcement, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said “I would like to thank Ian Cameron for his contribution to the resurgence of the Rolls-Royce marque. His legendary design capabilities combined with his passion for the company’s distinguished heritage have made him an integral part of the success of Rolls-Royce since the brand was acquired by the BMW Group. As his successor, Giles Taylor has a deep knowledge of emotive brands in the luxury segment and a proven track record, and is the perfect choice to lead the Rolls-Royce design team to future success.”
Note, Taylor’s appointment comes just a month after it was BMW announced it was getting a new design chief in the form Karim Habib.
