Ian Callum, CBE Receives 2025 EyesOn Design Lifetime Achievement Award

Born in Scotland, Ian Callum knew he wanted to design cars from a young age. He'd seen a photo of a Jaguar E-Type coupe in a Life magazine and was blown away by its style.

If I hadn't seen that E-Type in that magazine on that day, I'm not sure my life would have been the same, Callum told one interviewer.

Seeing and hearing his reaction to the photo, his grandfather took him to see the actual car in a dealership showroom.

When I saw the E-Type in the flesh, it seemed to me that the future had arrived. It was so different and perfect and utterly beautiful. I'd never seen beauty like that before, he said.

After college, Callum landed a job at the Ford Design Studios in England, where he helped style the Escort RS Cosworth and the Ghia Via concept car.

A decade later, he left Ford to join two colleagues to form TWR Design. There, as chief designer, he helped style the Aston Martin DB7, the design he's probably most famous for, as well as the Aston Martin Vanquish. He also designed the Volvo C70 Coupe and the Nissan R390.

In 1999, he was appointed design director of Jaguar, and for a short while, helmed the styling studios of both Jaguar and Aston Martin.

By coming to Jaguar, he'd come full circle to his childhood inspiration. Designing Jaguar cars was a lifelong dream for me, he said.

At Jaguar, he and his team created some of the brand's most striking models, including the R-Coupe, the F-Type, F-PACE and the electrified I-PACE, a World Car of the Year award winner.

In 2019, he stepped down from Jaguar to continue as a design consultant. Shortly afterwards, he founded his own independent automotive and product design firm, simply named Callum, to create high-end limited-edition vehicles. Among its latest is the Callum Skye, an all-new, all-electric, all-terrain vehicle.

Beyond the automotive world, his clean and dramatic style has attracted collaborations in fashion, new energy sources, luxury travel, sustainable materials and even a premium whiskey.

Named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) five years ago for his contributions to the British car industry, Callum is committed to nurturing the next generation of talent through the support of young designers.

Regarded as Britain's most important car designer, Callum has been selected as the winner of the 2025 EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award for his outstanding career in vehicle design.

The award is unique in that the honoree is selected by its previous winners, a group of the world's top automotive designers. The award was presented at a black tie event on June 13, 2025, at the gloriously-restored Michigan Central Station in Detroit.