Kemal Curic is design director for Lincoln, responsible for leading the long-term vision of the luxury brand.

Curic, a native of Sarajevo, grew up in Germany and Croatia. He’s been fascinated by vehicle design since he was a young child, captivated by the American muscle cars he would occasionally see on the streets and often drawing cars in his school notebooks. “I had no idea I could make my passion my job,” he said. “It’s truly a dream come true.”

Curic began his career at Ford of Europe in 2003 after earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial design and a master’s in transportation design in Germany. He went to work designing cars like the European-market Fiesta, Mondeo and Kuga, then transitioned to Ford’s Dearborn design team in 2010 to work on the 2015 Mustang.

In 2014, Curic became exterior design manager for Lincoln Continental, then went on to lead transformation of the Lincoln design framework and serve as chief designer for the all-new Aviator. Aviator, a three-row midsize SUV, expands Lincoln’s portfolio and represents the next step in the company’s design vision.

“Aviator is such an elegant, beautifully proportioned vehicle,” said Curic. “There are so many wonderful details. Everything in Aviator comes from a deep understanding of the client, and us meeting their discerning needs and expectations.”

He also served as lead exterior designer on the all-new Corsair, the brand’s newest SUV, which Curic considers one of Lincoln’s most expressive, dramatically designed vehicles.

With Lincoln now riding a wave of product momentum, Curic said he wants to continue to create things that are truly amazing. “We’re in such a unique place now,” he said. “We have the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Curic resides in Irvine, California, with his family.