Autoliv appoints Natalie Draisin and Thomas Manfred Müller to Research Advisory Board
Autoliv has added two members to its Research Advisory Board, bringing public-health, policy and senior automotive-industry experience to the panel that shapes its long-term safety research.
- 40,000
- 600,000
- 64,000
- $10.8 billion
What Happened
Autoliv, Inc., traded on the NYSE as ALV and on Nasdaq Stockholm as ALIV.sdb, has appointed Natalie Draisin and Thomas Manfred Müller to its Research Advisory Board, announced from Stockholm, Sweden, on October 2, 2026. The board brings together leading voices from science, public policy, technology, public health and the automotive industry to support the company's long-term research agenda and innovation priorities. Autoliv says the two additions further broaden the board's expertise, adding valuable expertise and new perspectives to a group of global experts who help the company explore emerging safety challenges and opportunities as mobility evolves.
- Natalie Draisin — Director of the North American Office and United Nations Representative at the FIA Foundation, and External Affiliate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
- Thomas Manfred Müller, PhD — Board Member, Advisor and Business Angel, with extensive international experience across leadership and executive roles at Audi, BMW, Volvo Cars and Volkswagen Group.
“Safety challenges are becoming increasingly complex as mobility systems evolve. By bringing together expertise from public health, policy, technology, and the automotive industry, our Research Advisory Board helps us better understand evolving safety challenges and identify opportunities to Save More Lives. We are delighted to welcome Natalie Draisin and Thomas Manfred Müller to the Board.”
- John Bolte IV, PhD — Founder & President, Injury Biomechanics Global Inc.; former professor at The Ohio State University and director of the Injury Biomechanics Research Center (IBRC).
- Klaus Kompass — former Vice President Vehicle Safety, BMW Group, and adjunct professor of vehicle safety at the Technical Universities of Berlin and Dresden.
- Seigo Kuzumaki — former Fellow of Advanced R&D and Engineering, Toyota Motor Corporation.
- Bryan Reimer, PhD — research scientist at MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics and associate director of The New England University Transportation Center at MIT.
The board also includes Autoliv's own leaders: President and CEO Mikael Bratt, Vice President Research & Early Innovation Cecilia Sunnevång, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Fabien Dumont, and Vice President Product and Technology Management Malin Ekholm. The board provides external perspectives on emerging research areas and helps challenge assumptions about future mobility. Its members contribute expertise spanning injury biomechanics, vehicle safety, public health, automation, transportation systems and innovation management. Autoliv says collaboration with leading international experts supports its ambition to expand knowledge, accelerate innovation and strengthen its contribution to safer mobility worldwide.
“At Autoliv, innovation starts with understanding where society and mobility are heading. Our Research Advisory Board helps us connect scientific research, industry developments, and societal trends, ensuring that we continue to lead the advancement of automotive safety solutions for future generations.”
Previously from Autoliv Inc.
Autoliv's research push includes the September 2026 rollout of its HBM Safety Suite, a virtual platform that simulates how human bodies respond to crashes, with Toyota as the first customer evaluating it. The Research Advisory Board appointment extends that emphasis on safety research and innovation.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Autoliv Inc.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Autoliv describes itself as the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, supplying protective systems to all major automakers, so the expert input guiding its research agenda has wide reach across the industry. The two appointees add United Nations-linked road-safety policy and public-health expertise, plus executive experience from Audi, BMW, Volvo Cars and Volkswagen Group.
Terms in This Story
- Research Advisory Board
- A panel of outside experts that advises a company's research leadership on emerging challenges, priorities and assumptions.
- Injury biomechanics
- The study of how the human body responds to forces such as vehicle crashes, used to design protective systems.
- Automotive safety systems
- Protective equipment supplied to vehicle manufacturers, such as airbags, seatbelts and steering wheels.
- Public health
- The field focused on protecting and improving the health of populations rather than individual patients.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.