The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences honors Autoliv’s former CEO Gunnar Bark

Stockholm (October 23, 2009), Gunnar Bark today received the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’s Gold Medal for his contributions as an entrepreneur and for creating the world’s leading safety company Autoliv Inc. The award was personally presented to Mr. Bark by His Majesty the King of Sweden at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’s annual prize ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

Mr. Bark became the driving force of Autoliv in 1982, when the company was a small subsidiary within the Electrolux group. Sales amounted to $30 million and were limited to regular seatbelts and to a few customers in Europe with production in Sweden, Germany and France. When he retired as CEO seventeen years later, Autoliv had become the largest automotive safety company in the world with a third of the world market. Sales had grown more than 100 times to $3.8 billion with manufacturing in virtually all vehicle-producing countries in the world. During Mr. Bark’s time as CEO of Autoliv, the company developed many of the occupant safety products that are today considered a must in any modern car. This includes the seatbelt pretensioner, side airbags and the inflatable curtains that save many thousands of lives every year all over the world. “This was unexpected and I am much honored. I see this award as a recognition of my and my coworkers’ hard work,” says Mr. Bark. Inquiries: Birgitta Björkskär, The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences: +46 8 791 30 41 Henrik Kaar, Director Corporate Communications, Autoliv Inc. +46 8 587 20 614