STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The Board of Directors of Autoliv has appointed Benoit Marsaud to the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO).

Marsaud, who currently is president of the company’s European operations, will report directly to the Autoliv Chief Executive Officer Lars Westerberg in his new role as COO. His appointment is effective Sept. 1.

Marsaud has worked for Autoliv since 1980 in several top-level positions, including as president of Autoliv France and vice president manufacturing of Autoliv Inc. As COO, he will assume an overall global responsibility for the corporate functions engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, IT and quality, as well as for Autoliv’s five regional organizations and Autoliv Electronics.

Marsaud, 54, holds a Master of Science degree from Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Arts et Metiers in Paris.

Jan Carlson, who currently is vice president engineering of Autoliv Inc., has been named president of the company’s European division. He joined Autoliv in 1999 from Saab Aircraft, where he was president of Saab Combitech AB, to become president of Autoliv Electronics, which now has become the global market leader in restraint electronics. Carlson, 46, holds a Master of Science degree from the Institute of Technology in Linkoping, Sweden.

The company has also appointed Steve Fredin as its new vice president engineering. He is currently director global system development and vice president of seatbelt development for Autoliv North America. He has worked for Autoliv since 1988 and has been a key technical leader in all product areas for the past 10 years. Fredin, 44, has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University.