Unlike past presidents at Toshiba, many of whom who were engineers, Mr. Nishida was pursuing a doctorate in the history of German thought when he joined Toshiba. His experience includes turning around Toshiba's personal computer unit.

Toshiba, like many of its Japanese rivals, is recognizing the need for a new kind of leader, one who knows how to manage. According to Mr. Nishida, globalization is playing a part in this change. Rivals Sony Corp. and Sanyo Electric Company also have new chief executives, and Fujitsu Ltd. and NEC Corp. replaced their chiefs in 2003. Sanyo chose a former journalist and corporate outsider, and Sony chose its chief U.S. manager to be its chief executive officer.

Mr. Nishida's main task will be getting Toshiba to grow faster among fierce competition from electronics rivals. He warns that although boosting profit is important, he has to balance that with the interests of his employees and customers, so change will not happen overnight.