RPT-Nippon Sheet Glass taps ex-Pilkington exec as CEO

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TOKYO, April 23 (Reuters) - Nippon Sheet Glass Co (5202.T) said on Wednesday it has tapped former Pilkington executive Stuart Chambers as its new president and chief executive, in a rare move to put a foreigner at the top of a Japanese firm.

Nippon Sheet, which makes glass used in cars, construction and for the production of electronics, bought British glassmaker Pilkington for around $3 billion in 2006, at which time Chambers was Pilkington's group chief executive.

Chambers, a 51-year old British national and currently executive vice president and chief operating officer at Nippon Sheet Glass, will replace Katsuji Fujimoto pending shareholder approval in June.

Fujimoto, 64, is set to become chairman after four years at the helm.

Non-Japanese chief executives are rare in Japan.

Howard Stringer grabbed headlines in 2005 when he became the first non-Japanese CEO of electronics giant Sony Corp (6758.T).

Nippon Sheet Glass said it would hold a news conference on the management changes at 0800 GMT in Tokyo. (Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Hugh Lawson)