Nissan Motor Co. announced a management downsizing plan Wednesday aimed at speedier decision-making, a slimmer board and the appointment of three executives from Renault SA.

The changes are expected to be officially approved at a general shareholders' meeting slated for late June.

Nissan will introduce a so-called corporate officer system designed to clarify responsibilities and speed decision-making processes.

Under the system, the chief executive officer, who will remain a board member, will be responsible for planning corporate strategies and operating officers will be in charge of implementing policies instituted by the CEO.

President Yoshikazu Hanawa will be president and chief executive officer, while Carlos Ghosn from Renault will be chief operating officer.

Patric Pelata from Renault will be executive vice president in charge of product and corporate planning, and Renault's Thierry Moulonguet will be senior vice president and deputy chief financial officer.

Nissan Chairman Yoshifumi Tsuji will leave the board and become an adviser to the firm on June 25. President Hanawa will double as chairman of the board, which will be reduced from 37 to 10 members, the Nissan officials said.

Chairman Tsuji has admitted his responsibility for huge debts that grew during his tenure as president from 1992 to 1996.

Interest-bearing liabilities of more than 2 trillion yen eventually forced the nation's No. 2 automaker to ask for financial help from abroad. Renault then bought more than a one-third stake in Nissan.

Nissan will also replace its "management strategy meetings," in which all 37 board members participate to discuss important agendas, with "corporate officers' meetings" to realize quick top-down decision-making, the officials said.

Nissan has long been criticized for being slow at making strategic decisions, which many industry sources say led to failures in marketing and product planning.

At the corporate officers' meetings, important decisions made by the executive committee will simply be passed down to officers in lower positions, not discussed by them, the Nissan officials said.

The executive committee will consist of 10 board members, including Hanawa, Ghosn, Pelata, Moulonguet and six Japanese executives.