Nonaka was one of two women to take over a Japanese Global 500 company in 2005. And she was one of two to lose that position in 2006, when the former TV anchor was stripped of her CEO title in a management shuffle that brought the son of the company's founder into the top executive position. Now the 52-year-old chairman plays a more symbolic role at the troubled electronics giant, which lost $1.7 billion last year on revenue of $20.3 billion, focusing on the company's "Think Gaia" strategy to develop environmentally friendly products, including air purifiers and rechargeable batteries.