Russell T. Lewis

 Lewis made major strides last year toward reinventing the Times as a national newspaper. Along with chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr., whose family still owns a controlling interest, Lewis coordinated a $1 billion plan that, among other things, introduced color. The two also transformed the paper into a six-section daily, opened printing plants in Washington, D.C., and Boston to improve northeastern distribution, and pushed the national edition into dozens of new markets. Revenue grew 2.5 percent to almost $3 billion.

Business philosophy: "The collective intellect and industry of a group yields greater results than any one individual."

Headaches: A slowdown in traditional newspaper advertising. The proliferation of media choices, especially the Internet, threaten to cannibalize both readership and prestige.

True story: While on active duty as a National Guardsman delivering U.S. mail during a postal strike, he secretly gathered information for a Times story. Narrowly avoided court-martial but won a National Publishers award.

Management Style: "I'm more interested in making sure we have the right people in the right places than in telling people what to do."

Strength: Getting people with different styles, ideas, and backgrounds to cooperate.

Weakness: Untested in standing up to the Sulzberger family during crisis or recession.