Bertelsmann has named a 39-year-old German industrial engineer as chief executive of Random House, replacing Peter Olson. Markus Dohle had previously run Bertelsmann’s printing unit, Arvato, which has thrived in recent years by expanding beyond printing into services including medical storage and cell-phone repair. Bertelsmann’s chief executive, Hartmut Ostrowski, told the Wall Street Journal that he chose Mr. Dohle to run Random House because “he’s one of our best entrepreneurs.” He added that Bertelsmann remained committed to publishing, but that Random House needs “new ideas in terms of how to distribute and market” books.

Mr. Olson told the Journal that he is moving his family to Cambridge, Mass., where he expects to teach at a nearby university.