It may seem like a stretch or an odd fit, but there is a bit of a trend out there--chief technology officers shifting gears and moving into the world of financial management. CFO.com reports on a number of former CIOs who have changed careers and become CFOs--Stacy Smith of Intel, Robert Sanchez of Ryder Systems, and James Yost of Dana Holding Corp., to name a few. The article suggests that technology experience can help a CFO given the critical role of systems in many companies' cost-reduction and streamlining efforts. While it's not always an easy transition, Deepak Sarup is an example of someone who bridged the gap. Sarup joined Siam Commercial Bank as a senior vice president in 2002 with responsibility to help modernize the bank's technology operations. After a year at the Thai bank, Sarup was given the additional title of CIO, and then later named CFO. "I'm really coming at the CFO job from a change-agent perspective," says Sarup. "It's a very unconventional entry point." 

For more on this trend:
- see this CFO.com article