Dell Inc., the $61 billion direct-sale computer vendor based in Round Rock, Texas, appointed Brian T. Gladden senior vice president and CFO. Gladden, 43, succeeds Donald J. Carty Jr., 61, who resigned as CFO but remains vice chairman. Gladden joined Dell from SABIC Innovative Plastics Holding BV, formerly GE Plastics, where he was president and CEO. His previous experience includes nearly 20 years with General Electric (GE) in various financial and management leadership roles.

Google Inc., the $16.6 billion Internet search engine operator based in Mountain View, Calif., named Patrick Pichette senior vice president and CFO, effective Aug. 1. Pichette, 45, succeeds George Reyes, 53, who retired last August after five years with the company. A 20-year veteran of the telecommunications sector, Pichette joined Google after seven years at Bell Canada, where he held executive positions, including CFO from 2002 through 2003, before becoming president of operations.

Charter Communications Inc., the $6 billion broadband communications company based in St. Louis, Mo., appointed interim CFO Eloise E. Schmitz to serve as CFO on a permanent basis. Schmitz, 43, succeeds Jeffrey T. Fisher, 45, who stepped down as executive vice president and CFO in April after more than two years in that position. Prior to becoming interim CFO, Schmitz, a 10-year company veteran, was senior vice president of strategic planning since August 2006.