Marty Larson is the embodiment of the new reality for IT execs. Earlier this year, Larson was promoted to CIO and VP of E-commerce at Consolidated Freightways Corp. as much for his business acumen as his tech background. Now that business background, combined with his leadership skills, has allowed him to slide into a role as senior VP of sales and marketing for the $2.3 billion trucking firm.

While moving from a CIO post to become a sales and marketing exec isn't common, Larson says it's not unprecedented. In the last few years, he says, CIOs and other IT execs have had to be leaders first and technologists second. "If they were looking for a technologist," Larson says, "I wouldn't have been their choice" for CIO.

Larson has managed to integrate marketing and IT throughout his career. Having moved from a technology-marketing role to an IT position and now back to marketing, Larson says his varied experience should make it easier for his staff to accept him. "Once you wear that technology banner, people put you in that box," he says.

Larson oversees eight departments related to sales and marketing, but he also has retained his E-commerce responsibilities. His initial focus is on improving revenue efficiencies. As a less-than-truckload shipper, Consolidated handles about 50,000 shipments a day, making it necessary to manage operating margins very closely. With trucking margins razor-thin to begin with, it's important that he ensure multiple loads per truck to limit damage claims and other unforeseen revenue drains.

It's even more of an issue now, given the economic downturn and the fallout from the Sept. 11 attacks. Says Larson, "I have to use limited resources and align them with the corporate business strategy."