Ron Codd.

For CFO-turned-CEO Ron Codd, Silicon Valley has been the place to be. Beginning at Tandem Computers in 1981, he's spent two decades at well-known high-tech firms such as WYSE, MIPS Compter Systems and PeopleSoft. The California lifestyle is evidently a big draw as well: Codd spends much of his leisure time in active pursuits like skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and wakeboarding. When he isn't out working up a sweat, he likes to watch sports, including auto racing -- and confesses to enjoy tinkering with cars.

Title: President and CEO, Momentum Business Applications, Pleasanton, Calif.

Born: Ottawa, Canada on Sept. 30, 1955

Spouse: Susie

Children: Ryan, 10; Alexis, 4

Education: B.S. in business with accounting emphasis, University of California, Berkeley, 1977; masters in management with finance and MIS emphasis, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University), 1980; CPA, CMA, CPIM designations earned.

Career History: Started in the audit department of Arthur Young in San Francisco, working there from 1977-80. Then served as director of financial planning, Tandem Computers, 1981-84; corporate controller, WYSE Technology, 1984-89; VP, corporate controller, MIPS Computer Systems, 1989-91; SVP of finance and administration and CFO, PeopleSoft Inc., 1991-98; president and CEO, Momentum Business Applications Inc., since January 1999. Evening instructor in graduate and undergraduate programs at Golden Gate University, 1978-80 and 1982-84. Serves as a director of three public companies - Adept Technology, Interwoven and Intraware.

FEI Chapter: Silicon Valley

Leisure Pursuits: "Sports of all sorts, both direct participation and spectator. Particularly enjoy boating and water sports (e.g., water skiing and wakeboarding). Also enjoy sailing, kayaking, snow skiing, snow boarding, mountain biking, golf and riding my ATV. Enjoy watching baseball, football and auto racing. Also enjoy intellectually stimulating activities such as reading, investing, music and teaching. Also like to tinker with cars and other types of vehicles, I am on the board of directors of our local Habitat for Humanity International affiliate in Contra Costa County, and am serving a two-year term as treasurer."

Time Management Tip: "Plan your time at the beginning of the day or week. Absolutely manage interruptions it may be necessary to schedule time on your calendar each day or week that is specifically set aside for you to do productive work by yourself in a reasonably secluded setting. Set up a reward system for yourself so that you are incented to tackle difficult jobs and complete them sooner rather than procrastinating."

Stress Management Advice: "Don't sweat the stuff you can't control. If you can control the situation, don't spend time sweating when you could be spending time addressing whatever it is causing stress. If you find yourself in recurring stressful situations address the core problem, not the symptoms."

Best Job: "My best job was my time spent as CFO of PeopleSoft. The job was very broad, with responsibilities in finance (accounting, planning and tax), HR, facilities, IT, legal, M&A and operations. In addition, I had significant involvement in managing a highly successful growth company, both from a tactical and strategic perspective. When I joined the company, it had approximately 70 employees and a $15 million annualized revenue run rate. I left the company when it had 7,000 employees and an annualized revenue run rate of $1.5 billion."